自我-他人重叠影响疼痛共情的ERP研究

为探究自我-他人重叠影响疼痛共情的神经机制,记录并分析被试在高、中、低重叠程度条件下共情判断的脑电活动。发现在早期N2上,重叠程度三水平间差异显著,表现为密友＜熟人＜陌生人（密友与熟人差异边缘显著）;在晚期P3上,疼痛条件下重叠程度间呈显著差异,密友比熟人、陌生人显著要大;在LPP上疼痛条件诱发更大波幅。表明早期阶段（N2）区分不同重叠程度,可能是对威胁性刺激的检测阶段,自我-他人重叠程度影响共情加工晚期阶段（P3）的社会认知评价加工。     

人际距离影响疼痛共情:朋友启动效应

"人类如何体验朋友或陌生人的痛苦?"为了研究人际距离对疼痛共情的影响及其神经机制,记录了14名健康大学生完成启动范式下疼痛共情任务时的脑电数据,分析朋友/陌生人启动条件下的ERP成分。研究发现人际距离对共情的早期自动加工(N1)和晚期控制加工(P3)过程都有影响。朋友启动条件下的N1显著小于陌生人启动条件,说明N1具有情绪分享作用,与陌生人相比人们在分享朋友的情绪情感时,由于共情相关神经网络的激活扩散导致了N1成分的减弱。朋友启动条件下的P3显著大于陌生人启动条件。另外,溯源分析发现在600~700 ms时程内发现朋友启动条件下颞上回存在更强激活。这说明人际距离因素增强了对共情中知觉线索的有意识加工与社会认知评价过程。     

特质性自我构念与内外群体疼痛共情的关系:来自事件相关电位的证据

以往研究发现暂时的自我构念启动会调节对他人的疼痛共情。本研究旨在探究稳定的特质性自我构念与内、外群体疼痛共情的关系。实验采用启动范式对内、外群体进行区分,被试的任务是认真观看并判断图片的人物是否感到了疼痛,同时记录他们的EEG数据。结果显示:在N2成分上出现了明显的内群体效应,即观看内群体疼痛图片比内群体非疼痛图片会诱发更大的N2波幅,而观看外群体疼痛和外群体非疼痛图片诱发的N2波幅没有显著差异,这表明内、外群体因素会影响疼痛共情中的早期情绪分享过程。在P3成分上,在内、外群体启动条件下,疼痛图片比非疼痛图片都要诱发更大的P3波幅。更重要的是,自我构念分数(互依型减独立型分数)与内、外群体疼痛共情(疼痛减非疼痛条件)诱发的P3波幅都呈正相关关系,但两者的相关系数没有显著差异,这表明特质性自我构念与疼痛共情中的晚期认知评价过程密切相关,而且这种相关程度在内、外群体条件间是相似的。     

医学生疼痛共情的认知过程特征：来自ERP的证据

以往研究发现临床医生的疼痛共情显著低于常人,表现为前者感知他人疼痛时会出现早期情绪分享和晚期情绪调节的相对抑制。而处于职前培养期的医学生是否存在相似问题,其疼痛共情又是否会受到重复暴露的影响,目前并不清楚。为此,本研究采用ERP技术比较了医学与非医学专业大学生疼痛共情的认知过程,并通过前后测设计检验了重复暴露对二者疼痛共情的影响。行为结果发现两组被试的主观疼痛判断都出现了疼痛共情效应,但未出现组别差异,也未发现重复暴露的影响。但ERP结果显示,医学生的疼痛共情过程显著区别于非医学生。他们虽表现出早期情绪分享成分N1的抑制效应,但LPP反映的晚期认知加工却显著增强,且上述两阶段加工均未受到重复暴露的显著影响。研究表明：（1）医学学习能够抑制疼痛共情的早期情绪分享,但医学生仍可通过更多晚期认知资源投入来维持其疼痛共情水平。（2）医学生的疼痛共情较少受到重复暴露的影响,呈现情绪适应特点。     

