Affect of the unconscious: Visually suppressed angry faces modulate our decisions

Emotional and affective processing imposes itself over cognitive processes and modulates our perception of the surrounding environment. In two experiments, we addressed the issue of whether nonconscious processing of affect can take place even under deep states of unawareness, such as those induced by interocular suppression techniques, and can elicit an affective response that can influence our understanding of the surrounding environment. In Experiment 1, participants judged the likeability of an unfamiliar item—a Chinese character—that was preceded by a face expressing a particular emotion (either happy or angry). The face was rendered invisible through an interocular suppression technique (continuous flash suppression; CFS). In Experiment 2, backward masking (BM), a less robust masking technique, was used to render the facial expressions invisible. We found that despite equivalent phenomenological suppression of the visual primes under CFS and BM, different patterns of affective processing were obtained with the two masking techniques. Under BM, nonconscious affective priming was obtained for both happy and angry invisible facial expressions. However, under CFS, nonconscious affective priming was obtained only for angry facial expressions. We discuss an interpretation of this dissociation between affective processing and visual masking techniques in terms of distinct routes from the retina to the amygdala.     

Accommodation to Increased Accuracy Demands by the Right and Left Hands

This study was designed to identify the phase of rapid aimed movements responsible for hand differences in motor skill, and to evaluate potential differences between the hands in accommodating to greater accuracy demands. In both experiments, an accelerometer mounted on a stylus allowed key changes in acceleration to be used to partition the movement into phases. In Experiment 1, slower left hand movement times were attributable primarily to a terminal homing-in phase, especially as target size decreased. Since error rates varied as a function of hand and target size, speed-accuracy trade-offs may have occurred. Experiment 2 rigidly controlled error rate and confirmed the major hand difference to occur in the latter phase of the movement where error correction is presumed. Although less pronounced, adjustments were made in the earlier movement phases as well. Accommodation to greater accuracy demands involved moving the stylus closer to the target before decelerating to engage in error correction. This adjustment to gain enhanced precision was more pronounced in the left hand.     

Model Conditioned Data Elasticity in Path Analysis: Assessing the “Confoundability” of Model/Data Characteristics

Much research has been directed at the validity of fit indices in Path Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (e.g., Browne, MacCallum, Kim, Andersen, &; Glaser, 2002 Browne, M.W., MacCallum, R.C., Kim, C.T., Andersen, B.L., &; Glaser, R. (2002). When fit indices and residuals are incompatible. Psychological Methods, 7, 403–421.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Heene, Hilbert, Draxler, Ziegler, &; Bühner, 2011 Heene, M., Hilbert, S., Draxler, C., Ziegler, M., &; Bühner, M. (2011). Masking misfit in confirmatory factor analysis by increasing unique variances: A cautionary note on the usefulness of cutoff values of fit indices. Psychological Methods, 16(3), 319–336.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Hu &; Bentler, 1999 Hu, L., &; Bentler, P. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, J., 6(1), 1–55.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Marsh, Hau, &; Wen, 2004 Marsh, H.W., Hau, K.T., &; Wen, Z. (2004). In search of golden rules: Comment on hypothesis-testing approaches to setting cutoff values for fit indexes and dangers in overgeneralizing Hu and Bentler’s (1999) findings. Structural Equation Modeling, 11(3), 320–341.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Recent developments (e.g., Preacher, 2006 Preacher, K.J. (2006). Quantifying parsimony in structural equation modeling. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 41(3), 227–259.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Roberts &; Pashler, 2000 Roberts, S., &; Pashler, H. (2000). How persuasive is a good fit? A comment on theory testing. Psychological Review, 107(2), 358–367.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2002 Roberts, S., &; Pashler, H. (2002). Reply to Rodgers and Rowe (2002). Psychological Review, 109(3), 605–607.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) have encouraged researchers to investigate other criteria for comparing models, including model complexity. What has not been investigated is the inherent ability of a particular data set to be fitted with a constrained set of randomly generated linear models, which we call Model Conditioned Data Elasticity (DE). In this article we show how DE can be compared with the problem of equivalent models and a more general problem of the “confoundability” of data/model combinations (see MacCallum, Wegener, Uchino, &; Fabrigar, 1993 MacCallum, R.C., Wegener, D.T., Uchino, B.N., &; Fabrigar, L.R. (1993). The problem of equivalent models in applications of covariance structure analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 114(1), 185–199.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Using the DE package in R, we show how DE can be assessed through automated computer searches. Finally, we discuss how DE fits within the controversy surrounding the use of fit statistics.     

Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Sleep Disturbances: The Role of Perceived Stress as a Mediator

The main objective of the current study was to analyze the mediating role of perceived stress on the relationship between childhood trauma and sleep disturbances among the adult population. The sample of this cross-sectional study was composed of 987 Portuguese adults with sleep disturbances, who completed a self-administered questionnaire about childhood trauma, sleep disturbances, and perceived stress. The results of analyses found that in the model that included the variables childhood trauma and perceived stress, both variables were predictors of sleep disturbances; however, perceived stress was the strongest predictor. Regarding the model with the subtypes of maltreatment, only Emotional Abuse predicted sleep problems. Results of the Path Analysis model showed that perceived stress partly mediates the effect of childhood trauma on adult sleep disturbances. This study has clinical implications, supporting the importance of taking into account childhood trauma and perceived stress during the assessment and intervention of sleep disturbances.     

Internet-based exercise intervention systems: Are more interactive designs better?

Abstract

The benefits of Internet-based health promotion programmes are much discussed, yet the literature on their feasibility and utility is limited. Here, we evaluate an Internet-based exercise motivation and action support system (Test system), relative to a group receiving no intervention (Reference) and another receiving a less interactive version of the same system (Control). We report results from a 10-week pilot study with 75 participants aged 23–54 years. We found that, relative to the control system and reference group, the more interactive (test) system was more engaging (better user retention), created higher expectations for exercise, greater satisfaction with motivation and increased self-perception of fitness. Seven months after the intervention, participants who used the test system reported greater levels of increase in exercise than the control or reference groups. Our study adds to the growing body of evidence on the benefits of interactive systems and the role they could play in health promotion programmes. However, it should also be noted that not all Web-based systems offer the same level of advantage; careful design is crucial to ensure that key messages are clearly communicated to attentive users. Further research is required to identify the optimum interactive system design principles, across a range of user types.     

Avoidance and activation as keys to depression: adaptation of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale in a Spanish sample

In this paper we present the adaptation of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS), developed by Kanter, Mulick, Busch, Berlin, and Martell (2007), in a Spanish sample. The psychometric properties were tested in a sample of 263 participants (124 clinical and 139 non-clinical). The results show that, just as in the original English version, the Spanish BADS is a valid and internally consistent scale. Construct validity was examined by correlation with the BDI-II, AAQ, ATQ, MCQ-30, STAI and EROS. Factor analysis justified the four-dimensions of the original instrument (Activation, Avoidance/Rumination, Work/School Impairment and Social Impairment), although with some differences in the factor loadings of the items. Further considerations about the usefulness of the BADS in the clinical treatment of depressed patients are also suggested.     

Aesthetics and Ethics in Engineering: Insights from Polanyi

Polanyi insisted that scientific knowledge was intensely personal in nature, though held with universal intent. His insights regarding the personal values of beauty and morality in science are first enunciated. These are then explored for their relevance to engineering. It is shown that the practice of engineering is also governed by aesthetics and ethics. For example, Polanyi’s three spheres of morality in science—that of the individual scientist, the scientific community and the wider society—has parallel entities in engineering. The existence of shared values in engineering is also demonstrated, in aesthetics through an example that shows convergence of practitioner opinion to solutions that represent accepted models of aesthetics; and in ethics through the recognition that many professional engineering institutions hold that the safety of the public supersedes the interests of the client. Such professional consensus can be seen as justification for studying engineering aesthetics and ethics as inter-subjective disciplines.     

Positive emotional expectations predict volunteer outcomes for new volunteers

Emotional expectations are likely to influence behavioral outcomes, even when entering novel situations. In the present study, it was proposed that positive emotional expectations would influence volunteer outcomes for new volunteers. New and experienced volunteers were recruited for a two-part longitudinal study. Study hypotheses were confirmed. The mere anticipation of positive emotions was able to predict volunteer outcomes for new volunteers. Emotional expectations (i.e., sympathy, satisfaction) were positively associated with intentions to continue volunteering, identification with the volunteer role, and predicted volunteer persistence 6 months later for new volunteers. For experienced volunteers, emotional expectations were only significantly and positively associated with volunteer role identity. Moreover, the intent to persist as a volunteer was found to have a stronger positive association with actual persistence for experienced volunteers than for new volunteers.