Motivated attention--Complexity, novelty, or emotion

情感图片吸引注意力，如传统的资源分配指标，如惊吓眨眼抑制的幅度和持续时间，二级惊吓探测的P3分量的幅度，以及情感图片处理过程中晚期正电位的幅度。 两个假设探索的作用，在情绪中的注意力进行测试：动机性注意力假设认为，当情感线索激活基本的双相动机系统，注意力自动调动，产生一个有方向的，专注的设置。知觉编码假说认为情绪中的注意力效应是由刺激复杂性、熟悉性或新奇的差异引起的，特别是当这些影响初始编码时（即，识别）阶段。 这两个假设的一些关键的测试，这将使我们能够确定注意力在情绪处理中的作用。 提出了一系列的心理生理学实验，使用探针定时范例，其中惊吓探针在不同的时间间隔后，图片发病（或偏移）。 三个主要的依赖性措施被用来评估操纵变量对注意力和情绪的影响：引发的惊吓眨眼和惊吓探测ERP将用于跟踪注意力和情绪随时间的变化;图片起始ERP将用于索引图片编码过程中的变化。 在第四年，这些范例将被纳入功能磁共振成像领域，以确定与情绪处理中的注意力相关的结构。总之，这里提出的基础科学研究将阐明基本动机系统的激活在多大程度上自动引导注意力，以及情感处理在多大程度上由刺激的复杂性、新奇性或熟悉性等次要因素介导。 这些数据将为探索和理解患有心理健康或神经问题的人群的情绪和注意力缺陷提供基础。

Emotional pictures engage attention, as measured by traditional indices of resource allocation such as the magnitude and duration of startle blink inhibition, the amplitude of the P3 component to a secondary startle probe, and the amplitude of the late positive potential during affective picture processing. Two hypotheses exploring the role of attention in emotion are tested here: the motivated attention hypothesis holds that when affective cues activate basic biphasic motivational systems, attention is automatically mobilized, producing an oriented, attentive set. The perceptual encoding hypothesis views attentional effects in emotion as resulting from differences in stimulus complexity, familiarity or novelty, particularly as these impact the initial encoding (i.e., identification) stage. A number of critical tests of these two hypotheses are presented, which will allow us to determine the role of attention in emotional processing. A series of psychophysiology experiments are proposed that use the probe-timing paradigm, in which startle probes are presented at various intervals after picture onset (or offset). Three primary dependent measures are used to assess effects of manipulated variables on attention and emotion: The elicited startle blink and the startle probe ERP will be used to track attention and emotion across time; picture onset ERPs will be used to index changes in picture encoding processes. In Years 4-these paradigms will be brought into the fMRI domain to identify structures associated with attention in emotional processing. Taken together, the basic science studies proposed here will elucidate the extent to which activation of basic motivational systems automatically directs attention and the extent to which affective processing is mediated by secondary factors of stimulus complexity, novelty, or familiarity. These data will provide a foundation for exploring and understanding emotional and attentional deficits in populations suffering mental-health or neurological problems.