Presentation Details
| Affective odors modulate neural processing of emotional visual stimuli Chloe E.Johnson, Colin B.Bowyer, Danielle N.Jones, Austin C.Pauley, James S.Brown, Adam K.Dewan, Christopher J.Patrick. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA |
Abstract
Emotional processing likely involves the integration of multiple perceptual systems. In prior research, studies have utilized the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) - a set of positive, negative, and neutral pictures – to study how event-related potentials (ERPs) are modulated by emotional state. One of the most consistent findings from these studies is the late positive potential (LPP) – a positive-going ERP that appears approximately 400-600 ms after picture presentation – is enhanced for positive and negative images, suggesting that it may index individual differences in emotional visual processing. Despite extensive research on this topic, virtually no work has examined whether other emotionally evocative stimuli modulate these effects. Therefore, we sought to explore interactions between the olfactory system and the visual processing of emotionally salient IAPS pictures. We measured ERPs from undergraduate and community participants exposed to affective odors (pleasant, unpleasant, and blank) prior to the presentation of IAPS images. Participants provided subjective valence ratings for the odors used. Overall, we found that affective odors (i.e., positive and negative odors) significantly reduced expected modulation of the LPP. We also found that, when controlling for individual differences in odor ratings, the LPP varied as a function of odor valence akin to the expected patterns of modulation for visual stimuli. Furthermore, this pattern of modulation was more evident for individuals who reported detecting a larger difference between affective and blank odors. This research indicates that the LPP may encode individual differences in affective salience across sensory modalities.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.