Eye-movement patterns in face recognition are associated with cognitive decline in older adults

The Hidden Markov Modeling approach for eye-movement data analysis is able to quantitatively assess differences and similarities among individual patterns. Here we applied this approach to examine the relationships between eye-movement patterns in face recognition and age-related cognitive decline. We found that significantly more older than young adults adopted “holistic” patterns, in which most eye fixations landed around the face center, as opposed to “analytic” patterns, in which eye movements switched among the two eyes and the face center. Participants showing analytic patterns had better performance than those with holistic patterns regardless of age. Interestingly, older adults with lower cognitive status (as assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment), particularly in executive and visual attention functioning (as assessed by Tower of London and Trail Making Tests) were associated with a higher likelihood of holistic patterns. This result suggests the possibility of using eye movements as an easily deployable screening assessment for cognitive decline in older adults.     

Brain potentials to emotional pictures are modulated by alexithymia during emotion regulation

Alexithymia is a personality trait associated with the reduced ability to regulate, identify, and communicate feelings or emotions and is often linked to psychosomatic disorders. The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the relationship between individual differences in alexithymia and emotion regulation. Participants classified as scoring either high or low on the revised form of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20; Taylor, Bagby, & Parker Psychother Psychosom 57:34–41, 1992) were asked to view negative and neutral images, adopting three different regulation strategies (expressive suppression, cognitive reappraisal, and attend) while ERPs were recorded. Results revealed an inverse relationship between TAS scores and emotion-related ERP activity during suppression, but not during reappraisal or a control “attend” condition. These results were observed in both early and late ERP latencies. These findings are interpreted according to potential differences between high- and low-TAS individuals regarding the frequency of prior utilization of suppression-based regulation strategies.     

The emotional deficits associated with the Dark Triad traits: Cognitive empathy,affective empathy,and alexithymia

Volunteers (N = 322) in an online survey revealed the complex correlational patterns between the Dark Triad traits and two forms of “emotional deficiencies” (i.e., limited empathy and alexithymia) overall and in each sex. Each Dark Triad trait was associated with a unique pattern of emotional deficits. Psychopathy was correlated with limited overall empathy, difficulty describing feelings, and externally oriented thinking. Narcissism was associated with limited affective empathy and difficulty identifying feelings, whereas Machiavellianism was associated with externally oriented thinking. The Dark Triad mediated sex differences in empathy and externally oriented thinking. Structural Equation Modeling suggests that the differential facets of alexithymia predict different forms of limited empathy that in turn predict specific Dark Triad traits. Results are discussed using an evolutionary paradigm.     

Postural tasks are associated with center of pressure spatial patterns of three-dimensional statokinesigrams in young and elderly healthy subjects

The present study investigated the association between postural tasks and center of pressure spatial patterns of three-dimensional statokinesigrams. Young (n = 35; 27.0 ± 7.7 years) and elderly (n = 38; 67.3 ± 8.7 years) healthy volunteers maintained an undisturbed standing position during postural tasks characterized by combined sensory (vision/no vision) and biomechanical challenges (feet apart/together). A method for the analysis of three-dimensional statokinesigrams based on nonparametric statistics and image-processing analysis was employed. Four patterns of spatial distribution were derived from ankle and hip strategies according to the quantity (single; double; multi) and location (anteroposterior; mediolateral) of high-density regions on three-dimensional statokinesigrams. Significant associations between postural task and spatial pattern were observed (young: gamma = 0.548, p < .001; elderly: gamma = 0.582, p < .001). Robustness analysis revealed small changes related to parameter choices for histogram processing. MANOVA revealed multivariate main effects for postural task [Wilks’ Lambda = 0.245, p < .001] and age [Wilks’ Lambda = 0.308, p < .001], with interaction [Wilks’ Lambda = 0.732, p < .001]. The quantity of high-density regions was positively correlated to stabilogram and statokinesigram variables (p < .05 or lower). In conclusion, postural tasks are associated with center of pressure spatial patterns and are similar in young and elderly healthy volunteers. Single-centered patterns reflected more stable postural conditions and were more frequent with complete visual input and a wide base of support.     

Factors associated with adolescent saving and spending patterns

This study examined the saving and spending behaviors of 1,619 employed high school seniors from over 1,000 private and public schools across the United States. Students were categorized as savers, necessity spenders, and discretionary spenders based on their responses to the question, "How do you spend the money that you earn?" Associations of student spending and saving patterns with individual and family factors were analyzed. Student savers were from families who saved and planned money use. Students who spent more for necessities were from families with fewer resources and greater financial difficulties. Discretionary spenders felt that money was important and were from families with higher income and socioeconomic status. Findings are discussed in light of the importance of families as socializing agents of their children.     