特质模糊性对大学生人格判断准确性的影响

该研究从大学生样本中抽取19名目标被试、57名熟人被试和76名陌生人被试,采用词汇评定方法考察了特质模糊性对人格判断准确性的影响,结果表明：（1）自我、熟人及陌生人对清晰特质判断的一致性比模糊特质的一致性更高,这种差异在自我—陌生人及熟人—陌生人一致性中尤为显著;（2）无论是模糊特质还是清晰特质,自我—熟人判断一致性显著高于自我—陌生人和熟人—陌生人一致性,后两者差异不明显;（3）随着特质模糊性的增加,被试判断间一致性差异总体上呈不断增大的趋势,清晰特质判断一致性的差异较小,模糊特质判断一致性的差异较大。     

人名相关自我加工的时间过程——事件相关电位研究提供的电生理证据

本研究采用事件相关电位技术（ERP）探讨了自我名字加工的神经机制。实验中向被试随机呈现大圆、小圆及名字,被试的任务是辨别大圆和小圆,名字是任务无关刺激。实验结果表明,被试自己的名字引发的P2及P3波幅都显著高于名人的名字及陌生人的名字。 与以往研究结果不同,本研究发现了P2波幅上的“自我名字效应”,即,人名相关的自我加工不仅表现在晚期成分P3上,同时还表现在早期成分P2上。所以,人名相关的自我加工过程分为早期和晚期两个加工阶段,前一个阶段可能是自动化加工,不需要意识参与,后一个阶段是意识加工。     

认知负荷对疼痛共情的影响:来自ERP研究的证据

先前研究表明,对他人的疼痛共情受到多种因素的调节。认知负荷对疼痛共情的调节作用尚无研究。本研究使用事件相关电位技术探究高低认知负荷对疼痛共情神经加工过程的影响。实验通过不同长度的数字串记忆任务,形成高/低两种认知负荷,要求被试在不同认知负荷条件下观看他人处于疼痛/不疼痛情境下的图片,同时记录被试的在观看图片时的EEG数据。通过比较不同条件下观看图片诱发的ERP成分发现:早期成分P2和N2上认知负荷水平与图片类型出现了显著的交互作用,即在高认知负荷下疼痛图片诱发的波幅与非疼痛图片诱发的波幅差异显著,而低认知负荷下两种图片诱发的波幅差异不显著。这表明认知负荷主要影响疼痛共情加工的早期、自动化加工阶段。相比较于低认知负荷条件下,在高认知负荷下他人的疼痛获得了更好的加工。     

金钱启动对疼痛共情影响的ERP研究

金钱在人们的日常生活中具有十分重要的作用,已有研究已经证明金钱对人的疼痛、人际交往、自尊等有重要的影响。通过2(启动类型:金钱启动和中性启动)×2(靶刺激类型:疼痛和非疼痛刺激)的被试内设计,利用事件相关电位(ERP)技术深入探讨金钱启动对疼痛共情早期成分N1、P2、N2(情绪共情)和晚期正成分LPC(认知共情)的影响。研究结果显示:金钱启动主要影响了早期的N1,P2,N2成分,而没有影响晚期的LPC成分。这说明金钱启动降低了早期阶段对疼痛刺激的敏感性,影响了自下而上的情绪共情,而没有影响自上而下的认知共情。     

悲伤表情识别能力影响疼痛共情—一项ERP研究

本研究探讨了个体悲伤表情识别能力对其疼痛共情的影响。先以表情分界测验将被试分为高、低悲伤表情识别力组,之后让两组被试接受疼痛共情脑电测试。结果显示：在ERP成分N2、P3上,悲伤表情高识别力组观看疼痛与非疼痛图片时的波幅差异比低识别力组的更大。结果表明：悲伤表情识别能力会影响个体疼痛共情;悲伤表情高识别力个体在疼痛共情的早期自发加工以及晚期有意识认知评价之上,均强于悲伤表情低识别力个体。     

