Evidence of Rapid Modulation by Social Information of Subjective, Physiological, and Neural Responses to Emotional Expressions

Recent research suggests that conceptual or emotional factors could influence the perceptual processing of stimuli. In this article, we aimed to evaluate the effect of social information (positive, negative, or no information related to the character of the target) on subjective (perceived and felt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience 2018-01, Vol.11, p.231-231
Main Authors: Mermillod, Martial, Grynberg, Delphine, Pio-Lopez, Léo, Rychlowska, Magdalena, Beffara, Brice, Harquel, Sylvain, Vermeulen, Nicolas, Niedenthal, Paula M, Dutheil, Frédéric, Droit-Volet, Sylvie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arousal
Brain research
Cognitive science
electroencephalography
Electromyography
embodiment theory
emotion
Emotions
Humanities and Social Sciences
Mimicry
Neuroscience
Perceptions
Physiology
Simulation
social cognition
Social interaction
Studies
top-down processes
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Summary:Recent research suggests that conceptual or emotional factors could influence the perceptual processing of stimuli. In this article, we aimed to evaluate the effect of social information (positive, negative, or no information related to the character of the target) on subjective (perceived and felt valence and arousal), physiological (facial mimicry) as well as on neural (P100 and N170) responses to dynamic emotional facial expressions (EFE) that varied from neutral to one of the six basic emotions. Across three studies, the results showed reduced ratings of valence and arousal of EFE associated with incongruent social information (Study 1), increased electromyographical responses (Study 2), and significant modulation of P100 and N170 components (Study 3) when EFE were associated with social (positive and negative) information (vs. no information). These studies revealed that positive or negative social information reduces subjective responses to incongruent EFE and produces a similar neural and physiological boost of the early perceptual processing of EFE irrespective of their congruency. In conclusion, the article suggests that the presence of positive or negative social context modulates early physiological and neural activity preceding subsequent behavior.
ISSN:1662-5153
1662-5153
DOI:10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00231