Depression or anxiety: which is best able to predict patterns of lateralisation for the processing of emotional faces?. Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bourne, Victoria J.; Vladeanu, Matei
• Is Part Of: Cognition and emotion. Volume 31:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 201
• Page End: 208
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: Emotion lateralisation -- chimeric faces -- depression -- anxiety -- sex differences; Cognition -- Periodicals; Emotions and cognition -- Periodicals; 155.413
• DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2015.1089841
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-9931

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Previous research has shown that both anxiety and depression are associated with strength of lateralisation for the processing of emotive faces, although these clinical measures have always been considered in separate studies. In the present study, we measure depression and anxiety, within the same non-clinical sample, and consider whether these variables can predict strength of lateralisation, measured using the chimeric faces test. There are two key findings from this study. First, for females only, anxiety is negatively associated with right hemispheric superiority for processing of negative emotional expressions. Second, there was only one finding for depression, showing a relationship with strength of lateralisation for the processing of fearful faces that differed according to sex.