谣言是在社会中相互传播的、真假不确定的信息。虚假谣言的泛滥会带来极大危害。什么样的人更易信谣、传谣？这是亟待解答的现实问题。以往研究多采用问卷调查法或观察法，虽发现高焦虑者更易传谣，但难以揭示因果。在项目组已有的研究基础上，本研究拟：1、通过行为实验考察焦虑影响谣言传播的心理机制（负性认知偏向vs. 认知资源不足）；2、采用事件相关电位、功能磁共振成像，考察焦虑影响谣言传播背后的神经机制；3、根据磁共振成像结果，通过经颅直流电刺激，进一步明确相关脑区在焦虑影响谣言传播中的决定性作用。我们预测：1）高特质焦虑者执行功能受损，更易夸大威胁刺激的风险而传播负性谣言；2）在神经机制上表现为：高焦虑者对负性谣言的抑制控制减弱、情绪反应增强、执行控制与情绪相关脑区之间的功能连接减弱。研究结果将有助于进一步理解焦虑对复杂社会行为的影响，并为舆情分析和干预提供来自脑科学的证据和新的测量指标。

Rumor was defined as the "unverified and instrumentally relevant information statements in circulation that arise in contexts of ambiguity, danger or potential threat, and that function to help people make sense and manage risk". The diffusion of rumor may destabilize situations and cause harm. Therefore, understanding which types of people are most likely to transmit rumor is essential. Previous studies found that high levels of anxiety were accompanied by higher frequency of rumor transmission through questionnaires or observational approach. However, why people high in anxiety are more susceptible to rumor, and the neural basis of rumor transmission was unclear. In the present project, we will investigate the influence of anxiety to the rumor transmission by using ERP, fMRI and tDCS. We expected that healthy participants high in trait anxiety will show increased activation of the emotion-related areas (e.g., amygdala, anterior insula), decreased activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (associated with executive control) and reduced control over threat-related rumor, compared with those low in trait anxiety. Therefore, participants high in trait anxiety will transmit more negative rumor while ignoring the credibility of the information source. The results can advance understanding of the influence of anxiety on social behaviors, and the psychological link between brain and large-scale rumor transmission behavior.