This research is designed to further the results described in Benning, Patrick, and Lang (in press), a study in which the post-auricular (PA) reflex was shown to be potentiated by pleasant pictures and inhibited by unpleasant pictures, particularly for high-intensity pictures. The first proposed study will investigate the effects of specific slide contents on PA reflex magnitudes, in addition to measuring the time course of the emotional modulation of the PA reflex. The second study will examine the effects of an active response set on emotional PA reflex modulation in a behavioral task. In the second study, the effects of dysphoria on PA reflex magnitudes will also be examined by forming high and low dysphoria groups based on measures of depression and positive emotionality. The effects of gender and ear of recording on the modulation of the PA reflex will be investigated in both studies. ? ?
| Benning, Stephen D (2011) Postauricular and superior auricular reflex modulation during emotional pictures and sounds. Psychophysiology 48:410-4 |
