Dynamic and static angry faces influence time perception differently-Evidence from ERPs

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Affective Science

Background:

• Facial expressions, particularly dynamic ones, may influence temporal perception.
• Dynamic emotional faces possess greater intensity and ecological validity than static faces, potentially skewing time judgments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of dynamic angry facial expressions on time perception.
• To differentiate the neural processing of time perception for dynamic versus static angry faces using event-related potentials (ERPs).

Main Methods:

• Utilized a temporal bisection paradigm with dynamic and static angry and neutral faces of varying durations.
• Measured behavioral responses (proportion of long judgments, Bisection Point) and event-related potentials (ERPs).

Main Results:

• Behavioral data revealed significant time overestimation for dynamic angry faces compared to static angry faces.
• ERP analysis showed distinct neural processing patterns: dynamic angry faces elicited larger N2 and Late Positive Potential, while static faces showed larger P2 and Early Posterior Negativity.
• Contingent Negative Variation displayed complex temporal dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Dynamic angry facial expressions significantly alter time perception compared to static angry faces.
• Static angry faces appear to induce time overestimation via early emotional arousal and attentional bias.
• Dynamic angry faces may lead to time overestimation through response inhibition and sustained attention mechanisms.