ABSTRACT

Interoceptive processes emanating from baroreceptor signals support emotional functioning. Previous research suggests a unique link to fear: fearful faces, presented in synchrony with systolic baroreceptor firing draw more attention and are rated as more intense than those presented at diastole. This study examines whether this effect is unique to fearful faces or can be observed in other emotional faces.

Participants (n = 71) completed an emotional visual search task (VST) in which fearful, happy, disgust and sad faces were presented during systolic and diastolic phases of the cardiac cycle. Visual search accuracy and emotion detection accuracy and latency were recorded, followed by a subjective intensity task.

A series of interactions between emotion and cardiac phase were observed. Visual search accuracy for happy and disgust faces was greater at systole than diastole; the opposite was found for fearful faces. Fearful and happy faces were perceived as more intense at systole.

Previous research proposed that cardiac signalling has specific effects on the attention and intensity ratings for fearful faces. Results from the present tasks suggest these effects are more generalised and raise the possibility that interoceptive signals amplify emotional superiority effects dependent on the task employed.

摘要

来自压力感受器信号的内感受过程支持情绪功能。先前的研究表明与恐惧存在独特的联系：与收缩压感受器放电同步呈现的恐惧面孔会引起更多关注，并且比舒张期呈现的面孔更强烈。这项研究检验了这种效应是否是恐惧面孔所独有的，还是可以在其他情绪面孔中观察到的。

参与者 ( n  = 71) 完成了一项情绪视觉搜索任务 (VST)，其中在心动周期的收缩期和舒张期呈现恐惧、快乐、厌恶和悲伤的面孔。记录视觉搜索准确度和情绪检测准确度和延迟，然后是主观强度任务。

观察到情绪和心相之间的一系列相互作用。对快乐和厌恶面孔的视觉搜索准确性在收缩期高于舒张期；反面是为可怕的面孔找到的。恐惧和快乐的面孔在收缩期被认为更加强烈。

先前的研究表明，心脏信号对恐惧面孔的注意力和强度等级有特定的影响。目前任务的结果表明，这些影响更加普遍，并提高了内感受信号放大情绪优势效应的可能性，这取决于所采用的任务。