Trait Absorption is Related to Enhanced Emotional Picture Processing and Reduced Processing of Secondary Acoustic Probes

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-14-2015

Publication Title

Psychophysiology

Volume

52

Issue

10

First page number:

1409

Last page number:

1415

Abstract

Trait absorption reflects a propensity to have one's attention drawn to engaging sensory or imaginal experiences. It is related to self‐reported levels of positive and negative emotionality, but little work has examined whether absorption is related to greater levels of basic emotional processing. We used the late positive potential (LPP) to pictures and P3 response to subsequent startle probes during those pictures to examine how absorption was related to initial emotional processing and reactivity to a second stimulus. Across genders, absorption was positively related to LPP amplitude to emotional versus neutral pictures at PZ, and it was negatively related to overall P3 amplitude to startle probes at FZ. Thus, absorption appears to index greater processing of emotional material at the cost of reduced processing of subsequent incoming stimuli.

Keywords

Trait absorption; Emotion; ERP; LPP; Startle probe; P3

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Psychiatry and Psychology | Psychological Phenomena and Processes

Language

English

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