DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF HUMAN EEG DURING EXPERIMENTAL AFFECTIVE EXPERIENCE

The present investigation was designed to study whether dimensional complexity of EEG discriminates between internal and external attentional demands during affective experience. In the first task Ss were waiting for a slight electric shock (affective intake condition). In the second task Ss were engaged in the controlled imagery involving the emotional experience 'programmed' during intake task (affective rejection condition). Both affective tasks were compared to the controlled rest condition. The results of imagery trial replicated previous demonstration of the increased dimension of EEG during imagery in comparison to perceptual processing, with differences, confined to frontal and partly to central sites. Affective intake trial in comparison to rest condition was characterized by significantly higher dimensional estimates over the central and more posterior (parietal and occipital) areas.