Reducing attentional capture of emotion by broadening attention: Increased global attention reduces early electrophysiological responses to negative stimuli

Decades of research has shown the influence of emotion on attentional capture, and more recently, the influence of emotion on neurophysiological processes related to attentional capture. The current research tested whether some of the earliest neurophysiological underpinnings of emotive attentional processes can be influenced by attentional manipulations of broadening versus narrowing. Previous research has shown that negative affects high in motivational intensity (e.g., disgust, fear) cause a relative narrowing of attentional scope (Gable and Harmon-Jones, 2010a and Easterbrook, 1959). Because of the strong link between motivation and attention, attentional scope should also influence the attentional capture of negative stimuli. The current study manipulated a local attentional scope or global attentional scope, then measured attentional capture towards disgust and neutral pictures using the N1 event-related potential component. Results revealed that a manipulated global attentional scope reduced N1 amplitude towards disgust pictures compared to a manipulated local attentional scope.

► Attentional scope and withdrawal motivation have a bidirectional relationship: withdrawal motivation causes attentional narrowing (Easterbrook, 1959, Gable and Harmon-Jones, 2010a and Gable and Harmon-Jones, 2010b), and attentional narrowing (as opposed to broadening) causes greater withdrawal-oriented neural processing (the present study).
► Attentional scope (not the absence or presence of attention) influences emotional responses.
► Emotion and cognition are integrated during processing.
► Functional specialization of both withdrawal motivation and attentional narrowing is not attenuated, but enhanced by their bidirectional relationship.