Neurophysiological Responses To Pleasant Emotional Images: An Examination Of The Effects of Personal Preference And A Brief Positive Emotion-Focused Intervention

Abstract

The positive valence system (PVS) is a domain associated with attention to, and engagement with, rewarding activities. Individual differences in neurological responses associated with the PVS, such as the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP), may indicate potential risks for the development or presence of internalizing symptomatology. Recent research has found that positive affect interventions can help individuals attend more to positive events; however, these interventions effects on neurological responses has yet to be studied. The present study examined differences in neural activation in relation to positive stimuli following a brief promoting positive emotions (BPPE) intervention to test its efficacy in modulating PVS functioning. EEG data was collected from a sample of 27 undergraduate students to examine associations between the LPP and categories of positively valanced emotional images, rankings of image categories by personal preferences, and intervention effects. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires, and then were randomly assigned to either the BPPE intervention or a study skills group for comparison. The BPPE group was taught to recount, savor, visualize, and plan for positive experiences while the control group learned study skills tools. EEG data was recorded while participants passively viewed positive images. Responses based on participant preferences for each category of stimuli were analyzed. We found that there was a significant difference between positively valanced images and neutral images. Significant differences were also found between participant preference rankings and neutral images, however, not in the expected direction. No significant intervention effects were found. Future studies should examine within-person effects of the intervention, as well as the efficacy of a longer positive affect intervention over multiple sessions to determine if the LPP can be modulated over time.