The construct validity of the MMPI alexithymia scale with psychiatric inpatients

Relatively few studies have addressed the issue of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) alexithymia scale's construct validity. In this study, the validity of the scale is supported by the finding of a significantly lower percentage of alexithymic individuals in a large sample of psychiatric inpatients than in samples of patients with a variety of physical disorders (i.e., migraine headaches, asthma bronchitis/emphysema, and hypertension). Validity of the scale is further supported through a comparison of the alexithymic and nonalexithymic psychiatric inpatients on a series of Rorschach and MMPI variables. As predicted, alexithymics were less verbally productive, displayed less ability to fantasize, and demonstrated greater defensive pseudonormality. Results suggest the measure may be of value in studies of psychiatric patients as well as those with physical disorders.     

Dietary patterns and intelligence in early and middle childhood

The association between intelligence and diet at 3.5 and 7 years was examined in 591 children of European descent. Approximately half of the children were born small-for-gestational age (birth weight ≤ 10th percentile). The relationship between IQ and diet (measured by food frequency) was investigated using multiple regression analyses. Eating margarine at least daily was associated with significantly lower IQ scores at 3.5 years in the total sample and at 7 years in SGA children. For all children, eating the recommended daily number of breads and cereals was associated with significantly higher IQ scores at 3.5 years, and those who ate fish at least weekly had significantly higher IQ scores at 7 years than those who did not. The consumption of fish, breads and cereals commeasurable with nutritional guidelines may be beneficial to children's cognitive development. In contrast, consuming margarine daily was associated with poorer cognitive functioning. Further research is needed to identify the nutrients that may underlie this association.     

Selfie posting behaviors are associated with narcissism among men

Although many studies have investigated individual differences in online social networking, few have examined the recent and rapidly popularized social phenomenon of the “selfie” (a selfportrait photograph of oneself). In two studies with a pooled sample of 1296 men and women, we tested the prediction that individuals who score high on four narcissism sub-scales (Self-sufficiency, Vanity, Leadership, and Admiration Demand) will be more likely to post selfies to social media sites than will individuals who exhibit low narcissism. We examined three categories of selfies: own selfies; selfies with a romantic partner; and group selfies, controlling for non-selfie photographs. Women posted more selfies of all types than did men. However, women’s selfie-posting behavior was generally unrelated to their narcissism scores. In contrast, men’s overall narcissism scores positively predicted posting own selfies, selfies with a partner, and group selfies. Moreover, men’s Vanity, Leadership, and Admiration Demand scores each independently predicted the posting of one or more types of selfies. Our findings provide the first evidence that the link between narcissism and selfie-posting behavior is comparatively weak among women than men, and provide novel insight into the social motivations and functions of online social networking.     

Simple geometric shapes are implicitly associated with affective value

Growing evidence suggests that the underlying geometry of a visual image is an effective mechanism for conveying the affective meaning of a scene or object. Indeed, even very simple context-free geometric shapes have been shown to signal emotion. Specifically, downward-pointing V??s are perceived as threatening and curvilinear forms are perceived as pleasant. As these shapes are thought to be primitive cues for decoding emotion, we sought to assess whether they are evaluated as affective even without extended cognitive processing. Using an Implicit Association Test to examine associations between three shapes (downward- and upward-pointing triangles, circles) and pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral scenes, in two studies we found that participants were faster to categorize downward-pointing triangles as unpleasant compared to neutral or pleasant. These findings were specific to downward-pointing shapes containing an acute angle. The present findings support the hypothesis that simple geometric forms convey emotion and that this perception does not require explicit judgment.     

Aspects of impulsivity are differentially associated with risky sexual behaviors

Risky sexual behavior (RSB) greatly increases the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, as well as a host of other negative outcomes. Recent advances in personality research have defined multiple and separate dispositions to engagement in impulsive behaviors, including RSB. Little is known concerning the ways in which aspects of impulsivity place individuals at risk for various types of RSB. The purpose of the current study, therefore, was to further clarify the unique ways in which aspects of impulsivity were differentially associated with various forms of RSB within a large, diverse sample of university students ages 18-to-24 years (N = 917). Results suggest low self-control confers a general risk while a tendency toward impulsive behavior in the context of intense emotion confers a more specific risk as for various types of RSB. The current study confirms the importance of focusing on both various pathways to impulsive behaviors as well as specific types of RSB.     

