TY - JOUR
T1 - Distinguishing between automaticity and attention in the processing of emotionally significant stimuli
AU - Okon-Singer, Hadas
AU - Tzelgov, Joseph
AU - Henik, Avishai
PY - 2007/2/1
Y1 - 2007/2/1
N2 - There is contradicting evidence as to whether irrelevant but significant emotional stimuli can be processed outside the focus of attention. In the current study, participants were asked to ignore emotional and neutral pictures while performing a competing task. In Experiment 1, orienting of attention to distracting pictures was manipulated via a peripheral cue. In Experiment 2, attentional load was varied, either leaving spare attention to process the distracting pictures or, alternatively, depleting attentional resources. Although all pictures were task irrelevant, negative pictures were found to interfere more with performance in comparison to neutral pictures. This finding suggests that processing of negative stimuli is automatic in the sense that it does not require execution of conscious monitoring. However, interference occurred only when sufficient attention was available for picture processing. Hence, processing of negative pictures was dependent on sufficient attentional resources. This suggests that processing of emotionally significant stimuli is automatic yet requires attention.
AB - There is contradicting evidence as to whether irrelevant but significant emotional stimuli can be processed outside the focus of attention. In the current study, participants were asked to ignore emotional and neutral pictures while performing a competing task. In Experiment 1, orienting of attention to distracting pictures was manipulated via a peripheral cue. In Experiment 2, attentional load was varied, either leaving spare attention to process the distracting pictures or, alternatively, depleting attentional resources. Although all pictures were task irrelevant, negative pictures were found to interfere more with performance in comparison to neutral pictures. This finding suggests that processing of negative stimuli is automatic in the sense that it does not require execution of conscious monitoring. However, interference occurred only when sufficient attention was available for picture processing. Hence, processing of negative pictures was dependent on sufficient attentional resources. This suggests that processing of emotionally significant stimuli is automatic yet requires attention.
KW - Attentional resources
KW - Automaticity
KW - Emotional pictures
KW - Spatial attention
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33947212441&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/1528-3542.7.1.147
DO - 10.1037/1528-3542.7.1.147
M3 - Article
C2 - 17352570
AN - SCOPUS:33947212441
VL - 7
SP - 147
EP - 157
JO - Emotion
JF - Emotion
SN - 1528-3542
IS - 1
ER -