Meanness and deficits in facial affect processing: Evidence from the N170

IF 2.7 3区医学 Q1 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Biological Psychology Pub Date : 2025-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.108999

Victoria Branchadell , Pilar Segarra , Rosario Poy , Javier Moltó , Pablo Ribes-Guardiola

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The triarchic construct of meanness, characterized by traits such as low empathy and lack of remorse, appears to be associated with deficits in affective processing. Specifically, meanness-related traits have been linked to deficits in brain reactivity and recognition of facial emotion. Recent meta-analytic work has provided preliminary evidence suggesting that N170 ERP amplitude reductions to fear faces might serve as a neurophysiological marker for meanness traits. However, most of these studies do not examine emotions other than fear, leaving open the question of whether meanness-related alterations in fear face processing might generalize to other facial expressions, nor the role of the other constructs of the triarchic model of psychopathy (i.e., boldness and disinhibition). The current study aimed to address these issues by measuring N170 amplitudes in a mixed-gender sample of 119 undergraduates while they passively viewed a broader range of emotional facial expressions (Anger, Fear, Happiness, and Neutral) alongside control (Scrambled) pictures. The specificity of this association to trait meanness compared to the other triarchic constructs was also assessed. Our results demonstrated meanness-related reductions in N170 amplitudes across all types of facial expressions, not just to fearful faces, even after controlling for the overlap with the other triarchic constructs. These findings highlight a general deficit in the structural encoding of facial features in high mean individuals, emphasizing the potential role of the N170 as a physiological tool for advancing our understanding of the mechanisms contributing to the aggressive, callous, and low-empathic characteristics of psychopathy.

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面部情感加工中的刻薄与缺陷：来自N170的证据

卑劣的三元结构，以低同理心和缺乏悔恨等特征为特征，似乎与情感处理缺陷有关。具体来说，与刻薄相关的特征与大脑反应能力和面部情绪识别能力的缺陷有关。最近的荟萃分析工作提供了初步证据，表明恐惧面孔的N170 ERP振幅降低可能作为吝啬特征的神经生理学标记。然而，这些研究中的大多数并没有考察恐惧以外的情绪，留下了一个悬而未决的问题，即恐惧面孔处理中与卑鄙相关的改变是否可以推广到其他面部表情，也没有弄清精神病三重模型的其他结构（即大胆和去抑制）的作用。目前的研究旨在解决这些问题，在119名男女混合的大学生中，当他们被动地观看更广泛的情绪面部表情（愤怒、恐惧、快乐和中性）以及对照图片（打乱）时，测量N170的振幅。与其他三元结构相比，这种关联与特质均值的特异性也被评估。我们的研究结果表明，即使在控制了与其他三元结构的重叠之后，N170的振幅在所有类型的面部表情中都与意义相关，而不仅仅是恐惧的脸。这些发现强调了高平均个体在面部特征结构编码上的普遍缺陷，强调了N170作为一种生理工具的潜在作用，可以促进我们对导致精神病患者具有攻击性、冷酷无情和低共感特征的机制的理解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Biological Psychology 医学-行为科学

CiteScore

4.20

自引率

11.50%

发文量

146

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Biological Psychology publishes original scientific papers on the biological aspects of psychological states and processes. Biological aspects include electrophysiology and biochemical assessments during psychological experiments as well as biologically induced changes in psychological function. Psychological investigations based on biological theories are also of interest. All aspects of psychological functioning, including psychopathology, are germane. The Journal concentrates on work with human subjects, but may consider work with animal subjects if conceptually related to issues in human biological psychology.