Functional Asymmetry for Facial Affect Perception in High and Low Hostile Men and Women

Abstract

The influence of cerebral asymmetry in the perception of affect on Type A behavior was examined. Twenty-five men and 25 women classifed as Type A or Type B, using the Framingham Type A Scale (FTAS) and the Cook-Modley Hostility Inventory (CMHO), participated. Subjects were required to identify the facial affect depicted in Ekman and Friesen's (1978) angry, happy, and neutral stimuli using a forced-choice reaction-time paradigm with only angry or happy alternatives signified by the respective response manipulanda. Stimuli were presented within the left or right visual fields tachistoscopically. The results showed faster affect perception by right hemisphere (LVF), hemispheric differences related to affective valence, and sex differences in affect asymmetry. Type A and Type B groups differed in the forced identification of neutral stimuli revealing affective bias but not processing speed differences on this perceptual task.

Key Words:

• Type A
• hostility
• hypertension
• cerebral asymmetry
• sex differences
• face perception
• emotion