Elaine Fox

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Elaine Fox, BA, PhD, Professor & Head of Department Contact Details Room 3.722 Department of Psychology University of Essex Colchester CO4 3SQ U.K. Tel: +44 (0)1206 - 873783 Fax: +44 (0)1206 - 873801 username efox add @essex.ac.uk for email address research page Biography She studied Psychology at University College Dublin, where she completed her PhD in 1988 on the psychopharmacological mechanisms underlying anxiety and cognitive processes. Following this she was appointed Lecturer in Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. In 1993 she returned to the northern hemisphere and lectured in Psychology at University College Dublin before coming to Essex in 1994. She was Associate Editor of Cognition and Emotion from 1996 until 2001. She was Associate Editor of Cognition and Emotion from 1996 until 2001, and remains on the editorial board. She has also been appointed as a Consulting Editor of the APA journal Emotion in 2005. I am currently working on a book entitled 'Emotion Science: An Integration of Neuroscientific and Cognitive Approaches' to be published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2007. Research Overview (A) Emotion. My research programme on human emotion consists of a number of projects at the interface between cognitive psychology, social psychology, clinical psychology and cognitive neuroscience. The research is guided by the principle that psychological theory must be grounded in real-life experiences and that the social context in which behaviour takes place is as important as the evolutionary history of that behaviour. Some illustrative projects are summarized below. Impact of Socially Significant Stimuli: One project in collaboration with Dr Andrew Mathews, Dr Jenny Yiend and Dr Andy Calder (MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge) concerns the nature of gaze processing. Where other people look can reveal where they are attending, and thus indicate sources of potential interest in the environment. Moreover, the human brain may have evolved to be particularly good at detecting these socially significant signals, with cells specialized for processing eyes. We replicated previous findings that the direction of eye-gaze does indeed induce reflexive shifts of attention. However, we extended this in important ways in showing that the emotional expression of the face could modify this effect. To illustrate, the visual attention of people who were relatively anxious was manipulated much more strongly by the direction of eye-gaze of fearful faces, relative to angry or happy expressions. In a separate project with colleagues at the University of Essex we have recently found that the basic mechanisms of human attention can be modified by the social significance of the stimuli being processed. For example, in a simple visual search task it has been found that threat-related facial expressions are detected much more quickly than either happy or neutral facial expressions. Recently, we have found that just the eye-region is enough to produce this effect and that the addition of the full-face does not further enhance this effect. This suggests that the eyes are indeed a critical stimulus for the modulation of human attention. Information Processing Biases in Affective Disorders: I am currently conducting several separate projects investigating the role of information processing biases in determining emotional disorders. This research is largely funded by the Wellcome Trust and examines the notion that fundamental differences in how socially relevant information (e.g., people whispering to each other) is processed may underlie many anxiety disorders. In a number of experiments we have shown that anxious people selectively process threat-related information, especially when this is presented in a socially-relevant context (e.g., public speaking). A particular focus of my work has been the discovery that anxiety may be associated with a delay in the disengagement of attention from threat-relevant stimuli, rather than the faster detection of these stimuli in the environment. Ongoing projects are examining whether these variations in attentional disengagement are correlated with increases in worry and negative rumination. The Neural Basis of Anxiety-related Attentional Biases. I am currently working with Andy Calder and Andrew Lawrence at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge to investigate the neural correlates of individual differences in anxiety