Differences between Conscious and Subliminal Processing of Facial Attractiveness: An ERP Study

摘要

本研究使用事件相关电位技术(Event Related Brain Potential, ERP)和连续闪烁抑制范式(Continuous Flash Suppression, CFS)对比了面孔吸引力在有、无意识条件诱发的神经活动。有意识条件下，请被试判断面孔性别。无意识条件下，使用CFS范式，在优势眼呈现彩色噪音图，同时在非优势眼呈现低对比度的面孔，请被试报告噪音图的对比度变化(实际是考察被试在不能意识到面孔存在的情况下能否加工面孔吸引力)。结果发现，有意识条件下，高、低吸引力面孔诱发了N170、P2、N3和LPC的差异。表明人们能自动提取面孔吸引力信息。无意识条件没发现面孔吸引力的效应，但完整面孔和打散面孔诱发了P2和N3的差异。结果表明，无意识条件会阻碍个体加工面孔吸引力信息，面孔吸引力的加工需要意识的参与。 The present study used event related brain potential (ERP) technology and the continuous flash suppression (CFS) paradigm to compare the neural activities induced by facial attractiveness between conscious and subliminal conditions. We asked the participants to judge face gender in conscious condition. In subliminal condition, the CFS paradigm was used. The Mondrian patterns were presented in the dominant eye of the participants, while the faces were presented in the non-dominant eye. The participants were asked to report the contrast variation of the Mondrian patterns (In fact, we aimed to examine whether the participants can process facial attractiveness under subliminal condition). Results showed that in conscious condition, N170, P2, N3 and LPC induced by attractive faces were different with unattractive faces. The results of conscious condition showed that people can automatically extract facial attractiveness information. No effect of facial attractiveness was found in the subliminal condition. However, P2 and N3 induced by intact faces were different with scramble faces. The results of subliminal condition show that the subliminal condition can prevent the individuals from processing the facial attractiveness information. The processing of facial attractiveness requires consciousness.