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Face processing biases in social anxiety: an electrophysiological study
Jason S Moser1, Jonathan D Huppert, Elizabeth Duval
1Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA. jmoser@udel.edu <jmoser@udel.edu>
Biological Psychology
|March 21, 2008
Summary
Socially anxious individuals show a bias towards processing negative social cues, while non-anxious individuals focus on positive cues. These distinct processing biases in social anxiety highlight differences in attention and emotion modulation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- Social anxiety is linked to altered processing of social stimuli.
- Previous research suggests biases towards negative social information in social anxiety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate information processing biases in high- vs. low-socially anxious individuals.
- To examine behavioral and electrophysiological (event-related potentials - ERPs) responses to social facial stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Modified Erikson flanker task using negative and positive facial expressions.
- Measurement of behavioral performance and event-related brain potentials (ERPs).
- Comparison of ERPs between high- and low-socially anxious groups.
Main Results:
- No behavioral differences were observed between groups.
- Socially anxious individuals exhibited a negative face bias (P3/late positive potential).
- Non-anxious individuals showed a positive face bias (P2 and correct response negativity).
Conclusions:
- Different processing stages are sensitive to distinct biases in social anxiety.
- Findings advance understanding of cognitive mechanisms underlying social anxiety.
- Results inform models of anxious psychopathology.
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