and how this relates to the processing of affective stimuli. We intend to use fMRI and EEG to help unravel the role of personality traits as well as mood states in determining emotional reactivity. Role of Positive Emotions in Determining Subjective Well-being: A new project has just begun in collaboration with Dr Andrew Mathews (University of California at Davis) and Dr Kevin Dutton (Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge). This project is using well-established experimental procedures, which have been used previously to modify cognitive biases in anxious people. However, in this case we are investigating the role of positive emotions (gratitude) in determining subjective well-being. This is an interesting collaboration allowing us to investigate the nature of the relations between feelings of well-being and a person’s sense of spirituality. Does feeling grateful (e.g., to God?) really confer benefits beyond simply feeling lucky? Social Cognition: I have recently edited a special issue of the international journal Visual Cognition entitled “Visual Social Cognition”. The aim of this special issue aims to bring together researchers in cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology, cognitive psychology and social psychology to explore the nature of the neural and cognitive processes underlying the processing of socially-relevant stimuli. The idea is that visual processes modulate many social interactions. For instance, vision provides us with information about the emotional state of the person we are with, it provides us with information about where a companion is attending, it provides us with information that may be used directly to guide imitation. Our understanding about the role of visual processes in social interactions is being advanced by linking work on the basic neural and cognitive mechanisms mediating vision with work on the social and emotional context in which the processing takes place. Bringing these disparate research groups together was a fundamental aim of the special issue, which was published in 2005. (B) Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Humans Impact of Electromagnetic Fields on Human Health and Well-being: I am currently heading a project funded by the Department of Health under the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR). This involves the co-ordination of a multidisciplinary team of experimental and social psychologists, biomedical and electronic engineers, physicists and medical practitioners. There is widespread public concern regarding the health effects of mobile phones and their associated base-stations. The current project will provide scientifically valid evidence on the effect of radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) on physiological, psychological, and health functioning for people who experience hypersensitivity to RF-EMFs and for matched control participants. A new psychometric instrument to measure electromagnetic hypersensitivity will also be developed in order to identify people who may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of RF-EMFs. Thus, the research will provide evidence for the development and preparation of appropriate advice to be given to the general public on the possible health and psychological effects of exposure to electromagnetic emissions from mobile phone base-stations. Impact of Mobile Phone Electromagnetic Fields on Human Memory and Attention. In collaboration with Prof Riccardo Russo, Prof Dariush Mirshekar, Dr Caterina Cinel,and Dr Angela Boldini we are investigating whether mobile phone hand-sets affect cognitive functioning. This project is also funded by the Department of Health under the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR). A number of double-blind experiments are being conducted to determine whether standard RF emissions from GSM mobile phones (900 Mhz and 1800 Mhz) influence fundamental mechanisms of human attention and short-term memory.	