The face is more than its parts--brain dynamics of enhanced spatial attention to schematic threat

Abstract

A rapid response to environmental threat is crucial for survival and requires an appropriate attention allocation toward its location. Visual search paradigms have provided evidence for the enhanced capture of attention by threatening faces. In two EEG experiments, we sought to determine whether the detection of threat requires complete faces or salient features underlying the facial expression. Measuring the N2pc component as an electrophysiological indicator of attentional selection we investigated participants searching for either a complete discrepant schematic threatening or friendly face within an array of neutral faces, or single features (eyebrows and eyes vs. eyebrows) of threatening and friendly faces. Threatening faces were detected faster compared to friendly faces. In accordance, threatening angry targets showed a more pronounced occipital N2pc between 200 and 300 ms than friendly facial targets. Moreover, threatening configurations, were detected more rapidly than friendly-related features when the facial configuration contained eyebrows and eyes. No differences were observed when only a single feature (eyebrows) had to be detected. Threatening-related and friendly-related features did not show any differences in the N2pc across all configuration conditions. Taken together, the findings provide direct electrophysiological support for rapid prioritized attention to facial threat, an advantage that seems not to be driven by low level visual features.