Blirtatiousness: cognitive, behavioral, and physiological consequences of rapid responding.

The Brief Loquaciousness and Interpersonal Responsiveness Test (BLIRT) measures the extent to which people respond to others quickly and effusively. The BLIRT displays desirable psychometric properties and distinguishes people who should theoretically score high (e.g., car salespersons) from those who should score low (e.g., librarians). Scores on the scale predict (a) the amount and rapidity of people's verbal responses in an unstructured interaction, (b) how likable and competent people's classmates perceive them to be early in the semester, (c) how quickly people respond to an obnoxious cell-phone user and how physiologically aroused they become, and (d) how quickly and emphatically people respond to a series of personal insults as well as their degree of physiological arousal. Converging evidence indicates that blirtatiousness is unique in its ability to amplify people's qualities, making these qualities more readily observable to perceivers.     

Anxiety management--the marriage of physiological and cognitive variables.

Consideration is given to recent behavioural approaches to the management of anxiety responses. Emphasis is placed on the importance of both the physiological and cognitive characteristics of the anxious patient. It is argued that biofeedback may be a useful tool to facilitate changes in the physiological and cognitive systems. Finally, three case studies are presented and discussed in relation to the multimodal approach.     

Social phobia: individual response patterns and the effects of behavioral and cognitive interventions

In the present study, the role of individual response patterns in the treatment of social phobic patients was investigated. Seventy-four patients were diagnosed as social phobics. On the basis of extreme scores on a behavioral test (the Simulated Social Interaction Test) and on a cognitive measure (the Rational Behavior Inventory), the response patterns of 39 patients were analyzed, and the patients themselves were classified as either 'behavioral reactors' or 'cognitive reactors'. Half of the patients with each response pattern received a behavioral focused treatment, i.e. social skills training (SST), while the other half received a cognitive oriented treatment, i.e. rational emotive therapy (RET). Patients received group therapy in eight weekly sessions. Within-group differences showed a considerable improvement in all treatment groups. Between-group differences failed to lend support to the hypothesis that treatment that fits a response pattern (i.e. SST for behavioral reactors and RET for cognitive reactors) will result in a greater improvement than one that does not.     

Social phobia: individual response patterns and the long-term effects of behavioral and cognitive interventions. A follow-up study

In this study the long-term effectiveness of Social Skills Training (SST) and Rational Emotive Therapy (RET), on social phobia was studied, as well as the differential influence of patient characteristics on treatment effectiveness. Fifty-seven patients were assessed 14 months after the post-test. Results showed that long-term effectiveness was independent of the response-pattern of the patients. Comparisons between methods, irrespective of the response-pattern of the patients, showed no differences in effectiveness in favor of either SST or RET. Explorative analysis indicated the potential predictive power for treatment-outcome of confederate ratings of overt behavior on the SSIT. Patients who needed additional treatment appeared to perform significantly worse on this measure at the pretest. No factors could be traced that predict relapse after a relatively successful treatment.     

Attention training toward and away from threat in social phobia: effects on subjective, behavioral, and physiological measures of anxiety

Social phobics exhibit an attentional bias for threat in probe detection and probe discrimination paradigms. Attention training programs, in which probes always replace nonthreatening cues, reduce attentional bias for threat and self-reported social anxiety. However, researchers have seldom included behavioral measures of anxiety reduction, and have never taken physiological measures of anxiety reduction. In the present study, we trained individuals with generalized social phobia (n = 57) to attend to threat cues (attend to threat), to attend to positive cues (attend to positive), or to alternately attend to both (control condition). We assessed not only self-reported social anxiety, but also behavioral and physiological measures of social anxiety. Participants trained to attend to nonthreatening cues demonstrated significantly greater reductions in self-reported, behavioral, and physiological measures of anxiety than did participants from the attend to threat and control conditions.     

An approach to prediction of performance using behavioral and physiological variables

10 male, middle-distance runners selected for their potential or actual success in running 1500 metres were subjected to laboratory tests of VO2 max and run time at 85% VO2 max. Using the Eysenck Personality Inventory (Eysenck, 1962), data were collected from the runners from which they were given a score on the Extraversion/Introversion dimension of personality. Pearson product-moment correlations were computed between 1500 m. run times and VO2 max, 85% utilization of VO2 max, and Extraversion scores. The highest correlation was between Extraversion and the 1500-m. run (r = .75). The multiple correlation between times for the 1500-m. run and Extraversion with VO2 max was .77. The results support the value of building comprehensive profiles for the athlete which include not only physiological and anatomical variables but behavioral measures as well.     

Specificity of cognitive and behavioral variables to Positive and Negative Affect

The Tripartite Model proposes that a combination of greater Negative Affect (NA) and reduced Positive Affect (PA) contributes to depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to test a model of affective experience in which cognitive variables (i.e., negative cognitions and appraisals) are uniquely related to NA but not PA, and in which behavioral variables (i.e., activity participation) are uniquely associated with PA but not NA. Participants included 88 spousal Alzheimer caregivers (mean age = 74 years). Multiple regression models, in which negative cognitions (i.e., helplessness, blames self, and negative appraisals) and activity participation (i.e., frequency of engaging in social and recreational activities) were used to predict depressive symptoms, PA and NA. Results indicated that while helplessness, blaming oneself, negative appraisals, and activity participation all significantly predicted depressive symptoms, only negative cognitive variables significantly predicted NA, and only activity participation significantly predicted PA. These data confirm that depressive experience consists of two relatively independent components - increased Negative Affect and reduced Positive Affect - which have unique correlates in negative cognitions and activity participation. If confirmed, the findings suggest the utility of focusing interventions on each of these components in the management of depressive symptoms.     

