Department of Psychology, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain.
Neuropsychologia. 2010 Aug;48(10):2894-902. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.05.031. Epub 2010 Jun 8.
Research on the neural mechanisms of face identity constitutes a fruitful method to explore the affective contributions to face processing. Here, we investigated central and peripheral electrophysiological indices associated with the perception of loved faces. Subjects viewed black-and-white photographs of faces that belonged to one of five categories: loved ones, famous people, unknown people, babies, and neutral faces from the Eckman and Friesen system. Subcategories of loved faces included romantic partner, parents, siblings, second-degree relatives, and friends. Pictures were presented in two separate blocks, differing in viewing time (0.5s vs. 4s), inter-stimulus interval (1.2s vs. 18s), and number of face presentations (200 vs. 50). Heart rate, skin conductance, electromyography of the zygomatic muscle, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were obtained while participants passively viewed the pictures. Subjective picture ratings of valence, arousal, and dominance were obtained at the end of the experiment. Both central and peripheral electrophysiological measures differentiated faces of loved ones from all other categories by eliciting higher heart rate, skin conductance, and zygomatic activity, as well as larger amplitudes of the late ERP components P3 and LPP. Loved faces also resulted in higher valence and arousal, but lower dominance ratings. Additional differences were found among subcategories of loved faces. Faces of romantic partners elicited higher physiological (skin conductance and zygomatic activity) and subjective (emotional arousal) responses than parents, siblings, or friends, suggesting that looking at the image of someone we love evokes strong positive affect and emotional/cognitive arousal that go beyond a feeling of familiarity or simple recognition.
面孔身份的神经机制研究为探索面孔加工中的情感贡献提供了一种富有成效的方法。在这里，我们研究了与喜爱面孔感知相关的中枢和外周电生理指标。被试观看了来自 Eckman 和 Friesen 系统的属于五个类别之一的黑白面孔照片：爱人、名人、陌生人、婴儿和中性面孔。喜爱面孔的亚类包括恋人、父母、兄弟姐妹、二级亲属和朋友。图片分两个单独的块呈现，观看时间（0.5s 与 4s）、刺激间间隔（1.2s 与 18s）和面孔呈现次数（200 与 50）不同。当参与者被动观看图片时，记录心率、皮肤电导、颧骨肌肌电图和事件相关电位（ERPs）。实验结束时，获得了对图片效价、唤醒度和优势度的主观评分。中央和外周电生理测量通过诱发更高的心率、皮肤电导和颧骨活动，以及更大的晚 ERP 成分 P3 和 LPP 振幅，将喜爱的面孔与其他所有类别区分开来。喜爱的面孔也导致更高的效价和唤醒度，但更低的优势度评分。在喜爱面孔的亚类中还发现了其他差异。与父母、兄弟姐妹或朋友相比，恋人的面孔引发了更高的生理（皮肤电导和颧骨活动）和主观（情绪唤醒）反应，这表明观看我们所爱的人的图像会引发强烈的积极情感和情感/认知唤醒，超出了熟悉感或简单识别的感觉。
