Abstract Colored photographic pictures that varied widely across the affective dimensions of valence (pleasant‐unpleasant) and arousal (excited‐calm) were each viewed for a 6‐s period while facial electromyographic (zygomatic corrugator muscle activity) visceral (heart rate skin conductance) reactions measured. Judgments relating to pleasure, arousal, interest, emotional state measured, as was choice viewing time. Significant covariation obtained between (a) expression judgments (b)...

This theoretical model of emotion is based on research using the startle-probe methodology. It explains inconsistencies in probe studies attention and fear conditioning provides a new approach to emotional perception, imagery, memory. Emotions are organized biphasically, as appetitive or aversive (defensive). Reflexes with same valence an ongoing state augmented; mismatched reflexes inhibited. Thus, startle response (an reflex) enhanced during diminished pleasant context. affect-startle...

Emotional reactions are organized by underlying motivational states--defensive and appetitive--that have evolved to promote the survival of individuals species. Affective responses were measured while participants viewed pictures with varied emotional neutral content. Consistent hypothesis, reports strongest arousal, largest skin conductance responses, most pronounced cardiac deceleration, greatest modulation startle reflex occurred when depicting threat, violent death, erotica. Moreover,...

Pupil diameter was monitored during picture viewing to assess effects of hedonic valence and emotional arousal on pupillary responses. Autonomic activity (heart rate skin conductance) concurrently measured determine whether changes are mediated by parasympathetic or sympathetic activation. Following an initial light reflex, were larger when emotionally arousing pictures, regardless these pleasant unpleasant. Pupillary covaried with conductance change, supporting the interpretation that...

Recent studies have shown that the late positive component of event-related-potential (ERP) is enhanced for emotional pictures, presented in an oddball paradigm, evaluated as distant from established affective context. In other research, with context-free, random presentation, affectively intense pictures (pleasant and unpleasant) prompted similar ERP positivity (compared neutral picture response). effort to reconcile interpretations potential (LPP), ERPs randomly ordered were assessed, but...

Incidental memory performance for pictures that varied along the affective dimensions of pleasantness and arousal was assessed. For both an immediate delayed (1 year later) free-recall task, only dimension had a stable effect on performance: Pictures rated as highly arousing were remembered better than low-arousal stimuli. This corroborated in speeded recognition test, which high-arousal materials encoded earlier experiment produced faster reaction times their counterparts. Pleasantness...

Adhering to the view that emotional reactivity is organized in part by underlying motivational states--defensive and appetitive--we investigated sex differences activation. Men's women's affective reactions were measured while participants viewed pictures with varied neutral content. As expected, highly arousing contents of threat, mutilation, erotica prompted largest both men women. Nonetheless, women showed a broad disposition respond greater defensive aversive pictures, regardless...

Emotional reactions to naturally occurring sounds (e.g., screams, erotica, bombs, etc.) were investigated in two studies. In Experiment 1, subjects rated the pleasure and arousal elicited when listening each of 60 sounds, followed by an incidental free recall task. The shape two-dimensional affective space defined mean ratings for sound was similar that previously obtained pictures, and, like memory highest emotionally arousing stimuli. 2, autonomic facial electromyographic (EMG) activity...

Functional activity in the visual cortex was assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging technology while participants viewed a series of pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant pictures. Coronal images at four different locations occipital were acquired during each eight 12‐s picture presentation periods ( on ) and interpicture interval off ). The extent activation larger right than left hemisphere occipitoparietal regions processing all contents compared with intervals. More importantly,...

Startle-elicited blinks were measured during presentation of affective slides to test hypotheses concerning emotional responding in psychopaths. Subjects 54 incarcerated sexual offenders divided into nonpsychopathic, psychopathic, and mixed groups based on file interview data. Consistent with findings for normal college students, nonpsychopaths subjects showed a significant linear relationship between slide valence startle magnitude, responses largest unpleasant smallest pleasant slides....

Hemodynamic and electrophysiological studies indicate differential brain response to emotionally arousing, compared neutral, pictures. The time course source distribution of electrocortical potentials in emotional stimuli, using a high‐density electrode (129‐sensor) array were examined here. Event‐related (ERPs) recorded while participants viewed pleasant, unpleasant ERP voltages six intervals, roughly corresponding P1, N1, early P3, late P3 slow wave window. Differential activity was found...

The visual brain quickly sorted stimuli for emotional impact despite high-speed presentation (3 or 5 per s) in a sustained, serial torrent of 700 complex pictures. Event-related potentials, recorded with dense electrode array, showed selective discrimination emotionally arousing from less affective content. Primary sources this activation were over the occipital cortices, extending to right parietal cortex, suggesting processing focus posterior system. Emotion was independent formal...