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Trait anxiety effects on late phase threatening speech processing: Evidence from electroencephalography
Simon Busch-Moreno1, Jyrki Tuomainen1, David Vinson1
1Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
The European Journal of Neuroscience
|September 23, 2021
Summary
Trait anxiety influences language processing, affecting deliberation. Higher anxiety levels correlate with specific brain activity patterns during threat detection, suggesting a direct impact on cognitive processes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psycholinguistics
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Trait anxiety's impact on processing threatening stimuli is established.
- The effect of anxiety levels on language processing remains less explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the direct effect of trait anxiety on language processing.
- To examine event-related potential (ERP) patterns during a dichotic listening task in relation to anxiety levels.
Main Methods:
- Electroencephalography (EEG) measured brain activity in 36 participants.
- A behavioral inhibition system (BIS) scale assessed participants' anxiety levels.
- Participants performed a dichotic listening task with neutral and threatening sentences.
Main Results:
- A late positivity complex (LPC) in ERPs was observed.
- Bayesian models showed a strong association between LPC and BIS scores.
- This suggests trait anxiety affects deliberation processes in language comprehension.
Conclusions:
- Trait anxiety appears to directly influence language processing, specifically deliberation.
- Mechanisms may involve anxious rumination or an extended evaluation stage due to threat engagement.
