The Automantic Processing Of Emotionally Negative Stimuli On The Condition Of Varying Difficulty Working Memory Task

There has been two opinions on negative emotion processing:one is the automatic processing point of view. The view is that the processing of emotionally negative stimuli detriment of resources, modulation, amygdala response to emotionally negative stimuli through the subcortical pathway from the hypothalamus, pillow core, to the amygdala; the other is the control processing. Some researchers believe that the subcortical path does not exist, and others believe subcortical pathways, but the processing of emotionally negative stimuli is not a completely automated process, which could be modulated by cortex. They supposed that when an individual's attention or cognitive resources were depleted, emotional stimuli could never be processed, or even a emotional stimuli carrying threat information.For these two different views, each one has lots of evidence. Evidence to support automatic processing are:the fearful face could be processed under the threshold; blindsight studies; non-attention condition on the negative emotion processing. Evidence to support control processing are:individuals in the completion of a complex cognitive task, not noted emotionally negative stimuli. As the emotionally negative stimuli on human evolution and survival of crucial importance, the human brain is very sensitive to negative stimuli, not only in the "non-attention" under the conditions of processing, but also in the process under the threshold of consciousness.Automatic processing of emotions contained in a layer of meaning, individual cognitive emotional processing on condition of limited resource, but also from the impact of cognitive tasks. In order to further support the view of automatic processing, we assume that the cognitive tasks of different difficulty will not affect the individual's processing of emotionally negative stimuli. Therefore, this study used a higher temporal resolution of ERP technology. The working memory task as a cognitive task, could be easily controlled. The working memory tasks were divided into three levels:control condition, simple condition and difficult condition.Working memory is an important component of executive control, and executive control is the most important human cognitive function. Working memory could be divided into three phases:encoding, maintain and extraction. Research has shown that, in the maintenance phase of working memory, sustained prefrontal activation will occur. With the increased difficulty of working memory tasks, prefrontal activation would be greater.Experiment 1 was tested using two-factor designs, the difficulty of working memory, respectively (three levels:the level of control, a simple level, difficulty level) and emotional valence (two levels:the neutral and negative). In the first experiment were prepared before the test, designed to test working memory in the presence of three difficulty levels significantly. Experiment 1 results showed that working memory task difficulty does not affect the individual brain responses to negative stimuli. This result also speaks to a certain extent, the human brain's processing of emotionally negative stimuli is an automated process. However, the individual's subjective experience of emotional stimuli and judge whether the working memory task with increasing difficulty weakened it? Experiment 2 extended the results of just the results of ERP experiments. In the experiment a second experiment, based on the same working memory task and emotional picture stimuli, and then emotional picture presentation, the individual needs of the emotional assessment of the value of the picture effect. Experiment 2 investigated the individual susceptibility of the subjective emotional stimuli.Working memory material is a 4 * 4= 16 square lattice, this lattice is to remember the 16 black boxes may appear. First, in the encoding phase, subjects need to 2000ms black box within the memory of the location, followed by maintaining one. Maintaining the stage with the working memory test, while maintaining the need to passively watch the computer screen showed a picture stimulus.50ms before the stimulus presented in the picture to 1000ms after the presentation is recorded when the ERP process. Finally, in working memory retrieval phases, subjects need to determine the location of the black box is consistent with the memory location and conduct a key reaction.Picture stimuli were selected from CAPS. Southwest University, subjects are randomly selected 30 undergraduate students, evenly divided between men and women. All subjects were right-handed, naked eye, or corrected visual acuity of 1.0 or more, and no history of mental illness.One of the ERP experiment results showed that in 100-200ms,200-300ms and between 300-400ms, showed significant ERP amplitude. One in 100-200ms significant negative bias, there is the main effect of picture valence; in between 200-300ms significant positive bias, there is the main effect of picture valence main effect and memory tasks; in the 300-400ms significantly between positive bias, can be considered a late positive component (LPC), there is the main effect of picture valence. There are no pictures of these three stages of the efficacy and the interaction of working memory tasks. Experimentâ…¡showed that the individual's subjective negative emotion picture assessment of sensitivity is not affected by the difficulty of working memory tasks. Theory of limited resources, that a cognitive task will certainly impact the other cognitive tasks, except that the former uses an automated process. More difficult working memory tasks, the individual consumes more cognitive resources, will inevitably impact on the cognitive process. However, for the assessment of emotionally negative stimuli have not been affected by working memory tasks, fully explain the human brain's processing of emotionally negative stimuli bias. This processing bias is reflected not only in neural level, but also in the subjective sensitivity.The difficulty of working memory tasks with different processing of negative emotion did not affect, not only in the ERP results, there are also reflected in the subjective sensitivity on. This conclusion supports the automation of processing of negative emotional point of view. The evolution of human development, on the negative emotion to stimulate awareness and rapid processing will enable the individual to avoid danger, the survival of very important significance. Negative automatic processing of emotional stimuli, not only reflected in the consciousness of the individual to discern under the threshold of negative emotional stimuli, or under conditions of non-attention to emotionally negative stimuli for awareness, but also in the difficulty of cognitive tasks with different negative the processing of emotional stimuli have no effect.