Reaction time normative data for the IAPS as a function of display time, gender, and picture content
Abstract
This study aimed to extend the International Affective Picture System (IAPS; Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 2005) norms by obtaining reaction time (RT) normative data for 308 selected photographs. Pictures were presented one at a time for 33, 100, or 250 msec, or under free-time display, to 96 women and 48 men. The participants' task involved assessing the emotional valence of each picture and responding as quickly as possible as to whether it was unpleasant, neutral, or pleasant. RTs provided an index of processing efficiency. The manipulation of display time served to estimate the time course in the valence identification of each picture. Some categories of depicted scenes (e.g., erotica and mutilations) were classified more consistently and efficiently than were others as pleasant or unpleasant. There were minimal differences between men and women. Overall, the present data provide researchers investigating cognition/emotion relationships with an objective criterion to select pictorial stimuli on the basis of RTs. Data for all pictures may be downloaded from brm.psychonomic-journals.org/content/supplemental.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
SAM reaction time to slides from the International Affective Picture System is a valid measure of processing efficiency for assessing one's own response to slide content.
“SAM reaction time to slides from the International Affective Picture System has been previously found to be a valid measure of “processing efficiency” for assessing one’s own response to slide content (63).”
From Effects of Mindfulness Training on Body Awareness to Sexual Stimuli: Implications for Female Sexual Dysfunction (2011) · cites this paper as [63]
Cites
International Affective Picture System (IAPS) : Technical Manual and Affective Ratings
Lang, P. J. (1995) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 2,870 · see citing works
Emotion and motivation I: Defensive and appetitive reactions in picture processing.
Bradley, M. M., Codispoti, M., Cuthbert, B. N., & Lang, P. J. (2001) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/1528-3542.1.3.276 · Cited by 2,224 · see citing works
How brains beware: neural mechanisms of emotional attention
Vuilleumier, P. (2005) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2005.10.011 · Cited by 2,162 · see citing works
Cuthbert, B. N., Schupp, H. T., Bradley, M. M., Birbaumer, N., & Lang, P. J. (2000) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/s0301-0511(99)00044-7 · Cited by 1,900 · see citing works
Lang, P. J., Bradley, M. M., & Cuthbert, B. N. (1999) · Cited by 1,664 · see citing works
The automaticity of everyday life.
Bargh, J. A. (1997) · Lawrence Erlbaum Associates eBooks · Cited by 1,229 · see citing works
Emotion and motivation II: Sex differences in picture processing.
Bradley, M. M., Codispoti, M., Sabatinelli, D., & Lang, P. J. (2001) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/1528-3542.1.3.300 · Cited by 943 · see citing works
Emotional category data on images from the international affective picture system
Mikels, J. A., Fredrickson, B. L., Samanez-Larkin, G. R., Lindberg, C. M., Maglio, S. J., & Reuter‐Lorenz, P. A. (2005) · Behavior Research Methods · doi:10.3758/bf03192732 · Cited by 675 · see citing works
Fleeting images: A new look at early emotion discrimination
Junghöfer, M., Bradley, M. M., Elbert, T. R., & Lang, P. J. (2001) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/1469-8986.3820175 · Cited by 603 · see citing works
Grühn, D., & Scheibe, S. (2008) · Behavior Research Methods · doi:10.3758/brm.40.2.512 · Cited by 305 · see citing works
Spatial frequencies or emotional effects?
Delplanque, S., N’Diaye, K., Scherer, K. R., & Grandjean, D. (2007) · Journal of Neuroscience Methods · doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2007.05.030 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Multidimensional normative ratings for the International Affective Picture System
Libkuman, T. M., Otani, H., Kern, R. P., Viger, S. G., & Novak, N. (2007) · Behavior Research Methods · doi:10.3758/bf03193164 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
Keil, A., Moratti, S., Sabatinelli, D., Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (2004) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhi001 · Cited by 158 · see citing works
Moltó, J., Montañés, S., Poy, R., Cabedo, P. S., Verchili, M. C. P., Irún, M. P. T., Uclés, I. R., Hernández, M. A., Sánchez, M. B., Santaella, M. D. C. F., et al. (1999) · Revista de psicología general y aplicada: Revista de la Federación Española de Asociaciones de Psicología · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Sex differences in the time course of emotion.
Gard, M. G., & Kring, A. M. (2007) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/1528-3542.7.2.429 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Comparison of Brazilian and American norms for the International Affective Picture System (IAPS)
Ribeiro, R. L., Pompéia, S., & Bueno, O. F. A. (2005) · Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria · doi:10.1590/s1516-44462005000300009 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Processing of unattended emotional visual scenes.