Recent Publications Fox, E, Cahill, S., & Zougkou, K. (2010). Preconscious processing biases predict emotional reactivity to stress. Biological Psychiatry, 67, 371-377. (link to paper) Standage, H., Ashwin, C., & Fox, E. (2010). Is manipulation of mood a critical component of cognitive bias modification procedures? Behavior Research & Therapy, 48, 4-10. Elaine Fox, Anna Ridgewell and Chris Ashwin (2009) Looking on the bright side: biased attention and the human serotonin transporter gene. Proc. Royal Society (link to paper) Eltiti, S.,Wallace, D., Zougkou, K., Russo, R., Joseph. S., Rasor, P. and Fox, E. (2007) Development and evaluation of the electromagnetic hypersensitivity questionnaire. Bioelectromagnetics 28:137-151 (download pdf) Eltiti, S.,Wallace, D., Ridgewell, A., Zougkou, K., Russo, R., Sepulveda, F., Mirsshekar-Syahkal, D., Rasor, P., Deeble, R. and Fox, E. (2007) Does short-term exposure to mobile phone base station signals increase symptoms in individuals who report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields ? A double-blind randomized provocation study. Environmental Health Perspectives 115 (11) 1603-1608. (download pdf) Standage, H., Ashwin, C., & Fox, E. (2009). Comparing auditory and visual presentation for the modification of interpretation bias. Journal of Behavior Therapy & Experimental Psychiatry, 40, 558-570. Eltiti, S., Wallace, D., Ridgewell, A., Zoughou, K., Russo, R., Sepulveda, F, & Fox, E. (2009). Short-term exposure to mobile phone base-station signals does not affect cognitive functioning or physiological measures in individuals who report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields and controls. Bioelectromagnetics, 30, 556-563. Fox, E., Ridgewell, A., & Ashwin, C. (2009). Biased attention and the human serotonin transporter gene. Proceedings of the Royal Society (Biological Sciences), 276, 1747-1751. MacLeod, C., Koster, E., & Fox, E. (2009). Whither cognitive bias modification research? Commentary on the special section articles. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118, 89-100. Koster, E., Fox, E., & MacLeod, C (2009). Introduction to the special section on cognitive bias modification in emotional disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118, 1-4. Cinel, C., Russo, R., Boldini, A., & Fox, E. (2008). Letter to Editor: Response to Arnetz and co-workers. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71, 115-116. Fox, E. (2008). Emotion Science: Neuroscientific and Cognitive Approaches to Understanding Human Emotions. Palgrave Macmillan. Fox, E., Derakshan, N., & Shoker, L. (2008). Trait anxiety modulates the electrophysiological indices of rapid spatial orienting towards angry faces. NeuroReport, 19, 259-263. Eltiti, S., Wallace, D., Ridgewell, A., Russo, R., & Fox, E. (2008) Do the electromagnetic fields generated by mobile-phone base-stations have short-term effects on health? A response to commentaries. Environmental Health Perspectives, 116, 62-65. Cinel, C., Russo, R., Boldini, A., & Fox, E. (2008). Exposure to mobile phone electromagnetic fields and subjective symptoms: A double blind study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70, 345-349. Fox, E., Griggs, L. and Mouchlianitis, E. (2007) The detection of fear-relevant stimuli: Are guns noticed as quickly as snakes ? Emotion 7 (4) 691-696. (download pdf) Cinel, C., Boldini, A., Russo, R., & Fox, E. (2007). Effects of mobile phone electromagnetic fields on an auditory threshold task. Bioelectromagnetics, 28, 493-496. Cinel, C., Fox, E., Boldini, A., & Russo, R. (2007). No effect of mobile phone emissions on human short-term memory and attention. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 22, 1113-1125. Fox, E., Mathews, A., Calder, A. J., Yiend, J. (2007) Anxiety and sensitivity to gaze direction in emotionally expressive faces. Emotion 7 (3) 478-486. (download pdf) Eltiti, S., Wallace, D., Ridgewell, A., Zougkou, K., Russo, R., Sepulveda, F., Mirshekar-Syahkal, D., Rasor, P., Deeble, R., & Fox, E. (2007). Does short-term exposure to mobile phone base station signals increase symptoms in individuals who report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields? A double-blind randomized provocation study. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115, 1063-1068. Eltiti, S., Wallace, D., Zougkou, K., Russo, R., Joseph, S., Rasor, P., & Fox, E. (2007). Development and Evaluation of the Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Questionnaire. Bioelectromagnetics, 28, 137-151. Fox, E., Eltiti, S., Wallace, D., & Russo, R. (2007). Health effects of mobile phone base-stations: A review of electromagnetic hypersensitivity. In M. Repacholi, E. van Deventer, & P. Ravazzani (Eds). Base stations and Wireless Networks: Exposure and Health Consequences. WHO Publications. Riccardo Russo, Dora Whittuck, Debi Roberson, Kevin Dutton, George Georgiou, and Elaine Fox. Mood-congruent free recall bias in anxious individuals is not a consequence of response bias. Memory 4 (4) 393-99. (download