Combined behavioural markers of cognitive biases are associated with anhedonia

Biases towards negative information, as well as away from positive information, are associated with psychopathology. Examining biases in multiple processes has been theorised to be more predictive than examining bias in any process alone. Anhedonia is a core symptom of psychopathology and predictive of future psychopathological symptoms. Finding that combined biases are associated with anhedonia would advance knowledge of the nature of emotional processing biases and the value of objective performance-based measures for identifying early risk markers. Participants (N?=?139) completed tasks that assess latency bias (dot probe) and biased recognition (two-alternative forced-choice) of emotional information, as well as an anhedonia measure. An index was computed for each task’s performance reflecting biased processing of positive and negative words. Only combined biases on both tasks were associated with anhedonia. Attentional bias was positively associated with anhedonia, but only when recognition bias for emotional words was high. Thus, assessing biases in multiple domains increased sensitivity to uncover relationships between emotional processing biases and anhedonic symptoms.     

Relation of fatigue with alexithymia and depression in psychiatric outpatients

The complaint of fatigue is common in community, primary care, and psychiatric settings. Fatigue is often associated with depression and psychosocial stress. This report investigated the role of alexithymia and depression in fatigue as reported in a sample of 151 psychiatric outpatients (75 men and 76 women) who completed all scales. The mean age of the sample was 45.5 yr. (SD= 12.5), and mean education was 16.2 yr. (SD=2.4). Fatigue was inversely correlated with education (-.16) and positively correlated with depression (.44), anxiety (.30), and alexithymia (.35). However, in a multivariate regression analysis, only depression and alexithymia remained significant (p < or = .01).     

Personality factors are associated with simulated driving outcomes across the driving lifespan

Research has shown that personality factors are related to driving safety. However, the majority of existing studies rely on self-report measures of driving behaviour and sample drivers from limited age ranges. This study sought to examine the relationship between personality and objective driving outcomes as assessed by a driving simulator in a sample of young, mid-aged, and older adults. A total of 114 active drivers completed personality questionnaires as well as a simulated driving assessment protocol. The results showed that: (1) Extraversion and neuroticism were significantly associated with driving simulator performance; (2) conscientiousness was significantly associated with driving performance among middle-aged adults; (3) sensation seeking was an important personality factor primarily for young drivers and was positively correlated with driving speed in the simulator. These results provide further support for the link between personality factors and driving performance, and suggest certain directions for future research.     

Changes in the prevalence of alpha activity associated with the repetition,performance and magnitude of arithmetical calculations

Summary Changes in prevalence of alpha activity (defined as from 8 to 13 c.p.s.) immediately before and during the solution of twenty arithmetical tasks (multiplications and additions in Hard and Easy categories) by 61 normal subjects, with closed eyes, have been measured above a preset threshold voltage over noise level by a percent time alpha computer. An average prevalence of alpha activity of 64.75% before calculation reduced to an average prevalence of 49.01% during calculations. The prevalence of alpha activity during calculation was significantly increased by repetition of similar arithmetical tasks whereas the prevalence of alpha activity before calculation declined from the beginning to the end of the experiment, thus showing an opposite trend. Prevalence of alpha activity was not related to duration of calculations, but, in contrast, low prevalences of alpha activity during calculation were significantly associated with more numerous errors, particularly in additions. It was found that as the information content of a task increased so the prevalence of alpha activity during its solution declined, especially in additions and Easy multiplications. Calculation times and errors were strongly correlated with information content. These results are evaluated in terms of their possible behavioural significance and of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying attenuation of alpha activity, although the precise theoretical context in which they should be viewed; whether they should be related to habituation, learning, fatigue or solely calculation, may require further clarification.

