Expression of interpersonal aggression by angered and nonangered persons with the type A and type B behavior patterns

Thirty-seven subjects with the Type A or the Type B behavior pattern were first either angered or not angered in a problem-solving task by a confederate who posed as another subject. In a subsequent bogus learning experiment, the Type A and Type B subjects had the opportunity to punish or reward the confederate. The effectiveness of the anger manipulation was attested to by the fact that angered subjects had reliably higher pulse rates, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. In the learning experiment, Type A subjects who had not been angered gave the confederate reliably higher levels of punishment than did Type B subjects, but there was not a difference in the levels of punishment given by Type A and Type B subjects who had been angered. There was not a difference between Type A and Type B subjects in the levels of reward they gave the confederate. The results provided behavioral evidence for aggression in persons with the Type A behavior pattern. The fact that the difference in aggression was limited to nonangered subjects was interpreted in terms of differences in attributions of responsibility.     

Perceived regard explains self- esteem differences in expressivity

Baumeister, Tice, and Hutton proposed that individuals with low self-esteem (LSEs) adopt a more cautious, self-protective self-presentational style than individuals with high self-esteem (HSEs). The authors predicted that LSEs' self-protectiveness leads them to be less expressive-less revealing of their thoughts and feelings-with others than HSEs, and that this self-esteem difference is mediated by their perceptions of the interaction partner's regard for them. Two correlational studies supported these predictions (Studies 1 and 2). Moreover, LSEs became more expressive when their perceived regard was experimentally heightened-when they imagined speaking to someone who was unconditionally accepting rather than judgmental (Study 3) and when their perceptions of regard were increased through Marigold, Holmes, and Ross's compliment-reframing task (Study 4). These findings suggest that LSEs' expressiveness can be heightened through interventions that reduce their concerns about social acceptance.     

Differences in cortical activity related to motor planning between experienced guitarists and non-musicians during guitar playing

The influence of motor skill learning on movement-related brain activity was investigated using electroencephalography. Previous research has indicated that experienced performers display movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) of smaller amplitude and later onset compared to novices. Unfortunately, previous studies have lacked ecological validity with experimenters recording the MRCP prior to simple motor tasks and applying the results to more complex motor skills. This study replicated previous research using an ecologically valid motor skill; recording the MRCP from a group of experienced guitarists and a control group of non-musicians while they played a simple scale on the guitar. Results indicated no difference between groups in early motor planning. In contrast, the later, negative slope and motor potential components were of smaller amplitude and the negative slope began later in the experienced guitarists. The data may indicate that, for experienced guitarists, a reduced level of effort is required during the motor preparation phase of the task. These findings have implications for musical instrument learning as well as motor skill acquisition in general.     

Electrophysiological evidence for greater attention to threat when cognitive control resources are depleted

In this study, we investigated the time course of attentional bias for threat-related (angry) facial expressions under conditions of high versus low cognitive (working memory) load. Event-related potential (ERP) and reaction time (RT) data were recorded while participants viewed pairs of faces (angry paired with neutral face) displayed for 500 ms and followed by a probe. Participants were required to respond to the probe while performing a concurrent task of holding in working memory a sequence of digits that were either in the same order (low memory load) or in a random mixed order (high memory load). The ERP results revealed that higher working memory load resulted in enhanced lateralized neural responses to threatening relative to neutral faces, consistent with greater initial orienting of attention to threatening faces (early N2pc: 180–252 ms) and enhanced maintenance of processing representations of threat (late N2pc, 252–320 ms; SPCN, 320–500 ms). The ERP indices showed significant positive relationships with each other, and also with the behavioral index of attentional bias to threat (reflected by faster RTs to probes replacing angry than neutral faces at 500 ms), although the latter index was not significantly influenced by memory load. Overall, the findings indicate that depletion of cognitive control resources, using a working memory manipulation, increases the capacity of task-irrelevant threat cues to capture and hold attention.     

Seeing,sitting and lying down: Reflections on the role of visual communication in analytic therapy

The paper develops the post-Winnicottian psychoanalyst Kenneth Wright's theory of the face which he sees as insufficiently theorized psychoanalytically. As compared with the breast, the face is intrinsically a vehicle for generating meaning and representation, rather than satisfying bodily need. Infants see themselves reflected back in the mother's facial expressions and this helps to build up self-representation in the child's mind's eye. Other Attachment-influenced research findings about care-giver/infant facial communication are also described: partial contingency, triangulation and rupture/repair. The relevance of this to the question of chair or couch-based therapy is discussed. The discussion is illustrated by a consideration of the work of the visual artist Louise Bourgeois.     

The involvement of distinct visual channels in rapid attention towards fearful facial expressions

This paper reports five experiments demonstrating that the low spatial frequency components of faces are critical to the production of rapid attentional responses towards fearful facial expressions. In our main experiments, low spatial frequency (LSF) or high spatial frequency (HSF) face pairs, consisting of one fearful and one neutral expression, were presented on a computer screen for a brief period. Participants were required to identify as quickly as possible the orientation of a bar target that immediately replaced one of the faces. Responses were faster when targets replaced the location of LSF fearful faces, compared with LSF neutral faces. By contrast, there were no differences between responses to targets replacing HSF fearful versus HSF neutral faces. This facilitation in spatial orienting occurred specifically with short time intervals between faces and target, and is consistent with a rapid processing of fear cues from LSF inputs that can serve to guide attention towards threat events.     

Does trauma memory play a role in the experience of reporting sexual assault during police interviews? An exploratory study

A recent study indicated that 94.4% of reported sexual assault cases in the UK do not result in successful legal prosecution, also known as the rate of attrition (Kelly, Lovett, & Regan, 2005 Kelly, L., Lovett, J. and Regan, L. 2005. A gap or a chasm? Attrition in rape cases, London: Home Office.  [Google Scholar]). Scant research has examined the role of trauma-related psychological processes in attrition. Victims of sexual assault (N =22) completed questions about peri-traumatic dissociation, trauma memory fragmentation, account incoherence during police interview, and likelihood of proceeding with legal cases. Higher levels of dissociation during sexual assault were associated with participants reporting more fragmented trauma memories. Memory fragmentation was associated with participants indicating that they provided more incoherent accounts of trauma during police interview. Importantly, people who viewed themselves as providing more incoherent accounts predicted that they would be less likely to proceed with their legal cases. The findings suggest trauma impacts on memory, and these trauma-related disruptions to memory may paradoxically contribute to attrition.