正立和倒立的威胁性身体表情的识别

为探索身体表情的加工时程以及加工方式是否为构形加工,采用ERP技术考察对正立和倒立的威胁性身体表情（恐惧和愤怒）的识别。行为结果发现倒置效应存在。ERP结果发现：早期阶段已有对威胁性情绪（P1）和倒置效应（N1）的加工;中期阶段主要存在对倒置效应的加工（N170）;晚期阶段,威胁性情绪在正立条件上得到更多的加工（P3和LPP）。结果表明,威胁性身体表情加工有独特的时间进程,加工方式以构形加工为主。     

The development of cognitive empathy and concern in preschool children: A behavioral neuroscience investigation

This developmental neuroscience study examined the electrophysiological responses (EEG and ERPs) associated with perspective taking and empathic concern in preschool children, as well as their relation to parental empathy dispositions and children's own prosocial behavior. Consistent with a body of previous studies using stimuli depicting somatic pain in both children and adults, larger early (~200 ms) ERPs were identified when perceiving painful versus neutral stimuli. In the slow wave window (~800 ms), a significant interaction of empathy condition and stimulus type was driven by a greater difference between painful and neutral images in the empathic concern condition. Across early development, children exhibited enhanced N2 to pain when engaging in empathic concern. Greater pain‐elicited N2 responses in the cognitive empathy condition also related to parent dispositional empathy. Children's own prosocial behavior was predicted by several individual differences in neural function, including larger early LPP responses during cognitive empathy and greater differentiation in late LPP and slow wave responses to empathic concern versus affective perspective taking. Left frontal activation (greater alpha suppression) while engaging in affective perspective taking was also related to higher levels of parent cognitive empathy. Together, this multilevel analysis demonstrates the important distinction between facets of empathy in children; the value of examining neurobehavioral processes in development. It provides provoking links between children's neural functioning and parental dispositions in early development.     

Bystander Responses to Risk for Rape Perpetrated by a Friend,Acquaintance, or Stranger

This study explored bystander responses to risk for an alcohol-facilitated rape perpetrated by a friend, acquaintance, or stranger. Undergraduates (N = 331) were randomly assigned to read 1 of 3 scenarios in which an apparently sober male friend, acquaintance, or stranger leads an intoxicated woman into a bedroom. Participants completed self-report measures of intent to directly intervene and barriers to intervention. Compared to men, women reported greater intent to help the potential victim and fewer barriers to intervention. Participant gender moderated the effect of the bystander’s relationship with the potential perpetrator on intent to confront and responsibility to intervene. Men reported more confrontation and more responsibility to intervene when perpetrators were identified as either friends or acquaintances than strangers. In contrast, women reported more confrontation when perpetrators were identified as friends than either strangers or acquaintances. Bystander education programs that address specific barriers to intervening with strangers and acquaintances could promote more frequent bystander behavior.     

积极怀旧情绪对疼痛共情影响的ERP研究

采用ERP技术比较积极怀旧情绪诱发组被试和中性情绪组被试在判断疼痛/非疼痛图片刺激时的疼痛共情反应,探讨积极怀旧情绪对个体疼痛共情加工的影响及其电生理学机制。结果发现,在P2成分和晚期的P3成分上,积极怀旧情绪下的疼痛图片比中性情绪下的疼痛图片诱发了更大的波幅。疼痛图片比非疼痛图片诱发更大的P2、N2、P3及400～600 ms正成分的波幅。结果表明积极怀旧情绪的诱发促进个体对疼痛刺激的加工和共情。     

