Differences in early-stage facial structure coding in high and low individuals with trait aggression: An event-related brain potential study. (January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sun, Lijun; Sima, Jiashan; Lian, Tingting; Wang, Jiaqi; Wu, Han; Luo, Yanyan
• Is Part Of: Personality and individual differences. Volume 184(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-01
• Subjects: Trait aggression -- Facial structure coding -- N170 -- P1; Personality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Personality Development -- Periodicals; Personnalité -- Périodiques; Individualité -- Périodiques; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111231
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-8869

Abstract

Abstract: Individuals with high trait aggression are highly sensitive to recognize facial expressions. Whether sensitive recognition of facial expressions in individuals with high trait aggression is due to sensitivity in early-stage facial structure coding. The present study aimed to investigate whether there was sensitivity in early-stage facial structure coding and its underlying cognitive neural mechanism in individuals with high trait aggression. 49 individuals (25 participants with high trait aggression) completed an face-object recognition task, during which participants' event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. Results found that the P1 amplitude in individuals with high trait aggression was significantly lower than that of individuals with low trait aggression regardless of whether it was elicited by faces or objects, and individuals with high trait aggression showed a enhanced N170 face effect compared to individuals with low trait aggression. These results suggest that individuals with high trait aggression attend less to facial stimuli than individuals with low trait aggression, and had sensitivity in the early-stage facial structure coding. Highlights: Individuals with high trait aggression (HTA) attend less to facial stimuli. Individuals with HTA had sensitivity in the early-stage facial structure coding. This sensitivity has its underlying cognitive neural mechanism.