Kissler Johanna, Assadollahi Ramin, Herbert Cornelia
Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, P. O. Box D25, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany.
Prog Brain Res. 2006;156:147-83. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(06)56008-X.
The event-related brain potential (ERP) literature concerning the impact of emotional content on visual word processing is reviewed and related to general knowledge on semantics in word processing: emotional connotation can enhance cortical responses at all stages of visual word processing following the assembly of visual word form (up to 200 ms), such as semantic access (around 200 ms), allocation of attentional resources (around 300 ms), contextual analysis (around 400 ms), and sustained processing and memory encoding (around 500 ms). Even earlier effects have occasionally been reported with subliminal or perceptual threshold presentation, particularly in clinical populations. Here, the underlying mechanisms are likely to diverge from the ones operational in standard natural reading. The variability in timing of the effects can be accounted for by dynamically changing lexical representations that can be activated as required by the subjects' motivational state, the task at hand, and additional contextual factors. Throughout, subcortical structures such as the amygdala are likely to contribute these enhancements. Further research will establish whether or when emotional arousal, valence, or additional emotional properties drive the observed effects and how experimental factors interact with these. Meticulous control of other word properties known to affect ERPs in visual word processing, such as word class, length, frequency, and concreteness and the use of more standardized EEG procedures is vital. Mapping the interplay between cortical and subcortical mechanisms that give rise to amplified cortical responses to emotional words will be of highest priority for future research.
本文回顾了与事件相关的脑电位（ERP）文献中关于情感内容对视觉单词加工的影响，并将其与单词加工中语义的一般知识联系起来：情感内涵能够在视觉单词形式组装之后的视觉单词加工的各个阶段增强皮层反应（长达200毫秒），比如语义通达（约200毫秒）、注意资源分配（约300毫秒）、语境分析（约400毫秒）以及持续加工和记忆编码（约500毫秒）。对于阈下或知觉阈限呈现，甚至更早的效应也偶尔有报道，尤其是在临床人群中。在此，潜在机制可能与标准自然阅读中的机制不同。效应出现时间的变异性可以通过动态变化的词汇表征来解释，这些表征可根据受试者的动机状态、手头任务和其他语境因素的要求被激活。在整个过程中，诸如杏仁核等皮层下结构可能促成了这些增强作用。进一步的研究将确定情感唤起、效价或其他情感属性是否或何时驱动了观察到的效应，以及实验因素如何与这些因素相互作用。精确控制其他已知会影响视觉单词加工中ERP的单词属性，如词类、长度、频率和具体性，并使用更标准化的脑电图程序至关重要。描绘皮层和皮层下机制之间的相互作用，这些机制导致对情感单词的皮层反应增强，将是未来研究的重中之重。