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Zusammenfassung Veränderungen in der Dominanz (Prävalenz) der Alpha-Aktivität (als 8–13 c.p.s. definiert) wurden kurz vor und während der Lösung von 20 arithmetischen Aufgaben (Multiplikation und Addition in Leichten und Schweren Serien) bei 61 normalen Personen, welche die Augen geschlossen hielten, studiert. Die Messung wurde bei einer festgesetzten (preset) Schwellenspannung über dem Geräuschniveau mit einem Alpha-Zeit-Computer ausgeführt. Dabei ergab sich eine Reduzierung der Alpha-Aktivität von 64,75% vor dem Rechnen auf 49,01% während des Rechnens. Die Alpha-Dominanz während des Rechnens wurde statistisch durch Wiederholung von ähnlichen Aufgaben erhöht; im Gegensatz dazu ging die Alpha-Dominanz vor dem Rechnen progressiv vom Anfang bis zum Ende des Experiments zurück.Die Alpha-Dominanz hatte keine Beziehung zur Dauer des Rechnens; andererseits waren niedrige Frequenzen von Alpha-Aktivität während des Rechnens mit Häufigkeit von Fehlern, vor allem beim Addieren, verbunden. Wenn sich der Informations-inhalt einer Aufgabe erhöhte, so verminderte sich die Alpha-Dominanz während ihrer Lösung, vor allem beim Addieren und bei leichten Multiplikationen. Sowohl Rechen-Zeit wie Fehler waren stark mit dem Informations-inhalt korreliert.Diese Ergebnisse werden hinsichtlich ihrer möglichen Beziehungen zum psychischen Verhaltens-Zustand (Behaviour) und zu den mit Abschwächung der Alpha-Aktivität verbundenen neuro-physiologischen Prozessen analysiert. Eine Klärung des präzisen theoretischen Zusammenhanges, in dem die Resultate gesehen werden sollten, sowie ihre Beziehungen zu Gewöhnung, Lernen, Ermüdung oder zum Rechnen allein, erfordert weiteres Studium.

     

Gestalts are more closely associated with performance on a discrimination task than are component stimuli

Distance, similarity, and other components of the physical stimulus but also gestalts are associated with the ability to discriminate between two objects. The present research bears on this confound. Identical lines were added to the opening and closing bracket of a pair of brackets to form two identical rectangles. A stimulus consisted of either one or two of these brackets, lines, or rectangles. Subjects indicated as quickly as possible whether one or two objects occurred. The discriminations between two near brackets and two near lines were more difficult than the discrimination between two near rectangles. A large distance between two objects improved the bracket and line discriminations more than the rectangle discrimination. Single brackets and lines did not result in poorer performance than did single rectangles. These results disconfirm the distance, similarity (including relational similarity), good continuation, location of geometric centers, size, closedness, symmetry, spatial frequency, redundancy, and number of lines component stimulus predictions at least twice. Both the two near brackets and the two near lines produce single gestalts, whereas each remaining 2-object stimulus results in two gestalts. Therefore, gestalts predicted performance better than did component stimuli. Another result was that the 2-object responses were faster than the 1-object responses for far objects.     

Obsessive-compulsive tendencies are associated with a focused information processing strategy

The study examined the hypothesis that obsessive–compulsive (OC) tendencies are related to a reliance on focused and serial rather than a parallel, speed-oriented information processing style. Ten students with high OC tendencies and 10 students with low OC tendencies performed the flanker task, in which they were required to quickly classify a briefly presented target letter (S or H) that was flanked by compatible (e.g., SSSSS) or incompatible (e.g., HHSHH) noise letters. Participants received 4 blocks of 100 trials each, two with 50% compatible trials and two with 80% compatible trials and were informed of the probability of compatible trials before the beginning of each block. As predicted, high OC participants, as compared to low OC participants, had slower overall reaction time (RT) and lower tendency for parallel processing (defined as incompatible trials RT minus compatible trials RT). Low, more than high OC participants tended to adjust their focused/parallel processing including a shift towards parallel processing in blocks with 80% compatible trials and in trials following compatible trials. Implications of these results to the cognitive theory and therapy of OCD are discussed.     

Worrying and rumination are both associated with reduced cognitive control

Persistent negative thought is a hallmark feature of both major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Despite its clinical significance, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of persistent negative thought. Recent studies suggest that reduced cognitive control might be an explanatory factor. We investigated the association between persistent negative thought and switching between internal representations in working memory, using the internal shift task (IST). The IST was administered to a group of undergraduates, classified as high-ruminators versus low-ruminators, or high-worriers versus low-worriers. Results showed that high-ruminators and high-worriers have more difficulties to switch between internal representations in working memory as opposed to low-ruminators and low-worriers. Importantly, results were only significant when the negative stimuli used in the IST reflected personally relevant worry themes for the participants. The results of this study indicate that rumination and worrying are both associated with reduced cognitive control for verbal information that is personally relevant.