Smiling faces and cash bonuses: Exploring common affective coding across positive and negative emotional and motivational stimuli using fMRI

Although it is clear that emotional and motivational manipulations yield a strong influence on cognition and behaviour, these domains have mostly been investigated in independent research lines. Therefore, it remains poorly understood how far these affective manipulations overlap in terms of their underlying neural activations, especially in light of previous findings that suggest a shared valence mechanism across multiple affective processing domains (e.g., monetary incentives, primary rewards, emotional events). This is particularly interesting considering the commonality between emotional and motivational constructs in terms of their basic affective nature (positive vs. negative), but dissociations in terms of instrumentality, in that only reward-related stimuli are typically associated with performance-contingent outcomes. Here, we aimed to examine potential common neural processes triggered by emotional and motivational stimuli in matched tasks within participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Across tasks, we found shared valence effects in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and left inferior frontal gyrus (part of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), with increased activity for positive and negative stimuli, respectively. Despite this commonality, emotion and reward tasks featured differential behavioural patterns in that negative valence effects (performance costs) were exclusive to emotional stimuli, while positive valence effects (performance benefits) were only observed for reward-related stimuli. Overall, our data suggest a common affective coding mechanism across different task domains and support the idea that monetary incentives entail signed basic valence signals, above and beyond the instruction to perform both gain and loss trials as accurately as possible to maximise the outcome.     

Anger and aggression during role-playing: Gender differences between hormonally treated male and female transsexuals and controls

A role-playing study on anger was conducted in order to identify the influence of sex hormones on individual and gender differences in irritation, anger arousal, and aggression. Different groups were studied: female-to-male and male-to-female transsexuals, with either group tested after 3 months of cross-sex hormone treatment, and untreated control women and men. All subjects were exposed to a 35-min videotape of an individual tested in an aversive, physically stressful, and frustrating situation in the laboratory. While watching, subjects were asked to imagine being in the same situation. Meanwhile, cardiovascular responses were registered and the intensity of moods and aggressive behaviour were assessed. Apart from a clear effect upon cardiovascular arousal and anger-related moods, there were also some interesting differences between the four groups, the most interesting one being a stronger aggressive response in the female-to-male transsexuals. Furthermore, interesting information was gathered with respect to the issue of whether role-playing and actual experimentation provide valid tests of anger and aggression in real life. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Anger proneness in women: Development and validation of the anger situation questionnaire

In the present series of studies existing hostility and anger trait questionnaires were examined. We found them to be unsuitable for our subjects and purpose, A new questionnaire based on novel principles, the Anger Situation Questionnaire (ASQ), was developed to measure anger proneness in women. The ASQ consists of 33 vignettes or scenarios, Each vignette has three dimensions: emotional experience, intensity of emotional experience, and action readiness mode. The ASQ was administered to 146 female students. Out of this sample two extreme groups were selected of 30 subjects each: one group scoring low on self-reported anger and angry readiness, the other group scoring high on both aspects. An anger-induction paradigm was developed consisting of essentially three elements: a physically aversive situation, the performance of some frustrative tasks, as well as an unpleasantly acting female experimenter. The ASQ was validated in this paradigm: subjects scoring high on the ASQ became more angry due to these manipulations; moreover, in most of the subjects at one moment or another a state of anger was induced. © 1994 wiley-Liss, Inc.     

How to get radical creative ideas into a leader’s mind? Leader’s achievement goals and subordinates’ voice of creative ideas

In the present research we investigated when and why leaders tend to oppose or adopt radical creative ideas voiced by their subordinates. In a field study (Study 1, N = 127) we showed that leaders’ performance goals were positively related to their tendency to oppose radical creative ideas, whereas leaders’ mastery goals were positively related to their tendency to adopt them. We replicated these findings in an experimental study (Study 2, N = 90), in which we showed that performance goal leaders were more likely to oppose radical creative ideas voiced by their subordinates than mastery goal leaders, whereas mastery goal leaders were more likely to adopt those ideas than performance goal leaders. In Study 2, we further showed that the effects of leaders’ achievement goals on their oppose and adopt responses were mediated by the leaders’ interest in exploration. Finally, in Study 3 (N = 91), we experimentally demonstrated that oppose and adopt responses of performance goal leaders, rather than mastery goal leaders, were sensitive to the behavioural mode by which subordinates voiced their radical creative ideas. That is, performance goal leaders were less likely to oppose and more likely to adopt radical creative ideas when subordinates voiced them in a considerate mode rather than an aggressive mode.     

Perceived Child Rearing Practices as Predictors of University Students' Satisfaction with their Sexual Relationships

The aim of this study was to determine the effects that perceived child-rearing practices have on the sexually intimate relationship satisfaction of a sample of 130 male (n=62) and female (n=68) fourth year South African university students. Participants completed the Parenting Bonding Instrument (Parker, Tupling, & Brown, 1979), Stevens Relationship Questionnaire (Stevens & Stevens, 1994) and the Sexual Knowledge Questionnaire (Louw, 2000) to measure perceived parent-child attachment, respondents' sexually intimate relationships and level of sex education. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of perceived child rearing practices on sexually intimate relationship satisfaction. The results suggest that parent-child attachment explained a significant percentage of the variance in intimate relationship in young adulthood.     

Differentiating between child protection and family support in the Canadian child welfare system's response to intimate partner violence,corporal punishment,and child neglect

Rates of reported child maltreatment nearly doubled in Canada over the period 1998–2003, an increase that reflects growing awareness of the harmful effects of an expanding array of parental behaviors, including corporal punishment, lack of supervision, and exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV). Some of these situations may benefit from voluntary family support programs outside of the child welfare system. Analyzing a sample of 11,807 investigations, this paper compares cases where the sole concern is exposure to IPV, or hitting a child, or neglect, or other forms of investigated maltreatment. Situations where exposure to IPV or potentially abusive hitting were the sole reason for investigation presented with fewer risk factors and were less likely to lead to ongoing child welfare interventions compared to other maltreatment investigations. While situations involving alleged neglect presented a higher risk profile and elicited a more intensive child welfare response than did exposure to IPV or hitting, opportunities for alternative services were nevertheless identified. The study also found that visible minority families were overrepresented in cases involving hitting and that Aboriginal families were overrepresented in cases involving neglect. Overall the findings support the development of alternative response programs in Canada.     

C'est le Ton Qui Fait la Critique—for the powerful: the effects of feedback framing and power on affective reactions

Although negative feedback is usually provided with the best of intentions, it often causes unfavorable affective reactions in the receiver such as anger and shame. The purpose of the present research is to identify factors that may attenuate or intensify these reactions to negative feedback. We argue and show across a laboratory experiment and a field study that feedback framing may affect feelings of anger and shame, but only for high (vs. low) power individuals. Given the prevalence of power differences in many feedback situations (e.g., in the organizational context), our findings may provide valuable information for the successful provision of negative feedback.