Emotion based attentional priority for storage in visual short-term memory.
A plethora of research demonstrates that the processing of emotional faces is prioritised over non-emotive stimuli when cognitive resources are limited (this is known as 'emotional superiority'). However, there is debate as to whether competition for processing resources results in emotion...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2014-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0095261&type=printable |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850191580151939072 |
|---|---|
| author | Luca Simione Lucia Calabrese Francesco S Marucci Marta Olivetti Belardinelli Antonino Raffone Frances A Maratos |
| author_facet | Luca Simione Lucia Calabrese Francesco S Marucci Marta Olivetti Belardinelli Antonino Raffone Frances A Maratos |
| author_sort | Luca Simione |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A plethora of research demonstrates that the processing of emotional faces is prioritised over non-emotive stimuli when cognitive resources are limited (this is known as 'emotional superiority'). However, there is debate as to whether competition for processing resources results in emotional superiority per se, or more specifically, threat superiority. Therefore, to investigate prioritisation of emotional stimuli for storage in visual short-term memory (VSTM), we devised an original VSTM report procedure using schematic (angry, happy, neutral) faces in which processing competition was manipulated. In Experiment 1, display exposure time was manipulated to create competition between stimuli. Participants (n = 20) had to recall a probed stimulus from a set size of four under high (150 ms array exposure duration) and low (400 ms array exposure duration) perceptual processing competition. For the high competition condition (i.e. 150 ms exposure), results revealed an emotional superiority effect per se. In Experiment 2 (n = 20), we increased competition by manipulating set size (three versus five stimuli), whilst maintaining a constrained array exposure duration of 150 ms. Here, for the five-stimulus set size (i.e. maximal competition) only threat superiority emerged. These findings demonstrate attentional prioritisation for storage in VSTM for emotional faces. We argue that task demands modulated the availability of processing resources and consequently the relative magnitude of the emotional/threat superiority effect, with only threatening stimuli prioritised for storage in VSTM under more demanding processing conditions. Our results are discussed in light of models and theories of visual selection, and not only combine the two strands of research (i.e. visual selection and emotion), but highlight a critical factor in the processing of emotional stimuli is availability of processing resources, which is further constrained by task demands. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-309c8a0813e8460988a4b8a93496b6ab |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-309c8a0813e8460988a4b8a93496b6ab2025-08-20T02:14:53ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0195e9526110.1371/journal.pone.0095261Emotion based attentional priority for storage in visual short-term memory.Luca SimioneLucia CalabreseFrancesco S MarucciMarta Olivetti BelardinelliAntonino RaffoneFrances A MaratosA plethora of research demonstrates that the processing of emotional faces is prioritised over non-emotive stimuli when cognitive resources are limited (this is known as 'emotional superiority'). However, there is debate as to whether competition for processing resources results in emotional superiority per se, or more specifically, threat superiority. Therefore, to investigate prioritisation of emotional stimuli for storage in visual short-term memory (VSTM), we devised an original VSTM report procedure using schematic (angry, happy, neutral) faces in which processing competition was manipulated. In Experiment 1, display exposure time was manipulated to create competition between stimuli. Participants (n = 20) had to recall a probed stimulus from a set size of four under high (150 ms array exposure duration) and low (400 ms array exposure duration) perceptual processing competition. For the high competition condition (i.e. 150 ms exposure), results revealed an emotional superiority effect per se. In Experiment 2 (n = 20), we increased competition by manipulating set size (three versus five stimuli), whilst maintaining a constrained array exposure duration of 150 ms. Here, for the five-stimulus set size (i.e. maximal competition) only threat superiority emerged. These findings demonstrate attentional prioritisation for storage in VSTM for emotional faces. We argue that task demands modulated the availability of processing resources and consequently the relative magnitude of the emotional/threat superiority effect, with only threatening stimuli prioritised for storage in VSTM under more demanding processing conditions. Our results are discussed in light of models and theories of visual selection, and not only combine the two strands of research (i.e. visual selection and emotion), but highlight a critical factor in the processing of emotional stimuli is availability of processing resources, which is further constrained by task demands.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0095261&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Luca Simione Lucia Calabrese Francesco S Marucci Marta Olivetti Belardinelli Antonino Raffone Frances A Maratos Emotion based attentional priority for storage in visual short-term memory. PLoS ONE |
| title | Emotion based attentional priority for storage in visual short-term memory. |
| title_full | Emotion based attentional priority for storage in visual short-term memory. |
| title_fullStr | Emotion based attentional priority for storage in visual short-term memory. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emotion based attentional priority for storage in visual short-term memory. |
| title_short | Emotion based attentional priority for storage in visual short-term memory. |
| title_sort | emotion based attentional priority for storage in visual short term memory |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0095261&type=printable |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lucasimione emotionbasedattentionalpriorityforstorageinvisualshorttermmemory AT luciacalabrese emotionbasedattentionalpriorityforstorageinvisualshorttermmemory AT francescosmarucci emotionbasedattentionalpriorityforstorageinvisualshorttermmemory AT martaolivettibelardinelli emotionbasedattentionalpriorityforstorageinvisualshorttermmemory AT antoninoraffone emotionbasedattentionalpriorityforstorageinvisualshorttermmemory AT francesamaratos emotionbasedattentionalpriorityforstorageinvisualshorttermmemory |