Optical imaging of emotional responding to sensational stimuli in high and low risk-seeking individuals
Date
2017
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Abstract
Sensation seeking is a reward-based personality construct linked to engagement in risky behavior. A neural and conceptual overlap between emotion and reward suggests there is an emotional component to sensation seeking. The current study sought to assess the theorized emotional component of sensation seeking by measuring a distinct pattern of visual cortex activation that accompanies the induction of emotion via visual stimuli. Undergraduate participants were recruited based on a prescreening personality assessment. Thirty-five participants were sorted into groups with either high or low scores on risk seeking (a facet of sensation seeking) and exposed to emotional, sensational, and neutral video stimuli. Participants rated their emotional response and reward valuation following each video. Activation in the primary visual cortex was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Activation during the sensational conditions was assessed for similarity to the emotional conditions and compared between risk seeking groups. Imaging results revealed no significant differences between conditions or groups. Participant responses to stimuli indicated that individuals high in risk seeking experienced a more positive emotional response to sensational videos than individuals low in risk seeking. Participant responses to stimuli also indicated that individuals high in risk seeking endorsed a stronger approach response to sensational stimuli. The study encountered methodological challenges, which limited its statistical power and ability to measure the hypothesized effects. Stimulus response data, however, provided preliminary support for the role of emotional processes in risky behavior amongst individuals high in sensation seeking. These findings suggest that targeting emotion regulation processes in individuals who are high in sensation seeking may be an effective approach to reducing engagement in risky behavior.