Can human classical conditioning paradigms affect early facial processing? Modulation of the N170 and N250 in response to conditioning with aversive imagery and acoustic startle, findings from studies of healthy and depressed participants.
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1
University of Wollongong, School of Psychology and Centre for Health Initiatives, Australia
Recent studies have suggested that classical conditioning may be capable of modulating early sensory processing in the human brain. In 2014 pilot EEG data was collected from our laboratory using a sample of 24 undergraduate students (M = 21.07 years, SD = 3.38 years) whilst they completed a conditioning paradigm in which faces from the NIMSTIM database were paired with one of five unconditioned stimulus groups: (i) aversive imagery, (ii) aversive imagery with acoustic startle probe, (iii) acoustic startle probe by itself , (iv) pleasant imagery, and (v) neutral (control) imagery. N170 amplitude was significantly enhanced following conditioning using the aversive imagery as well as the acoustic startle probe by itself (but not in combination). In a follow-up study during 2015, EEG data was again collected using a sample of 19 participants experiencing a current major depressive episode, according to DSM-IV criteria, as well as 21 non-depressed control participants (M=26.21, SD = 8.93). NIMSTIM faces were paired with one of three unconditioned stimulus groups: (i) aversive imagery, (ii) pleasant imagery, or (iii) neutral imagery. In this follow-up study a different pattern of results was found whereby N170 and N250 amplitudes were increased to a greater extent for conditioning with emotional imagery (pleasant and aversive) in comparison to neutral imagery, however no main effect for depression status was found. The implications of the program of research are discussed, with a focus on the relative importance of emotional valence versus arousal in the selection of conditioning stimuli for the modulation of ERP components related to facial processing.
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge Jay Borchard and Tegan Blackburne for their help during data collection.
Keywords:
Classical Conditioning,
Event-related potentials,
N170 component,
N250,
facial processing,
acoustic startle,
Affective Neuroscience,
Psychophysiology
Conference:
ASP2015 - 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Sydney, Australia, 2 Dec - 4 Dec, 2015.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
Psychophysiology
Citation:
Camfield
DA,
Kornfeld
EJ,
Mills
J and
Croft
R
(2015). Can human classical conditioning paradigms affect early facial processing? Modulation of the N170 and N250 in response to conditioning with aversive imagery and acoustic startle, findings from studies of healthy and depressed participants..
Conference Abstract:
ASP2015 - 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.219.00017
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Received:
12 Oct 2015;
Published Online:
30 Nov 2015.
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Correspondence:
Dr. David A Camfield, University of Wollongong, School of Psychology and Centre for Health Initiatives, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia, david.camfield@gmail.com