Abstract: With the help of event-related potentials (ERPs), the present study manipulated social status by a time-estimation task to explore the neural mechanism of evaluator status affecting individual's emotional processing. Participants completed a time estimation task, and were told that their performance were evaluated by high and low status evaluators according to their performance on the task. The electroencephalogram data (EEG) were recorded while they watched the evaluators' facial feedback.The present study demonstrated that the effects of evaluators’ status on individuals’ neural responses to evaluators’ facial expressions exist in the P1, N2 and P3 stages. Further, the present findings extended previous studies by showing that status enhances the processing of facial expressions in both the sensory and responses stages.

Key words: social status, facial expressions, ERP

摘要： 前人研究表明他人的社会地位影响个体对其面部表情的加工，但是他人地位如何影响个体对其面部表情加工的神经机制并不清楚。本研究首先让被试完成时间估计任务，然后让评价者（高VS低地位）根据被试任务成绩给予面部表情（愉悦、中性和愤怒）反馈，同时记录被试加工评价者面部表情的ERP成分。脑电结果发现，在早期的P1阶段，当评价者给予愤怒和愉悦表情作为反馈评价刺激时，低地位评价者比高地位评价者诱发了更强的P1波幅；在N2加工阶段，只有当评价者给予愉悦表情作为反馈评价刺激时，高地位评价者比低地位评价者诱发的N2波幅更强；在后期P3加工阶段，只有当评价者给予愉悦表情作为反馈评价刺激时，低地位评价者比高地位评价者诱发了更强的P3波幅。当前研究结果说明评价者的地位不仅影响了个体对其面部表情加工的早期阶段，而且还影响了个体对其面部表情加工的后期阶段。

关键词: 社会地位, 面部表情, ERP