Electrophysiological Differences in the Processing of Affective Information in Words and Pictures

Overview

Journal Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

Publisher Springer

Specialties Neurology
Social Sciences

Date 2009 May 1

PMID 19403894

Citations 40

Authors

Jose A Hinojosa

Luis Carretie

Maria A Valcarcel

Constantino Mendez-Bertolo

Miguel A Pozo

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

It is generally assumed that affective picture viewing is related to higher levels of physiological arousal than is the reading of emotional words. However, this assertion is based mainly on studies in which the processing of either words or pictures has been investigated under heterogenic conditions. Positive, negative, relaxing, neutral, and background (stimulus fragments) words and pictures were presented to subjects in two experiments under equivalent experimental conditions. In Experiment 1, neutral words elicited an enhanced late positive component (LPC) that was associated with an increased difficulty in discriminating neutral from background stimuli. In Experiment 2, high-arousing pictures elicited an enhanced early negativity and LPC that were related to a facilitated processing for these stimuli. Thus, it seems that under some circumstances, the processing of affective information captures attention only with more biologically relevant stimuli. Also, these data might be better interpreted on the basis of those models that postulate a different access to affective information for words and pictures.

Citing Articles

I am Once Again Asking for Your Attention: A Replication of Feature-Based Attention Modulations of Binding Effects with Picture Stimuli.

Singh T, Schopper L, Frings C J Cogn. 2025; 8(1):22.

PMID: 39925788 PMC: 11804182. DOI: 10.5334/joc.432.

Emotion processing difficulties in ADHD: a Bayesian meta-analysis study.

Soler-Gutierrez A, Sanchez-Carmona A, Albert J, Hinojosa J, Cortese S, Bellato A Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025; .

PMID: 39853403 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-025-02647-3.

Neural correlates of word processing influenced by painful primes.

Brodhun C, Borelli E, Weiss T PLoS One. 2024; 19(1):e0295148.

PMID: 38241212 PMC: 10798507. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295148.

Unraveling the Mystery About the Negative Valence Bias: Does Arousal Account for Processing Differences in Unpleasant Words?.

Vieitez L, Haro J, Ferre P, Padron I, Fraga I Front Psychol. 2021; 12:748726.

PMID: 34795616 PMC: 8593103. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.748726.

Limitations of cognitive control on emotional distraction - Congruency in the Color Stroop task does not modulate the Emotional Stroop effect.

Straub E, Schmidts C, Kunde W, Zhang J, Kiesel A, Dignath D Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2021; 22(1):21-41.

PMID: 34735694 PMC: 8791911. DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00935-4.

References

Martin-Loeches M, Hinojosa J, Gomez-Jarabo G, RUBIA F . An early electrophysiological sign of semantic processing in basal extrastriate areas. Psychophysiology. 2001; 38(1):114-24. View

Lavie N . Distracted and confused?: selective attention under load. Trends Cogn Sci. 2005; 9(2):75-82. DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2004.12.004. View

Delplanque S, Lavoie M, Hot P, Silvert L, Sequeira H . Modulation of cognitive processing by emotional valence studied through event-related potentials in humans. Neurosci Lett. 2004; 356(1):1-4. DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2003.10.014. View

Vanderploeg R, BROWN W, Marsh J . Judgments of emotion in words and faces: ERP correlates. Int J Psychophysiol. 1987; 5(3):193-205. DOI: 10.1016/0167-8760(87)90006-7. View

Ohman A, Ohman A, Flykt A, Flykt A, Esteves F, Esteves F . Emotion drives attention: detecting the snake in the grass. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2001; 130(3):466-78. DOI: 10.1037/0096-3445.130.3.466. View

Oken B, Chiappa K . Statistical issues concerning computerized analysis of brainwave topography. Ann Neurol. 1986; 19(5):493-7. DOI: 10.1002/ana.410190511. View

Cuthbert B, Schupp H, Bradley M, Birbaumer N, Lang P . Brain potentials in affective picture processing: covariation with autonomic arousal and affective report. Biol Psychol. 2000; 52(2):95-111. DOI: 10.1016/s0301-0511(99)00044-7. View

Delplanque S, Silvert L, Hot P, Rigoulot S, Sequeira H . Arousal and valence effects on event-related P3a and P3b during emotional categorization. Int J Psychophysiol. 2005; 60(3):315-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2005.06.006. View

Junghofer M, Bradley M, Elbert T, Lang P . Fleeting images: a new look at early emotion discrimination. Psychophysiology. 2001; 38(2):175-8. View

10.

Glaser W, Glaser M . Context effects in stroop-like word and picture processing. J Exp Psychol Gen. 1989; 118(1):13-42. DOI: 10.1037//0096-3445.118.1.13. View

11.

Huang Y, Luo Y . Temporal course of emotional negativity bias: an ERP study. Neurosci Lett. 2006; 398(1-2):91-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2005.12.074. View

12.

Bower G . Mood and memory. Am Psychol. 1981; 36(2):129-48. DOI: 10.1037//0003-066x.36.2.129. View

13.

Martin-Loeches M . The gate for reading: reflections on the recognition potential. Brain Res Rev. 2006; 53(1):89-97. DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresrev.2006.07.001. View

14.

Olofsson J, Nordin S, Sequeira H, Polich J . Affective picture processing: an integrative review of ERP findings. Biol Psychol. 2008; 77(3):247-65. PMC: 2443061. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2007.11.006. View

15.

Carretie L, Hinojosa J, Albert J, Lopez-Martin S, De La Gandara B, Igoa J . Modulation of ongoing cognitive processes by emotionally intense words. Psychophysiology. 2007; 45(2):188-96. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2007.00617.x. View

16.

Hamann S, Mao H . Positive and negative emotional verbal stimuli elicit activity in the left amygdala. Neuroreport. 2002; 13(1):15-9. DOI: 10.1097/00001756-200201210-00008. View

17.

Kanske P, Kotz S . Concreteness in emotional words: ERP evidence from a hemifield study. Brain Res. 2007; 1148:138-48. DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2007.02.044. View

18.

Keil A, Bradley M, Hauk O, Rockstroh B, Elbert T, Lang P . Large-scale neural correlates of affective picture processing. Psychophysiology. 2002; 39(5):641-9. DOI: 10.1017.S0048577202394162. View

19.

Kissler J, Assadollahi R, Herbert C . Emotional and semantic networks in visual word processing: insights from ERP studies. Prog Brain Res. 2006; 156:147-83. DOI: 10.1016/S0079-6123(06)56008-X. View

20.

Spruyt A, Hermans D, Pandelaere M, De Houwer J, Eelen P . On the replicability of the affective priming effect in the pronunciation task. Exp Psychol. 2004; 51(2):109-15. DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169.51.2.109. View