Modelling relationships between cognitive variables during and following public speaking in participants with social phobia

Cognitive models of social phobia predict that several cognitive processes will mediate the relationship between trait levels of social anxiety and the extent of anxiety experienced in a specific social-evaluative situation. The current study aimed to provide a test of these relationships. Over 200 clinical participants with social phobia completed measures of their general social anxiety and a week later performed a brief impromptu speech. They completed a measure of state anxiety in response to the speech as well as questionnaires assessing several cognitive constructs including focus of perceived attention, perceived performance, and probability and cost of negative evaluation. A week later, they completed measures of negative rumination experienced over the week, as well as a measure of the recollection of their perceived performance. Path analysis provided support for a model in which the cognitive factors mediated between general social anxiety and the degree of anxiety experienced in response to the speech. A second model supported the theory that negative rumination mediated between characteristic social anxiety and negative bias in the recollection of performance.     

Social skills, social outcomes, and cognitive features of childhood social phobia.

Social skills, social outcomes, self-talk, outcome expectancies, and self-evaluation of performance during social-evaluative tasks were examined with 27 clinically diagnosed social phobic children ages 7-14 and a matched nonclinical group. Results showed that, compared with their nonanxious peers, social phobic children demonstrated lower expected performance and a higher level of negative self-talk on social-evaluative tasks. In addition, social phobic children showed social skills deficits as assessed by self- and parent report, an assertiveness questionnaire, and direct behavioral observation. Furthermore, compared with the control group, social phobic children were rated by themselves and others as significantly less socially competent with peers and were found to be less likely to receive positive outcomes from peers during behavioral observation. Implications for the assessment and treatment of childhood social phobia are discussed.     

Derived Trail Making Test indices: demographics and cognitive background variables across the adult life span

We examined the contribution of demographics and cognitive background variables (processing speed, visuospatial skill, working memory, and interference control) on derived Trail Making Test (TMT) scores in a large sample of Greek healthy participants. We included 775 participants and administered the TMT (TMT-A and TMT-B) and the Wechsler Intelligence Adult Scale (WAIS). Direct (TMT-A & TMT-B time-to-completion) and derived [difference TMT-(B ? A) & ratio TMT-(B/A)] scores were calculated. Demographics (age, age², education, and gender) and WAIS Full Intelligence Quotient significantly predicted the direct TMT-A (R² = 0.426) and TMT-B (R² = 0.593) scores and to a lesser extent, the derived TMT-(B ? A) (R² = 0.343) and TMT-(B/A) (R² = 0.088) scores. In a subsample of 537 healthy participants who also completed the Stroop Neuropsychological Screening Test (SNST), demographics (age and education), WAIS Digit Symbol, Block Design, Arithmetic, and SNST accounted for 44.8% and 59.7% of the variance on TMT-A and TMT-B, and 32.5% and 9.6% of the variance on TMT-(B ? A) and TMT-(B/A), respectively. We found minimal influence of Block Design and Arithmetic on TMT-(B ? A) and an absence of significant influence of any cognitive variable on TMT-(B/A) score. Concluding, derived TMT scores are suggested as indices to detect impairment in cognitive flexibility across the adult life span, since they minimize the effect of demographics and other cognitive background variables.     

Blushing and physiological arousability in social phobia

Blushing is the most prominent symptom of social phobia, and fear perception of visible anxiety symptoms is an important component of cognitive behavioral models of social phobia. However, it is not clear how physiological and psychological aspects of blushing and other somatic symptoms are linked in this disorder. The authors tested whether social situations trigger different facial blood volume changes (blushing) between social phobic persons with and without primary complaint of blushing and control participants. Thirty social phobic persons. 15 of whom were especially concerned about blushing, and 14 control participants were assessed while watching an embarrassing videotape, holding a conversation, and giving a talk. Only when watching the video did the social phobic persons blush more than controls blushed. Social phobic persons who complained of blushing did not blush more intensely than did social phobic persons without blushing complaints but had higher heart rates, possibly reflecting higher arousability of this subgroup.     

高低创造性思维水平者的认知抑制能力：行为和生理的证据

本研究采用2个实验, 考察创造性思维测验得分高低者在Stroop任务干扰条件上的差异, 从行为和生理指标探讨认知抑制与创造性思维的关系, 以及时间压力对认知抑制与创造性思维关系的调节作用。实验1采用Stroop颜色命名任务。结果发现, 相比低创者, 高创者的反应时干扰效应量和正确率干扰效应量均更小。实验2采用更灵活的Stroop字义-颜色命名转换任务, 操纵不同的时间压力条件, 并记录被试完成任务时的皮肤电活动。结果发现, 高创者在有时间压力条件下的干扰效应量显著小于无时间压力条件下, 而低创者在有和无时间压力条件下的干扰效应量无显著差异; 高创者在颜色命名任务的不一致条件下的皮肤电活动变化显著高于一致条件, 而低创者在颜色命名任务的一致和不一致条件下无显著差异。研究表明：总体而言, 相比低创者, 高创者的认知抑制能力更高, 能够有效抑制优势的但不相关的反应倾向。时间压力在认知抑制与创造性思维的关系中起调节作用, 高创者面对不同任务要求能够灵活调整自身的认知抑制水平, 并表现出变化的生理唤醒水平。结果支持创造性思维的适应性认知抑制假说。