Gaze direction modulates the disengagement of attention from facial expression in 10-month-olds.

This study investigated whether the disengagement of attention from facial expression is modulated by gaze direction in infants. To this end, we measured the saccadic reaction time required for the 10-month-olds to disengage their attention from angry and happy expressions combined with either straight or averted gaze. The 10-month-olds' disengagement of their attention from happy faces was modulated by gaze direction. This finding indicates that gaze direction strongly influences infants' allocation of attention to facial expressions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Masked fearful faces modulate the orienting of covert spatial attention.

Dot probe studies indicate that masked fearful faces modulate spatial attention. However, without a baseline to compare congruent and incongruent reaction times, it is unclear which aspect(s) of attention (orienting or disengagement) is affected. Additionally, backward masking studies commonly use a neutral face as the mask stimulus. This method results in greater perceptual inconsistencies for fearful as opposed to neutral faces. Therefore, it is currently unclear whether the effects of backward masked fearful faces are due to the fearful nature of the face or perceptual inconsistencies. Equally unclear, is whether this spatial attention effect is due to orienting or disengagement. Two modified dot probe experiments with neutral (closed mouth in Experiment 1) and smiling (open mouth in Experiment 2) masks were used to determine the role of perceptual inconsistencies in mediating the spatial attention effects elicited by masked fearful faces. The results indicate that masked fearful faces modulate the orienting of spatial attention, and it appears that this effect is due to the fearful nature of the face rather than perceptual inconsistencies between the initial faces and masks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selective attention to emotional faces following recovery from depression.

This study was designed to examine attentional biases in the processing of emotional faces in currently and formerly depressed participants and healthy controls. Using a dot-probe task, the authors presented faces expressing happy or sad emotions paired with emotionally neutral faces. Whereas both currently and formerly depressed participants selectively attended to the sad faces, the control participants selectively avoided the sad faces and oriented toward the happy faces, a positive bias that was not observed for either of the depressed groups. These results indicate that attentional biases in the processing of emotional faces are evident even after individuals have recovered from a depressive episode. Implications of these findings for understanding the roles of cognitive and interpersonal functioning in depression are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Strategic attention deployment for delay of gratification in working and waiting situations.

Two studies examined whether the detrimental effects of attention to rewards on delay of gratification in waiting situations holds-or reverses-in working situations. In Study 1, preschoolers waited or worked for desired delayed rewards. Delay times increased when children worked in the presence of rewards but, as predicted, this increase was due to the distraction provided by the work itself, not because attention to rewards motivated children to sustain work. analysis of spontaneous attention deployment showed that attending to rewards reduces delay time regardless of the working or waiting nature of the task. Fixing attention on rewards was a particularly detrimental strategy regardless of the type of task. Study 2 showed that when the work is not engaging, however, attention to rewards can motivate instrumental work and facilitate delay of gratification as long as attention deployment does not become fixed on the rewards. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)