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Intranasal Oxytocin Alters Attention to Emotional Facial Expressions, Particularly for Males and Those with Depressive Symptoms

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Intranasal Oxytocin Alters Attention to Emotional Facial Expressions, Particularly for Males and Those with Depressive Symptoms

Boyle, Ariel (2021) Intranasal Oxytocin Alters Attention to Emotional Facial Expressions, Particularly for Males and Those with Depressive Symptoms. Masters thesis, Concordia University.

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Abstract

Intranasal oxytocin (OT) can enhance emotion recognition, perhaps by promoting increased attention to social cues. Some studies indicate that individuals with difficulties processing social information, including those with psychopathology, show more pronounced effects in response to OT. As such, there is interest in the potential therapeutic use of OT in populations with deficits in social cognition. The present study examined the effects of intranasal OT on the processing of facial features and selective attention to emotional facial expressions, as well as whether individual differences in depressive symptom severity predict sensitivity to intranasal OT. In a double-blind placebo-controlled within-subject design, eye tracking was used to measure attention to facial features in an emotional expression appraisal task, and attention to emotional expressions in a free-viewing task with a quadrant of multiple faces. OT facilitated the processing of positive cues, enhancing the maintenance of attention to the mouth region of happy faces and to happy faces within a quadrant, although the latter effect fell short of conventional statistical significance. Further, persons with depressive symptoms, and particularly males, were sensitive to OT’s effects. For males only, OT, relative to placebo, increased attentional focus to the mouth region of all faces. Individuals with depressive symptoms showed less attentional focus on angry (males only) and sad facial expressions, and more attention to happy faces (particularly for males). Results indicate increased sensitivity to OT in males and persons at risk for depression, with OT administration promoting a positive bias in selective attention to social stimuli.

Divisions:Concordia University > Faculty of Arts and Science > Psychology
Item Type:Thesis (Masters)
Authors:Boyle, Ariel
Institution:Concordia University
Degree Name:M.A.
Program:Psychology
Date:30 August 2021
Thesis Supervisor(s):Ellenbogen, Mark
Keywords:intranasal oxytocin, emotional stimuli, attention, sex differences, depressive symptoms
ID Code:988793
Deposited By: Ariel Boyle
Deposited On:29 Nov 2021 16:30
Last Modified:29 Nov 2021 16:30
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