Images of European female and male faces were digitally processed to generate spatial frequency (SF) filtered images containing only a narrow band of visual information within the Fourier spectrum. The original unfiltered images and four SF filtered images (low, medium-low, medium-high and high) were then paired in trials that kept constant SF band and face gender and participants made a forced-choice ...

Although faces are often included in the broad category of emotional visual stimuli, the affective impact of different facial expressions is not well documented. The present experiment investigated startle electromyographic responses to pictures of neutral, happy, angry, and fearful facial expressions, with a frontal face direction (directed) and at a 45 angle to the ...

Background: The literature on the effects of nocebo on pain is sparse. The present experimental study investigated whether suggestions of nocebo hyperalgesia modified the startle response and whether increased startle contributed to the nocebo hyperalgesic effect. Methods: A design with four groups was employed; the participants were randomized into either a placebo group, a natural history group, ...