{"id":{"repo_id":"laurentian","oai_identifier":"oai:laurentian.scholaris.ca:10219/3545"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/laurentian/oai:laurentian.scholaris.ca:10219/3545","repository":{"repo_id":"laurentian","name":"Laurentian University","base_url":"https://laurentian.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The role of medication use and state anxiety on the cognitive components of emotional facial processing: An Event-Related Potentials Study","abstract":"High levels of anxiety have been associated with a cognitive bias towards threat, impacting attention and emotional facial processes as evidenced at the electrophysiological level from EventRelated Potentials (ERP). This threat-bias can be attenuated by reducing anxiety with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), but the relationship between anxiety, psychotropic medications, and attentional resources remains a relatively unexplored area. The current study therefore aimed to examine the impact of anxiety reducing SSRI medication on emotional facial processing by comparing individuals with high and low anxiety and differing medication levels. Participants (n = 50) completed a Rapid Serial Visualization Presentation and were asked to identify emotional facial expressions while ERP and accuracy were recorded. Results suggest SSRIs have an overall emotional attenuation on facial processing. ERP results revealed all participants displayed a dominant early positive bias, with the threat-bias associated with high anxiety originating exclusively in later cognitive components of facial processing.","abstract_html":"High levels of anxiety have been associated with a cognitive bias towards threat, impacting attention and emotional facial processes as evidenced at the electrophysiological level from EventRelated Potentials (ERP). This threat-bias can be attenuated by reducing anxiety with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), but the relationship between anxiety, psychotropic medications, and attentional resources remains a relatively unexplored area. The current study therefore aimed to examine the impact of anxiety reducing SSRI medication on emotional facial processing by comparing individuals with high and low anxiety and differing medication levels. Participants (n = 50) completed a Rapid Serial Visualization Presentation and were asked to identify emotional facial expressions while ERP and accuracy were recorded. Results suggest SSRIs have an overall emotional attenuation on facial processing. ERP results revealed all participants displayed a dominant early positive bias, with the threat-bias associated with high anxiety originating exclusively in later cognitive components of facial processing.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Vaillancourt, Denis"],"institution":"Laurentian University of Sudbury","degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-06-05","date_published":"2020-06-05","updated_at":"2026-08-21T16:45:57Z","subjects":["Anxiety","Attention","Emotional Facial Processing","Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors","Event-Related Potentials"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://laurentian.scholaris.ca/handle/10219/3545","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"source_record":{"url":"https://laurentian.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Alaurentian.scholaris.ca%3A10219%2F3545","prefix":"dim"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Vaillancourt, Denis"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2020-07-14T15:28:48Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-07-14T15:28:48Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2020-06-05"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Laurentian University of Sudbury"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Laurentian University of Sudbury"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Anxiety","Attention","Emotional Facial Processing","Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors","Event-Related Potentials"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://laurentian.scholaris.ca/handle/10219/3545"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["High levels of anxiety have been associated with a cognitive bias towards threat, impacting attention and emotional facial processes as evidenced at the electrophysiological level from EventRelated Potentials (ERP). This threat-bias can be attenuated by reducing anxiety with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), but the relationship between anxiety, psychotropic medications, and attentional resources remains a relatively unexplored area. The current study therefore aimed to examine the impact of anxiety reducing SSRI medication on emotional facial processing by comparing individuals with high and low anxiety and differing medication levels. Participants (n = 50) completed a Rapid Serial Visualization Presentation and were asked to identify emotional facial expressions while ERP and accuracy were recorded. Results suggest SSRIs have an overall emotional attenuation on facial processing. ERP results revealed all participants displayed a dominant early positive bias, with the threat-bias associated with high anxiety originating exclusively in later cognitive components of facial processing."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The role of medication use and state anxiety on the cognitive components of emotional facial processing: An Event-Related Potentials Study"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Vaillancourt, Denis"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2020-07-14T15:28:48Z"],"dc:date.available":["2020-07-14T15:28:48Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2020-06-05"],"dc:description.abstract":["High levels of anxiety have been associated with a cognitive bias towards threat, impacting attention and emotional facial processes as evidenced at the electrophysiological level from EventRelated Potentials (ERP). This threat-bias can be attenuated by reducing anxiety with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), but the relationship between anxiety, psychotropic medications, and attentional resources remains a relatively unexplored area. The current study therefore aimed to examine the impact of anxiety reducing SSRI medication on emotional facial processing by comparing individuals with high and low anxiety and differing medication levels. Participants (n = 50) completed a Rapid Serial Visualization Presentation and were asked to identify emotional facial expressions while ERP and accuracy were recorded. Results suggest SSRIs have an overall emotional attenuation on facial processing. ERP results revealed all participants displayed a dominant early positive bias, with the threat-bias associated with high anxiety originating exclusively in later cognitive components of facial processing."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://laurentian.scholaris.ca/handle/10219/3545"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Laurentian University of Sudbury"],"dc:subject":["Anxiety","Attention","Emotional Facial Processing","Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors","Event-Related Potentials"],"dc:title":["The role of medication use and state anxiety on the cognitive components of emotional facial processing: An Event-Related Potentials Study"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology"],"thesis:institution_name":["Laurentian University of Sudbury"]},"updated_at":"2026-08-21T16:45:57Z"}