MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China.
Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2023 Dec;23(6):1513-1533. doi: 10.3758/s13415-023-01133-0. Epub 2023 Oct 18.
The present study used a combination of the Threat-of-Shock paradigm and the Attention Network Test (ANT) to investigate how induced anxiety affects alerting, orienting, and executive control and whether individual differences in threat sensitivity moderate these effects. Forty-two female subjects completed the ANT task in alternation under shock-threat and no-shock ("safe") conditions while event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The results showed that anxiety induced by the threat of shock had a significant impact on alerting and executive control functions at the neural level. Specifically, alerting-related N1 and stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) differences between double cue and no cue conditions were greater in the threat versus safe state, suggesting that the induced anxiety promoted the early perception of cues and preparation for the target. Moreover, executive control-related P3 and sustained potential (SP) differences between incongruent and congruent trials were greater in the threat versus safe state, indicating that the induced anxiety might improve the attentional allocation efficiency and stimulate subjects to recruit more cognitive resources to resolve conflicts. However, orienting-related ERPs were not affected by the threat of shock, but the threat of shock promoted the processing efficiency of spatial-cue at the behavioral level. Analysis of individual differences revealed that trait anxiety moderated the attentional allocation efficiency when performing executive control related tasks in the threat versus safe state. Our findings demonstrate the adaptive significance of the threat of shock-induced anxiety in that being in an anxious state can enhance individuals' alerting, orienting, and executive functions.
本研究采用威胁-震惊范式和注意网络测试（ANT）相结合的方法，探讨了诱导性焦虑如何影响警觉、定向和执行控制，以及威胁敏感性的个体差异是否调节这些效应。42 名女性受试者在威胁-震惊和无威胁（“安全”）条件下交替完成 ANT 任务，同时记录事件相关电位（ERP）。结果表明，威胁引起的焦虑在神经水平上对警觉和执行控制功能有显著影响。具体来说，在威胁与安全状态下，双线索与无线索条件之间的警觉相关 N1 和刺激前负性（SPN）差异更大，表明诱导性焦虑促进了线索的早期感知和对目标的准备。此外，在威胁与安全状态下，不一致与一致试验之间的执行控制相关 P3 和持续电位（SP）差异更大，表明诱导性焦虑可能提高注意力分配效率，并刺激受试者调动更多认知资源来解决冲突。然而，定向相关 ERP 不受威胁的影响，但威胁促进了空间线索在行为水平上的处理效率。个体差异分析表明，特质焦虑调节了在威胁与安全状态下执行执行控制相关任务时的注意力分配效率。我们的发现表明，威胁引起的焦虑在适应性方面具有重要意义，即处于焦虑状态可以增强个体的警觉、定向和执行功能。
