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Corrugator activity confirms immediate negative affect in surprise
Sascha Topolinski1, Fritz Strack2
1Department of Psychology, Social and Economic Cognition, University of Cologne , Cologne, Germany.
Frontiers in Psychology
|March 13, 2015
Summary
Negative affect, not facial expressions of surprise, underlies cognitive shifts during surprising events. This negative emotion prompts deeper, more reflective processing of unexpected stimuli.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Affective Science
Background:
- Surprise involves cognitive interruption and shifts in processing.
- Existing models lack a clear mechanism for this cognitive mode switch.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of negative affect in surprise.
- To test if surprising stimuli elicit negative affect and mental effort.
Main Methods:
- Facial electromyography (fEMG) assessed spontaneous facial expressions.
- Participants rated neutral trivia statements varying in surprise level.
- N = 28 participants were included in the study.
Main Results:
- High-surprise trivia elicited greater corrugator supercilii activity (indicating negative affect and mental effort).
- No significant differences in zygomaticus major (positive affect) or frontalis (surprise expression) activity were found.
- Negative affect appears to be an initial response to schema-discrepant information.
Conclusions:
- Phasic negative affect, not overt surprise expressions, underlies the cognitive shift during surprise.
- Negative affect serves as a mechanism to tune cognitive processing towards deeper analysis.
- Future research should explore the mediating role of negative affect in surprise outcomes.
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