MULTIVARIATE RESPONSE PATTERNING OF FEAR AND ANGER

This study examined whether differential response patterns are associa ted with the emotions of fear and anger as compared to neutral and phy sical action imagery conditions in 27 right-handed male volunteers scr eened for imagery ability and alexithymia. Fear, anger, neutral, and a ction states Were significantly differentiated on the basis of autonom ic measures and facial electromyographic (EMG) responses. Discriminant function analyses (DFAs) using autonomic and facial EMG measures cond ucted separately on data from two experimental sessions revealed 78% a nd 72% correct classification of fear and anger, and neutral condition s, respectively. Cross-validation of the DFA using discriminant weight s of the first session to classify the second session data led to a 66 .5% correct classification of the fear and anger, and neutral imagery conditions. The combined average of both sessions revealed an 84% corr ect classification rate. Further, when subjective ratings were added t o the discriminant function as a manipulation check for the experiment al procedure, a 99% correct classification rate was obtained. These da ta indicate that emotion-specific response patterns for fear and anger are accurately differentiable from each other and from neutral imager y conditions. The findings provide support for the cognitive-physiolog ical network models of physiological emotion specificity.