pdf) Russo, R., Fox, E., Cinel, C., Boldini, A., DeFeyter, M.A., Mirshekar, D., & Metha, A. (2006) Does acute exposure to mobile phones affect attentional processing? Bioelectromagnetics 27. (download pdf) Russo, R., Whittuck, D., Roberson, D., Dutton, K., Georgiou G., & Fox, E. (2006). Mood congruent free recall bias is not a consequence of response bias. Memory, 14, 393-399. Russo, R., Fox, E., Cinel, C., Boldini, A., Defreyter, M.A., Mirshekar-Syahkal, D., & Mehta, A. (2006). Does acute exposure to mobile phones affect human attention. Bioelectromagnetics, 27, 215-220. Fox, E. & Damjanovic, L. (2006) The Eyes Are Sufficient to Produce a Threat Superiority Effect. Emotion, 6 (3), 534 –539 (download pdf) Fox, E., Russo, R., & Georgiou, G. (2005) Anxiety modulates the degree of attentive resources required to process emotional faces. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 5, 396-404 (download pdf) Georgiou, G.A., Bleakley, C., Hayward, J., Russo, R., Dutton, K., Eltiti, S and Fox, E. (2005) Focusing on fear: Attentional disengagement from emotional faces. Visual Cognition, 12 (1), 145-158 (download pdf) Eltiti, S., Keal, D., & Fox, E. (2005) Selective target processing in low perceptual load displays. Perception and Psychophysics, 67, 876-885.(download pdf) Fox, E., & Georgiou, G. (2005) The nature of attentional bias in human anxiety. In Engle, R.W., Sedek, G., Von Hecker, U., & McIntosh, D. (Eds). Cognitive Limitations in Aging and Psychopathology: Attention, Working Memory, and Executive Functions. Cambridge University Press. Fox, E (2005) The role of visual processes in modulating social interactions. Visual Cognition, 12 (1), 1-11 (download pdf) Fox, E. (2004) Maintenance or capture of attention in anxiety-related biases. In Yiend, J. (Ed). Emotion, Cognition, and Psychopathology. Cambridge University Press. Mathews, A., Fox, E., Yiend, J. and Calder, A. (2003) The face of fear: Effects of eye gaze and emotion on visual attention. Visual Cognition 10 (7) 823-835 (download pdf) Ortells, J.J., Fox, E., Noguera, C., & Abad, M.J.F. (2003) Repetition priming effects from attended versus ignored words in a semantic categorization task. Acta Psychologica, 114, 185-210. Ortells, J.J., Daza, M., & Fox, E. (2003) Semantic priming effects from consciously versus unconsciously perceived words. Perception and Psychophysics, 65, 1307-1317. Mathews, A., Fox, E., Calder, A., & Yiend, J. (2003) The face of fear: effects of eye gaze and emotion on visual attention. Visual Cognition, 10, 823-835. Gamboz, N., Russo, R., & Fox, E. (2002) Age differences and the negative priming effect: An up -dated meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging 17,530-539 Fox, E., Russo, R., & Dutton, K. (2002) Attentional bias for threat: Evidence for delayed disengagement from emotional faces. Cognition and Emotion, 16, 355-379.(download pdf) Daza, M., Ortells, J.J., & Fox, E. (2002) Perception without awareness: Further evidence from a Stroop priming task. Perception and Psychophysics, 64, 1316-1324. Fox, E. (2002) Processing emotional facial expressions: The role of anxiety and awareness. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 2, 52-63.(download pdf) MacLeod, C.M., Chiappe, D., & Fox, E. (2002) The crucial roles of stimulus identity and stimulus matching in negative priming. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review 9, 521-528. Fox, E., Russo, R., & Bowles, R.J., & Dutton, K. (2001) Do threatening stimuli draw or hold visual attention in sub-clinical anxiety?" Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130 (download pdf) Fox, E., & De Fockert, J-W. (2001) Inhibitory repetition effects to color and shape: Inhibition of return or repetition blindness? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 798-812. Russo, R., Fox, E., Bellinger, L., & Nguyen-Van-Tam, D.P. (2001) Mood congruent free recall bias in anxiety. Cognition and Emotion, 15, 419-433. Fox, E., Lester, V., Russo, R., Bowles, R.J., Pichler, A., & Dutton (2000) Facial expressions of emotion: Are angry faces detected more efficiently? Cognition and Emotion, 14, 61-92. (download pdf) Gamboz, N., Russo, R., & Fox, E. (2000) Target selection difficulty, negative priming and aging. Psychology and Aging, 15, 542-550. Lavie, N., & Fox, E. (2000) The role of perceptual load in negative priming. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 26, 1038-1052. Fox, E. (1993) Attentional Bias in Anxiety: Selective or Not? Behav. Res. Ther. Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 487-493, (download pdf)