Parallel processing of affective visual stimuli
Peyk, P., Schupp, H.T., Keil, A., Elbert, T., & Junghöfer, M. (2009). Parallel processing of affective visual stimuli. Psychophysiology, 46, 200-208. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2008.00755.x
Event-related potential (ERP) studies of affective picture processing have demonstrated an early posterior negativity (EPN) for emotionally arousing pictures that are embedded in a rapid visual stream. The present study examined the selective processing of emotional pictures while systematically varying picture presentation rates between 1 and 16 Hz. Previous results with presentation rates up to 5 Hz were replicated in that emotional compared to neutral pictures were associated with a greater EPN. Discrimination among emotional and neutral contents was maintained up to 12 Hz. To explore the notion of parallel processing, convolution analysis was used: EPNs generated by linear superposition of slow rate ERPs explained 70%–93% of the variance of measured EPNs, giving evidence for an impressive capacity of parallel affective discrimination in rapid serial picture presentation.