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Updated: Jun 2, 2026
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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation
Published on: August 26, 2011
Face to face with emotion: holistic face processing is modulated by emotional state
Kim M Curby1, Kareem J Johnson, Alyssa Tyson
1Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. kim.curby@temple.edu
Cognition & Emotion
|May 11, 2011
Summary
Negative emotions reduce holistic face processing, shifting visual perception towards local features. This emotional modulation impacts how we process socially relevant information, challenging assumptions of automatic facial recognition.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Negative emotions are associated with local visual processing.
- Faces are typically processed using a global, holistic approach.
- Social contexts frequently evoke emotional responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if negative emotions decrease the holistic processing of faces.
- To understand how emotional states influence visual perception of social stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Induction of positive, negative, or neutral emotions using film clips.
- Measurement of holistic face processing before and after emotion induction.
- Assessment of holistic processing via interference from task-irrelevant facial parts in chimeric face judgments.
Main Results:
- Emotional state significantly altered face processing styles.
- Negative emotion induction led to a measurable decrease in holistic face processing.
- Self-reported emotional changes correlated with observed changes in holistic processing.
Conclusions:
- Holistic face processing is not automatic or immune to emotional influence.
- Emotion significantly modulates socially relevant visual perception, specifically facial processing.
- Findings highlight the dynamic interplay between emotion and cognition in social perception.
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