Calvo, M. G., & Nummenmaa, L. (2007) · Journal of Experimental Psychology General · doi:10.1037/0096-3445.136.3.347 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Self-citationArousal, valence, and memory for detail
Libkuman, T. M., Stabler, C., & Otani, H. (2004) · Memory · doi:10.1080/09658210244000630 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Silverstein, R. G., Brown, A.-C. H., Roth, H. D., & Britton, W. B. (2011) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0b013e318234e628 · Cited by 168 · see citing works
“SAM reaction time to slides from the International Affective Picture System has been previously found to be a valid measure of ‘‘processing efficiency’’ for assessing one’s own response to slide content (63).”
BackgroundMethodChoosing the negative: A behavioral demonstration of morbid curiosity
Oosterwijk, S. (2017) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0178399 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Adaptation of the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) for European Portuguese
Soares, A. P., Pinheiro, A. P., Costa, A., Frade, S., Comesaña, M., & Pureza, R. (2014) · Behavior Research Methods · doi:10.3758/s13428-014-0535-2 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Brain reactivity to unpleasant stimuli is associated with severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms.
Lobo, I., David, I. A., Figueira, I. L. D. V., Campagnoli, R. R., Volchan, E., Pereira, M. G., & Oliveira, L. (2014) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.09.002 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Stimulus appraisal modulates cardiac reactivity to briefly presented mutilation pictures.
Mocaiber, I., Perakakis, P., Pereira, M. G., Pinheiro, W. M., Volchan, E., de Oliveira, L., & Vila, J. (2011) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.07.014 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Corticospinal Excitability Preceding the Grasping of Emotion-Laden Stimuli
Nogueira‐Campos, A. A., de Oliveira, L. A. S., Della‐Maggiore, V., Esteves, P. O., Rodrigues, É. C., & Vargas, C. D. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094824 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Lateralized discrimination of emotional scenes in peripheral vision
Calvo, M. G., Rodríguez-Chinea, S., & Fernández-Martín, A. (2014) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/s00221-014-4174-8 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Self-citationEmotional processing affects movement speed
Hälbig, T. D., Borod, J. C., Frisina, P. G., Tse, W., Voustianiouk, A., Olanow, C. W., & Graciès, J. (2011) · Journal of Neural Transmission · doi:10.1007/s00702-011-0627-4 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Amygdala responses to unpleasant pictures are influenced by task demands and positive affect trait
Sanchez, T. A., Mocaiber, I., Erthal, F. S., Joffily, M., Volchan, E., Pereira, M. G., de Araújo, D. B., & Oliveira, L. (2015) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00107 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Sensitivity to emotional scene content outside the focus of attention
Calvo, M. G., Gutiérrez-García, A., & Líbano, M. D. (2015) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2015.08.002 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citationArriaga, P., Adrião, J., Madeira, F., Cavaleiro, I. I. B., Silva, A. M. E., Barahona, I., & Esteves, F. G. (2014) · Psychology of Violence · doi:10.1037/a0037260 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Selective orienting to pleasant versus unpleasant visual scenes
Fernández-Martín, A., & Calvo, M. G. (2016) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2016.06.010 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Self-citationAffective Modulation of Working Memory Maintenance: The Role of Positive and Negative Emotions
Gökçe, A., Zinchenko, A., Birtwistle, E., Conci, M., & Geyer, T. (2021) · Advances in Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.5709/acp-0321-7 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Adaptive attunement of selective covert attention to evolutionary-relevant emotional visual scenes
Fernández-Martín, A., Gutiérrez-García, A., Capafons, J. I., & Calvo, M. G. (2017) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2017.03.011 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Self-citationDeficits in voice and multisensory processing in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome
Salles, J., Strelnikov, K., Mantoulan, C., Thuilleaux, D., Laurier, V., Molinas, C., Tauber, M., & Barone, P. (2016) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.03.015 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Emotion effects within frontal alpha oscillation in a picture oddball paradigm
Weinreich, A., Stephani, T., & Schubert, T. (2016) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.07.517 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Skin conductance response and emotional response in women with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures
Herrero, H., Tarrada, A., Haffen, É., Mignot, T., Sense, C., Schwan, R., El‐Hage, W., Maillard, L. G., & Hingray, C. (2020) · Seizure · doi:10.1016/j.seizure.2020.07.028 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Comparative values of variables related to brand logos
De-Marchis, G. P., Reales-Avilés, J. M., & Rivero, M. D. P. (2018) · Measuring Business Excellence · doi:10.1108/mbe-12-2016-0062 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Nogueira‐Campos, A. A., Saunier, G., Della‐Maggiore, V., de Oliveira, L. A. S., Rodrigues, É. C., & Vargas, C. D. (2016) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00434 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Bermejo, B. G., Mateos, P. M., & Sánchez-Mateos, J. D. (2014) · American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-119.4.371 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Bulut, N. S., Würz, A., Küpeli, N. Y., Bulut, G. Ç., & Sungur, M. Z. (2018) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.05.006 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Modulation of Response Times During Processing of Emotional Body Language
