Essay On Inhibition Hypothesis

Darwin in 1872 put forth the notion that emotional expressions are inborn and involuntary displays of one’s inner state (1). Darwin developed this ideology further and proposed what is now known as the Inhibition hypothesis (1). This two pronged theory describes the relation of emotion to facial muscle activation, more commonly known as facial expressions (1). The theory states that (a) specific facial muscles can not be intentionally engaged when the genuine emotion is lacking and (b) certain muscles can not be inhibited when a genuine emotion is experienced - it has been noted that this emotion must be particularly intense (Porter and ten Brinke, 2008; Porter, ten Brinke, & Wallace, 2011).

(8) has suggested that the inhibition hypothesis is related to what is currently known about cognitive processes. Mainly, the limited cognitive resources the brain possesses can only be divided between so many tasks; as cognitive demand increases past a particular point [i.e. through high emotional intensity/complex lie] emotional leakage will occur while the individual attempts to be deceptive (8). It is this concept of emotional leakage, precipitated from the inhibition hypothesis, that has been of great interest to researchers as it offers a glimpse into the inner affective state of the subject (8). The applied applications of the concept have been particularly useful in fields concerned with deception detection - especially in regards to high stakes lies (8).

In the discussion of emotional leakage and deception detection it is pertinent to look at what Ekman (1992; 2006) termed “micro-expressions.” A micro-expression is defined as a brief flash of emotion that is outside volitional control occurring through either the lower or up...

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...l leakage. Through this process evidence for the threshold at which emotional leakage reaches a maximum could also be found.

A methodological paradigm employed would be a combination of that outlined in (5) and (6). The use of video varying in, rated, emotional intensity would be used as the stimulus in a similar fashion as (6), the methodology would then follow that outlined in (5) [with video stimuli inserted in place of pictures]. EEG recordings would be taken while participants viewed the stimuli and, subsequently, analyzed appropriately.

The analysis of the late positive potential (LPP), occurring at [approximately] 500ms, of the ERP would be useful as it has been linked with the neural engagement of emotional regulation (*****); this time frame parallels Ekman’s micro-expressions upper limit, at [approximately] 500ms, (Yan, Wu, Liang, Chen, & Fu, 2013).