Gender differences in implicit and explicit processing of emotional facial expressions as revealed by event-related theta synchronization

Emotion information processing may occur in 2 modes that are differently represented in conscious awareness. Fast online processing involves coarse-grained analysis of salient features and is not represented in conscious awareness; offline processing takes hundreds of milliseconds to generate fine-grained analysis and is represented in conscious awareness. These processing modes may be studied using event-related electroencephalogram theta synchronization as a marker of emotion processing. Two experiments were conducted that differed on the mode of emotional information presentation. In the explicit mode, subjects were explicitly instructed to evaluate the emotional content of presented stimuli; in the implicit mode, their attention was directed to other features of the stimulus. In the implicit mode, theta synchronization was most pronounced in the early processing stage, whereas in the explicit mode, it was more pronounced in the late processing stage. The early processing stage was more pronounced in men, whereas the late processing stage was more pronounced in women. Implications of these gender differences in emotion processing for well-documented differences in social behavior are discussed.     

A new device to present textured stimuli to touch with simultaneous EEG recording

The study of touch has recently grown, due mainly to the extensive use of several types of actuators that stimulate several subsystems of touch. There is a widespread interest in applying these mechanisms to the study of the neurophysiological correlates of tactual perception. In this article, we present a new device (the tactile spinning wheel [TSW]) for delivering textured surfaces to the finger pad. The TSW allows one to control several parameters of the stimulation (angular speed, texture, etc.) and, connected to an EEG recording system, makes it possible to study neural electrophysiological events. The device consists of a rotating platform on which the tactile stimuli are fixed, a system that synchronizes stimuli onset with the EEG system, and an electronic interface that controls the platform. We present the technical details of the TSW, its calibration, and some experimental results we have obtained with this device.     

Focusing on the bodily self: The influence of endogenous attention on visual body processing

The present study explores whether endogenous attention can modulate body perception. A modified version of the Posner paradigm was used to direct participants' attention toward the appearance of distinct body images, which differed only in detailed idiosyncratic features: one's own and another person's hands. Hand stimuli were preceded by symbolic cues that predicted their identity with high probability, which made it possible to compare the processing of expected (valid) and unexpected (invalid) targets. Results revealed that endogenous attention influenced the processing of participants' own hands by speeding participants' responses to valid in contrast to invalid trials. Crucially, no validity effect was found for the hands of another person. These findings cannot be explained in terms of perceptual familiarity, since an optimization of the processing for both familiar and unfamiliar faces by symbolic cues was observed. In light of these results, it is suggested that participants are able to anticipate particular stimuli within the same perceptual category as long as these stimuli appear to be remarkably distinct to them, which is probably the case for particular faces and their own bodies, in contrast to other people's bodies.     

The Machine Paradigm and Alternative Approaches in Cognitive Science

In a recent paper called To think human out of the machine paradigm, it is stated that psychological science operates within a machine paradigm that is committed to mechanical causality. In addition, it is emphasizes the epistemological and methodological limitations of explanations based in deterministic mechanics and instead argues for the need of an ‘organic paradigm’ that takes into consideration psychological processes such as subjectivity, inter-subjectivity, and agency. Although there is no doubt that much psychological science has operated under a machine paradigm, we argue that recent psychological research is pursued using a wide variety of approaches and with an absence of a partially integrated meta-theoretical corpus. The present situation looks more like a Tower of Babel of epistemological approaches and empirical programs. The reconsideration of the organic paradigm and an explicitly addressed epistemological framework could constitute a step forward and lead to an explanatory pluralism built on greater dialogue within the psychological sciences.     

The role of response repetition in task switching

When switching between tasks, participants are sometimes required to use different response sets for each task. Thus, task switch and response set switch are confounded. In 5 experiments, the authors examined transitions of response within a linear 4-finger arrangement. A random baseline condition was compared with the cuing of specific response subsets grouped by hand or by finger equivalence, and these subsets were examined in both single task and task-switching designs. Results showed that part of the task switch cost is associated with switching between response sets. Furthermore, the analysis revealed a novel effect: When task switching and repetition trials are mixed, a bias towards switching the response and/or hand is found in task repetition trials. Response repetition is hindered when a task switch is expected, even for those trials when a switch of task does not occur. The results demonstrate executive processes involved in task set configuration closely depend on the motoric processing of the response set. The results are also important for current theories of task set control.     

Analysis of the evolution of soccer at the world championships

This research follows the line of investigation opened some years ago about the generalizability studies and variance components applied to soccer. In this investigation, various matches played during the final phase of the last three World Championships (France'98, Korea and Japan'02 and Germany'06) were observed and coded while their interaction contexts were registered. In total, 58 matches were used for this investigation. The following facets were considered: 5 field areas where the 48 contexts are moved or transformed and 7 different types of match result. The results confirm the linear model, which can be generalized to the universe. The resulting 1% of the variance explained by the World Championship facet (1 point when analyzed singly and 14 points when it interacts with the other facets) allows us to confirm that soccer has not changed over the last three World Championships.     

An integrating approach to the study of burnout in university professors

The aim of this paper is to use an integrative approach to identify the main correlates and/or predictors at different levels (personal, psychosocial, occupational and outside the workplace) of the burnout dimensions. The sample consists of 813 university professors. Results from statistical analyses show that there are, indeed, both common and specific predictors for the different facets of the syndrome. Specifically, while social support and optimism are selected to confirm all manifestations of burnout, other factors (work hours per week, time in the profession, hardiness, Type A behavioural pattern, life events, daily hassles) do increase the emergence of differential profiles. Lastly, findings are discussed and the main conclusions are presented.     

Resistance and vulnerability to trauma: the moderator effect of personality variables on secondary traumatic stress

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of several personality variables (empathy, comprehensibility, challenge and sense of humour) as moderators of the relationship of job demands (traumatic task and overload) with secondary traumatic stress. 175 emergency professionals of the Community of Madrid completed the Secondary Traumatic Stress Measure (STSM). The results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis provide evidence for the moderator role of personality variables in the secondary traumatic stress process. Lastly, the discussion emphasises the need to focus on the interaction between personality and job demand variables in order to advance our understanding of the process of trauma in emergency professionals.