Botta, A., Lagravinese, G., Bove, M., Avenanti, A., & Avanzino, L. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.616995 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Oren, N., Soroker, N., & Deouell, L. Y. (2013) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.09.033 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Integrated Development Environment for EEG-Driven Cognitive-Neuropsychological Research
Jacobsen, S., Meiron, O., Salomon, D. Y., Kraizler, N., Factor, H., Jaul, E., & Tsur, E. E. (2020) · IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine · doi:10.1109/jtehm.2020.2989768 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
The effects of real vs simulated high altitude on associative memory for emotional stimuli
Gatti, M., Prete, G., Perpetuini, D., Bondi, D., Verratti, V., Matteucci, F. Q., Santangelo, C., Annarumma, S., Crosta, A. D., Palumbo, R., et al. (2024) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114663 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Increased anticipatory contingent negative variation in posttraumatic stress disorder
Duan, H., Wang, L., Fernández, G., Zhang, K., & Wu, J. (2016) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.03.004 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Theta oscillations underlie the interplay between emotional processing and empathy
Romeo, Z., & Spironelli, C. (2024) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34581 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Prada, M., Cunha, C., Garcia‐Marques, T., & Rodrigues, D. L. (2013) · Laboratório de Psicologia · doi:10.14417/lp.641 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Emotional categorization of objects: A novel clustering approach and the effect of depression
Azevedo, I. L., Keniston, L., Rocha, H. R., Imbiriba, L. A., Saunier, G., & Nogueira‐Campos, A. A. (2021) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113223 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
The investigation of semantic memory deficit in chronic tinnitus: a behavioral report
Karimi-Boroujeni, M., Mahmoudian, S., & Jarollahi, F. (2018) · Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology · doi:10.1016/j.bjorl.2018.11.003 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Cupping Therapy
Hong, M., Lee, I., Ryu, Y., Kim, J., & Chae, Y. (2020) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci10030144 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
IAPS in India: A Cross-cultural Validation Study of Highly Arousing Emotional Pictures
Lodha, S., & Gupta, R. (2024) · Psychology and Developing Societies · doi:10.1177/09713336241229966 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Positive mood boosts the expression of a dispositional need for closure
Kossowska, M., & Bar‐Tal, Y. (2013) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2013.778817 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Why doesn’t emotional valence affect subitising and counting in simple enumeration?
Infante, E., & Trick, L. M. (2019) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/1747021819897246 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
TARPTAUTINES EMOCIJAS SUKELIANCIU VAIZDU SISTEMOS UNIVERSALUMAS: LIETUVOS STUDENTU POPULIACIJOS
Mačiukaitė, L., Kuzinas, A., & Rukšėnas, O. (2015) · International Journal of Psychology a Biopsychosocial Approach · doi:10.7220/2345-024x.16.6 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Raz, S., & Lahad, M. (2024) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-024-05833-9 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Czekóová, K., Shaw, D. J., Urbánek, T., Chládek, J., Lamoš, M., Román, R., & Brázdil, M. (2016) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.12662 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Davey, S., Halberstadt, J. B., & Bell, E. M. (2023) · Scandinavian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/sjop.12959 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Hidalgo-Muñoz, A. R., Galvao-Carmona, A., & Vázquez-Marrufo, M. (2014) · Studies in Psychology Estudios de Psicología · doi:10.1080/02109395.2014.922255
Face and Emoticon: Behavioral Difference and Gender Effect
Kim, T., Jeong, B., Kim, J. W., & Choi, J. (2010)
The Effects of Perceptual Complexity and Valence on IAPS Picture Processing: an ERP study
박수담, & ParkTaejin (2013) · 한국심리학회지: 인지 및 생물 · doi:10.22172/cogbio.2013.25.3.001
Lodha, S., & Gupta, R. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/2qt6b
Unspeeded response time as an implicit measure of food appraisal
Toet, A., van Erp, J. B. F., & der Burg, E. V. (2024) · Food Quality and Preference · doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2024.105221
Larsen, B. A., Klinedinst, B. S., Wolf, T., McLimans, K. E., Wang, Q., Mohammadiarvejeh, P., Fili, M., Seixas, A. A., & Willette, A. A. (2025) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci16010003
- Authors
- Calvo, M. G., & Avero, P.
- Affiliations
- Universidad de La Laguna (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Calvo, Manuel G.
- ORCID
- Calvo, Manuel G.
- Venue
- Behavior Research Methods
- Published
- 2009-02
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 184-191
- ISSN
- 1554-351X (ISSN-L)
- 1554-3528
- OpenAlex
- W1966387925
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 4
- FWCI
- 0.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Behavior Research Methods (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Emotion and Mood Recognition
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Aesthetic Perception and Analysis
- Keywords
- International Affective Picture System, display time, emotional valence, gender differences, processing efficiency, stimulus selection
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Female, Humans, Male, Reaction Time, Semantics, Sex Factors, Visual Perception, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review