Taiyong Bi1, Qinhong Xie1,2, Jianhui Gao1, Tao Zhang1, Hui Kou1. 1. Center for Mental Health Research in School of Management, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, People's Republic of China. 2. School of Criminal Justice, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Empathy is shown to affect the attentional processing of painful stimuli and emotional stimuli. However, whether the attentional effects on emotional stimuli depend on emotional valence and the nature of the relationship between the attentional effects on different stimuli are still unknown. METHODS: In the present study, 25 high-empathy (HE) participants and 25 low-empathy (LE) participants were recruited to perform dot-probe tasks on painful stimuli and emotional stimuli. RESULTS: The results showed that HE individuals had weak attentional disengagement to painful pictures. More importantly, regarding emotional pictures, HE individuals showed attentional avoidance to negative emotion pictures, while LE individuals showed attentional bias to positive emotion pictures. Correlation analysis showed that the attentional bias score and attentional disengagement score were only associated with each other within the same category of stimuli (painful, positive or negative stimuli). CONCLUSION: These results revealed that HE individuals mainly showed attentional avoidance to negative stimuli, while LE individuals mainly showed attentional bias to positive stimuli.
BACKGROUND: Empathy is shown to affect the attentional processing of painful stimuli and emotional stimuli. However, whether the attentional effects on emotional stimuli depend on emotional valence and the nature of the relationship between the attentional effects on different stimuli are still unknown. METHODS: In the present study, 25 high-empathy (HE) participants and 25 low-empathy (LE) participants were recruited to perform dot-probe tasks on painful stimuli and emotional stimuli. RESULTS: The results showed that HE individuals had weak attentional disengagement to painful pictures. More importantly, regarding emotional pictures, HE individuals showed attentional avoidance to negative emotion pictures, while LE individuals showed attentional bias to positive emotion pictures. Correlation analysis showed that the attentional bias score and attentional disengagement score were only associated with each other within the same category of stimuli (painful, positive or negative stimuli). CONCLUSION: These results revealed that HE individuals mainly showed attentional avoidance to negative stimuli, while LE individuals mainly showed attentional bias to positive stimuli.
Authors: Rebecca B Price; Jennie M Kuckertz; Greg J Siegle; Cecile D Ladouceur; Jennifer S Silk; Neal D Ryan; Ronald E Dahl; Nader Amir Journal: Psychol Assess Date: 2014-11-24
Authors: Miiamaaria V Saarela; Yevhen Hlushchuk; Amanda C de C Williams; Martin Schürmann; Eija Kalso; Riitta Hari Journal: Cereb Cortex Date: 2006-02-22 Impact factor: 5.357