The Impact of Emotional Sounds on Arousal and Task Performance
Abstract
In times of emotional arousal, it is hypothesized that neural processes are triggered to “heighten” our senses to better respond to threatening stimuli. Some studies have tested this by exposing participants to emotional sounds to determine their impacts on visual acuity but have found mixed results. Previous studies have not investigated interactions between arousal induced by emotional sounds and visual acuity. Participants (N = 42) performed an orientation detection task while presented in silence or with sounds that varied in valence. Results displayed comparable accuracy across conditions but significantly faster response times during the presentation of negative sounds on the opposite side of the Gabor patch compared to neutral sounds irrespective of spatial location. Additionally, pupil size was significantly greater in the negative condition than in the neutral condition. These findings delineate how changes in arousal due to environmental factors can lead to changes in human performance.