The vigilance-avoidance model of avoidant recognition: An ERP study under threat priming. (30th December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhai, Jing; Chen, Xu; Ma, Jianling; Yang, Qingqing; Liu, Ying
• Is Part Of: Psychiatry research. Volume 246(2016)
• Page Start: 379
• Page End: 386
• Publication Date: 2016-12-30
• Subjects: Avoidant individual -- Recognition -- Study-test paradigm -- ERP old/new effect -- Vigilance-avoidance; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- periodicals; Psychiatrie -- Périodiques; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.10.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0165-1781

Abstract

Abstract: Our study examined attachment-related electrophysiological differences in recognition using event-related potentials (ERPs) measured during a study-test paradigm after threat priming. We identified ERP correlates of recognition by comparing the ERPs of attachment-related positive and negative images between avoidant and secure attachment orientations. Our results revealed that the distribution of early old/new effects was broader in avoidant individuals than in secure individuals, and an early parietal old/new effect was observed in avoidant individuals, which reflected their implicit memory. The late old/new effect was found only in secure individuals when evoked by negative pictures, and was not observed in avoidant individuals. The results suggest that avoidant individuals adopt the "vigilance-avoidance" dual-process model to recognize both positive and negative attachment-related stimuli and carry out preferential familiarity matching at the automatic level and avoidant retrieval at the controlled-processing level. Highlights: Threat priming was used to activate attachment system. We examine the avoidant recognition mechanism on different levels of awareness. Avoidant individuals adopted a "vigilance-Avoidance" model during recognition. Positive and negative attachment-related pictures shared same recognize pattern. The use of an undergraduate sample was not conductive to generalize the results.