Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli

Putting feelings into words (affect labeling) has long been thought to help manage negative emotional experiences; however, the mechanisms by which affect labeling produces this benefit remain largely unknown. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest a possible neurocognitive pathway for this process, but methodological limitations of previous studies have prevented strong inferences from being drawn. A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of affect labeling was conducted to remedy these limitations. The results indicated that affect labeling, relative to other forms of encoding, diminished the response of the amygdala and other limbic regions to negative emotional images. Additionally, affect labeling produced increased activity in a single brain region, right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (RVLPFC). Finally, RVLPFC and amygdala activity during affect labeling were inversely correlated, a relationship that was mediated by activity in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). These results suggest that affect labeling may diminish emotional reactivity along a pathway from RVLPFC to MPFC to the amygdala.     

Top-down inhibition of search distractors in parallel visual search

In three experiments, we examined distractor inhibition in parallel ("pop-out") visual search. Distractor inhibition was measured in terms of reaction time (RT) to a simple luminance increment probe presented, after the search task response, at display locations that either contained a search distractor (on-probe) or were blank (off-probe). When the search stimuli remained in view, the on-probe (relative to off-probe) RT cost was larger than in a baseline condition in which observers had only to passively view, rather than search, the display. This differential on-probe RT cost, which discounts effects of masking, was interpreted as a measure of distractor inhibition associated with target selection in parallel visual search. Taken together, the results argue that the distractor inhibition is an object-based and local phenomenon that affects all distractors (of a particular type) in an equal manner.     

Type a behavior pattern and attributions of responsibility

This study set out to examine the relationship between the Type A/B behavior pattern and reaction to negative outcomes. It was predicted that whereas the B types would show clear differences in their reactions to controllable versus uncontrollable situations, A types would show significantly less differentiation. Over 160 subjects completed two A-type questionnaires and an attributional control questionnaire with either six controllable or six uncontrollable situations. Results revealed, as predicted, that A and B types differed mainly in their reactions to uncontrollable situations, whereas A types perceived more causal responsibility and more moral responsibility, and reported more anger with self. These results are discussed within the context of the research on attributional style, depression and Type A behavior.     

Varieties of psychologism

In section 1 I offer a definition of psychologism which applies to many of the apparently quite disparate uses that philosophers have made of the term. In section 2 I map out some distinct varieties of psychologism. In a short section 3 I indicate how the changing academic climate has injected a new urgency into the debate on psychologism. In section 4 I offer an argument for a variety of psychologism which has important consequences for cognitive science, and in section 5 I consider some objections to the argument.     

Goal-based and situation-based expectation of behaviour

In a study of the effects of situation characteristics and person goal (motive) characteristics on perceived probability of behavior, subjects rated the probabilities of sixteen behaviors for each of sixteen situations (representing all combinations of four situation categories and four goal categories). Ratings were completed for both Self and Other. Both situation and goal characteristics were found to influence expected behavior with the effect of the latter being greater. An exception to this was ratings associated with facial behaviors and affect, which were more influenced by situation characteristics. Generally other ratings were more influenced by situation characteristics than were Self ratings, a reversal of the effect known as the ‘actorobserver bias’. The study emphasizes the utility of the goal concept as a personality construct and as a construct useful in the study of social cognition.     

The effects of methylphenidate on levels of processing and laterality in children with attention deficit disorder

Effects of stimulant medication (methylphenidate) on levels (feature, name, semantic) of word processing by the left and right hemisphere were assessed in 31 attention- deficit- disordered children. In a double-blind procedure, same- different decisions were made to tachistoscopically presented word pairs under medication and placebo. Analysis of manual response times failed to show any negative effects of medication. Feature decisions were faster than name decisions, which were faster than semantic decisions. Methylphenidate induced a right visual field advantage (left hemisphere) for the name decision, which was interpreted as a normalization effect. The results suggest that (1) methylphenidate may selectively improve the phonological level of word processing and (2) methylphenidate's favorable therapeutic effect is produced through inhibition of excessive right hemisphere activity in response to task demands that engage the left hemisphere.This research is based in part upon a doctoral thesis completed by the first author in the Department of Education, University of Toronto. The authors thank Dr. William Logan and Dr. Wendy Roberts of the Hospital for Sick Children for permitting testing of patients in the Child Development Clinic. This research was supported in part by a doctoral fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to the first author.     

Affective and evaluative responses to pop music

From reviews published in the “serious” pop music press, twenty recordings were selected which had received consistently favourable appraisals on affective and evaluative bases. A further twenty recordings were selected on the basis of high levels of chart performance but a lack of critical acclaim. Sixty-four subjects rated representative excerpts of these recordings on 11-point scales of either liking or artistic merit. The results indicated significantly lower liking and artistic merit ratings of critically praised excerpts; a positive liking-artistic merit correlation; and some “fragmentation” between affective and evaluative responses. The apparent discrepancy between the attitudes of the music press and subjects' ratings is discussed in terms of the availability and sophistication of evaluation cues.     

Neuroticism and Strength of Religious Attitudes among Churchgoers in England

A sample of 244 churchgoers completed the abbreviated form of the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, together with the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity. The findings support the view that, among religiously committed samples, there is an inverse relationship between neuroticism scores and the strength of positive attitude toward Christianity.     

Uncontrollability versus perceived failure as determinants of subsequent performance deficits

An experiment is reported that attempted to dissociate the effects of uncontrollability from those of failure in the standard learned helplessness induction procedure involving instrumental tasks. The task was administered to both university and high school students. The primary finding was a grade by controllability interaction, whereby uncontrollability had a larger effect for university students who became much more helpless. Further analysis revealed that while controllability or uncontrollability was the main determinant of university student performance, the performance of the high school students depended primarily upon success or failure. Perhaps we have previously generalized too widely from a restricted subject population.     

SOCIAL DIFFICULTY IN THREE CULTURES

An extended, piloted, version of the Bryant and Trower (1974) Social Situations Questionnaire was administered in Natal, South Africa, to nurses from three cultural groups: African, Indian and European, who were matched in terms of age, sex, education, occupation, and language competence. There was a significant difference between the three groups' self-reported social difficulty with the Europeans (Whites) expressing least social difficulty and the Africans (Blacks) most. Discriminant analysis revealed the items which showed most differences in the réponse between the three groups. The similarities and differences between the cultural groups in self-reported social difficulty are discussed within the context of their sociopolitical and cultural experience, and socialization. Implications for cross-cultural research in social skills are noted.