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Published on: March 15, 2019
Adult attachment and the perception of facial expression of emotion
Paula M Niedenthal1, Markus Brauer, Lucy Robin
1National Center for Scientific Research and Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale de la Cognition, University of Clermont-Ferrand, France. niedenthal@srvpsy.univ-bpclermont.fr
Abstract:
Adult attachment orientation has been associated with specific patterns of emotion regulation. The present research examined the effects of attachment orientation on the perceptual processing of emotional stimuli. Experimental participants played computerized movies of faces that expressed happiness, sadness, and anger. Over the course of the movies, the facial expressions became neutral. Participants reported the frame at which the initial expression no longer appeared on the face. Under conditions of no distress (Study 1), fearfully attached individuals saw the offset of both happiness and anger earlier, and preoccupied and dismissive individuals later, than the securely attached individuals. Under conditions of distress (Study 2), insecurely attached individuals perceived the offset of negative facial expressions as occurring later than did the secure individuals, and fearfully attached individuals saw the offset later than either of the other insecure groups. The mechanisms underlying the effects are considered.
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