关键词: 信息传播, 积极认知重评, 负性情绪, EPN波

Abstract: The surge in popularity of social media platforms, such as Sina Weibo, has made retweet a significant means of online information dissemination, yet concurrently led to the rampant spread of false information, resulting in frequent network contingencies. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms, influencing factors, and possible interventions for the dissemination of negative information with unknown contexts is imperative. Despite this importance, few studies have examined the role of emotional regulation in curbing the spread of such information from the perspective of individual retweet behavior. This study addresses this gap by conducting two experiments that explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of emotions and emotion regulation strategies, specifically positive cognitive reappraisal (considering positive aspects of the event), on the propagation of such ambiguous information at both behavioral and electrophysiological levels./t/nUtilizing a mixed factorial design with 2 (Information Type: Neutral vs Negative) × 2 (Regulation Strategy: Positive Cognitive Reappraisal vs Observation), participants were divided into Reappraisal and Observation groups (control group). In the experimental procedure, a fixation point was initially presented, followed by randomly displayed emotionally-laden event images (neutral faces combined with neutral/negative information), which had been pre-assessed. Participants were instructed to either simply immerse themselves in observing the images (Observation group) or to engage in both observation and positive cognitive reappraisal (Reappraisal group), after which they rated their emotional experiences, moral judgments, retweet willingness and retweet behavior. Experiment 1 included 71 participants (mean age 20.16 ± 1.85 years); the Reappraisal group consisted of 35 participants (14 males, 22 females), while the Observation group comprised 36 participants (11 males, 24 females). Experiment 2 involved 44 participants (mean age 20.04 ± 1.83 years), with 22 in each group. Building upon Experiment 1, this second experiment incorporated event-related potentials (ERPs); following the presentation of emotional event images, isolated face stimuli matching the previously viewed information were shown. Participants engaged in reappraisal (Reappraisal group) or reflected on their emotions (Observation group) when viewing these faces, before proceeding to subsequent ratings. During the stages where face presentation, emotional experience, moral judgment, retweet willingness and retweet behavior were scored, EEG data were collected./t/nFindings revealed that (1) information type significantly influences retweet willingness and behavior, even when the context or cause of the events is unclear to individuals. Specifically, participants exhibited heightened negative emotions and perceived less morality associated with negative information compared to neutral content, leading to a higher inclination to retweet negative information. Notably, among those exposed to negative information, participants in the Reappraisal group displayed lower levels of negative emotions, more lenient moral judgments, and significantly fewer retweet behaviors than those in the Observation group. This suggests that engaging in positive cognitive reappraisal diminishes the negative emotional experience, relaxes moral judgment criteria, and reduces retweet behavior regarding information with unknown contexts. (2) Electroencephalographic findings revealed that positive cognitive reappraisal altered the amplitude of the early posterior negativity (EPN) component in the occipito-temporal region during the processing of information. More precisely, when confronted with negative information, participants in the Reappraisal group exhibited significantly lower EPN amplitudes than their counterparts in the Observation group. Mediation analysis further illuminated that positive cognitive reappraisal reduced participants' retweet willingness and behavior by decreasing the amplitude of the EPN./t/nThis research pioneers an examination of personal retweet behavior, exploring the influence of emotion regulation strategies on the diffusion of information with unknown contexts. By integrating event-related potential technology, it analytically addressed the neurophysiological characteristics of this effect, filling a theoretical gap in current information transmission research. Moreover, the study offers fresh insights into tackling the spread of false information by providing a novel approach grounded in emotion regulation theory.

Key words: information transmission, positive cognitive reappraisal, negative emotion, EPN