Neural correlates of individual differences in emotion recognition ability : an fMRI study

• The ability to understand how others are feeling is important for social interaction. Studies have reported large inter-individual variability in emotion recognition ability (ERA) in the general population, but the causes for such differences are not well understood. This study investigated neural response during emotion recognition in individuals with high and low ERA. Forty-nine young adults were selected for inclusion based on their performance during previous testing of ERA (e.g., Hovey et al., 2018, Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 13, 173-181). Neural response was determined using the blood-oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in a 3-Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment. The participants were asked to judge which emotions (anger, fear, disgust, happiness, interest, pride, relief, sadness, and neutral expression) were demonstrated in brief clips (i.e. audio-only, video-only, and multimodal audio- video) using a forced-choice response format. Stimuli were taken from the GEMEP emotion portrayal database (Bänziger et al., 2009, Emotion, 9, 691-704). In neural response to emotional stimuli, individuals with high ERA, relative to low ERA, showed higher activation bilaterally in the supplementary motor area, and in the left postcentral gyrus. Results provide initial evidence that the ability to effectively recognize the emotions of others is related to motor and somatosensory neural responses. We speculate that these neural responses in individuals with improved skills in emotion recognition could be related to increased embodiment of emotion expressions during emotion perception.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

individual differences

emotion recognition ability

fmri

Psychology

psykologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)