声誉关注与社会距离对伤害困境中道德决策的影响：来自行为与ERPs的证据

在社会交往中, 声誉关注是人类合作行为和道德判断的重要决定因素之一。以往研究只是单独考察声誉关注或社会距离会如何影响道德决策行为, 但两者如何交互影响道德决策尚不清楚, 尤其是禁止性道德范畴领域(如, 伤害他人行为)下道德决策的认知神经机制。本研究要求被试在匿名或公开情境下决策是否愿意对不同社会距离他人(朋友、熟人、陌生人)实施疼痛电击以增加自己的金钱收益, 同时记录其决策时的行为和神经反应。结果发现, 匿名情境下被试对朋友的电击伤害要显著低于对熟人和陌生人的, 表现出一种明显的“利己的利他主义”决策倾向; 与朋友和陌生人相比, 被试在涉及熟人的两难决策中花费了更长的时间, 体验到了更强烈的厌恶情绪, 并诱发了更大波幅的与情绪反应有关的P260成分, 以及与认知推理有关的晚期正成分(LPP: 300~450 ms), 表现出一种典型的“熟人效应”。然而, 行为与ERP指标上的这些差异在公开情境下均显著减弱了。这表明个体在禁止性道德范畴领域下的道德决策遵循着一种“利己的利他主义”的道德原则, 熟人关系的不确定性会在道德决策中诱发强烈的负性情绪和认知负荷, 而声誉关注削弱了利己倾向和人际关系的不确定性所带来的厌恶情绪和认知冲突。     

Empathic understanding: Benefits of perspective-taking and facial mimicry instructions are mediated by self-other overlap

The current study sought to better understand the utility of two strategies—perspective-taking and facial mimicry—proposed to increase empathic responding. Thirty-seven female participants were presented an interpersonal situation (a betrayal) that would elicit the use of empathic responding to achieve conflict resolution between friends. Each participant was given instructions to partake in either perspective-taking, facial mimicry, or to remain neutral (control condition). The results demonstrated that individuals who engaged in perspective-taking reported significantly higher state empathy than the control condition, but there was no significant difference in state empathy between the mimicry and control condition. Also, those who engaged in either strategy reported significantly higher self-other overlap relative to those not instructed to engage in a particular strategy. Importantly, self-other overlap mediated the association between the instructional sets and state empathy. Both strategies are arguably means of enhancing interpersonal understanding.     

Your Face Says It All: Closeness and Perception of Emotional Expressions Among Females

The purpose of the present investigation was to assess whether interpersonal closeness facilitates earlier emotion detection as the emotional expression unfolds. Female undergraduate participants were either paired with a close friend or an acquaintance (n = 92 pairs). Participants viewed morphed movies of their partner and a stranger gradually shifting from a neutral to either a sad, angry, or happy expression. As predicted, findings indicate a closeness advantage. Close friends detected the onset of their partners’ angry and sad expressions earlier than acquaintances. Additionally, close friends were more accurate than acquaintances in identifying angry and sad expressions at the onset, particularly in non-vignette conditions when these expressions were void of context. These findings suggest that closeness does indeed facilitate emotional perception, particularly in ambiguous situations for negative emotions.     

COLLEGE WOMEN'S FEARS AND PRECAUTIONARY BEHAVIORS RELATING TO ACQUAINTANCE RAPE AND STRANGER RAPE

Past research on women's fear of rape has focused on women's fears relating to stranger rape, even though most rapes are acquaintance rapes. In this study, 139 undergraduate women completed a questionnaire concerning their fears, precautionary behaviors, and beliefs relating to acquaintance and stranger rape. Women reported being more fearful of rape by strangers than by acquaintances, and they reported engaging in more precautionary behaviors because of fear of stranger rape than of acquaintance rape. When asked to self-generate situations in which they feared rape, they generated more situations in which they feared stranger rape than acquaintance rape. Paradoxically, they estimated that acquaintance rape was more common. Precautionary behaviors were best predicted by level of fear. A history of acquaintance rape had no effect on women's responses. Theoretical and educational implications are discussed.