Uncertainty is associated with increased selective attention and sustained stimulus processing

Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience
Raoul DieterichNorbert Kathmann

Abstract

Uncertainty about future threat has been found to be associated with an overestimation of threat probability and is hypothesized to elicit additional allocation of attention. We used event-related potentials to examine uncertainty-related dynamics in attentional allocation, exploiting brain potentials' high temporal resolution and sensitivity to attention. Thirty participants performed a picture-viewing task in which cues indicated the subsequent picture valence. A certain-neutral and a certain-aversive cue accurately predicted subsequent picture valence, whereas an uncertain cue did not. Participants overestimated the effective frequency of aversive pictures following the uncertain cue, both during and after the task, signifying expectancy and covariation biases, and they tended to express lower subjective valences for aversive pictures presented after the uncertain cue. Pictures elicited increased P2 and LPP amplitudes when their valence could not be predicted from the cue. For the LPP, this effect was more pronounced in response to neutral pictures. Uncertainty appears to enhance the engagement of early phasic and sustained attention for uncertainly cued targets. Thus, defensive motivation related to uncertainty about future...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 26, 2017·Depression and Anxiety·Raoul DieterichNorbert Kathmann
Aug 17, 2018·Psychophysiology·Annmarie MacNamara, Blake Barley
Aug 17, 2018·Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience·Ema TanovicJutta Joormann
Jul 21, 2020·Attention, Perception & Psychophysics·Haleh FarahbodGregory Hickok
May 1, 2020·Frontiers in Human Neuroscience·Huiyan LinHua Jin
Apr 6, 2019·Frontiers in Psychology·Alexandra WolfJohan Lauwereyns
Dec 15, 2018·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Jayne MorrissCarien M van Reekum
Jan 16, 2021·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·Milena RadomanStephanie M Gorka
Mar 14, 2021·Brain and Cognition·Fiorella Del Popolo CristaldiMichela Sarlo

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