Survival of the Anxious: Behavioural and Electrophysiological Indications of Perceptual Sensitivity and Levels of Trait Anxiety Within the Context of Small Quantity Perception

The effects of the threat detection system that are active in trait anxiety may be linked to enhanced performance in adaptive contexts requiring rapid and accurate perceptual processing of environmental stimuli. One such context is the perception of small quantities. The goal of this study was to examine the relation between the perception of quantity changes within the subitizing range (1-4), perceptual sensitivity, and trait anxiety among young adults. A quantity-change task was used, and event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes and behavioural reaction times were measured. Higher anxiety was related to higher perceptual sensitivity and lower reaction times as well as negative amplitudes in centro-frontal areas during the early stages of processing. A significant valence effect was found during late stages of processing for the low anxiety group. Results indicate that increased trait anxiety is correlated with higher perceptual sensitivity, leading to faster reaction times and alterations in early cognitive processes.