Specificity and detail in autobiographical memory: Same or different constructs?

Research on autobiographical memory has focused on whether memories are coded as specific (i.e., describe a single event that happened at a particular time and place). Although some theory and research suggests that the amount of detail in autobiographical memories reflects a similar underlying construct as memory specificity, past research has not investigated whether these variables converge. Therefore, the present study compared the proportion of specific memories and the amount of detail embedded in memory responses to cue words. Results demonstrated that memory detail and proportion of specific memories were not correlated with each other and showed different patterns of association with other conceptually relevant variables. When responses to neutral cue words were examined in multiple linear and logistic regression analyses, the proportion of specific memories uniquely predicted less depressive symptoms, low emotional avoidance, lower emotion reactivity, better executive control and lower rumination, whereas the amount of memory detail uniquely predicted the presence of depression diagnosis, as well as greater depressive symptoms, subjective stress, emotion reactivity and rumination. Findings suggest that the ability to retrieve specific memories and the tendency to retrieve detailed personal memories reflect different constructs that have different implications in the development of emotional distress.     

Attending to emotions is sharing of emotions – A multidisciplinary perspective to social attention and emotional sharing. Comment on Zahavi and Rochat (2015)

Attending to bodily expression of emotions plays an important role in the human social world. It provides subjects with valuable information, constructs opportunities to act, and importantly, as Daniel Stern pointed out, it is involved in the constitution of the direct experience of others. Whether mutual or one-sided, these direct experiences, in which the subject can share the perspectives and attitudes of other subjects, always comprise one person’s bodily expression of emotions that is available to another person. In this article I suggest that attending to other subjects’ expressed emotions involves a special (social) mode of attention and emotional sharing. This suggestion challenges Dan Zahavi’s view that confines the sharing of emotions solely to reciprocal experiences.     

L’auto-efficacité émotionnelle : un facteur à considérer pour expliquer la santé psychologique au travail

In recent years, psychological health problems at work (PHW) are rising and affect a considerable number of workers (Gilbert et al., 2011). The PHW refers to two separate but complementary states: psychological well-being (serenity, commitment and social harmony) and psychological distress in the workplace (anxiety, withdrawal and irritability) (Gilbert et al., 2011). Knowing that negative relationships have been studied between emotional self-efficacy (ESE) and various phenomena of psychological distress in the workplace, the aim is to verify how the ESE influences the PHW. The ESE is defined by people's belief in respect of seven emotional skills: the perception of emotions and that of others, the use of emotions, understanding emotions and that of others as well as the management of its emotions and that of others (Deschênes et al., 2011). A quote was used correlational with a sample 149 students older workers averaged 32.06 years (SD = 8.27). The scales of ESE (α = .91) Deschênes et al. (2011) and Gilbert et al. (2011) on well-being (α = .92) and psychological distress in the workplace (α = .94) are used to measure the concepts being studied. Results of regression analyzes confirm the research hypotheses.     

Développement et validation de l’échelle d’auto-efficacité émotionnelle chez les gestionnaires

This article presents the results of two studies designed to develop and validate the emotional self-efficacy scale (ESE). The emotional intelligence model of Mayer and Salovey (1997) and self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997) are used in this study. The results of confirmatory analysis support the seven-factor structure: self-efficacy to perceive emotions in the self and others, self-efficacy to use emotion, self-efficacy to understand emotion in the self and others and self-efficacy to manage emotion in the self and others. In addition, results reveal that the ESE subscales display satisfactory internal consistency values. Furthermore, the construct validity is supported by correlations between the seven factors and between several variables associated with ESE (Big Five, the positive and negative affect and the alexithymia). Altogether, results provide preliminary support for the psychometric properties the ESE.     

The relationships between stressful life events during childhood and differentiation of self and intergenerational triangulation in adulthood

This study examined the relationships between stressful life events in childhood and differentiation of self and intergenerational triangulation in adulthood. The sample included 217 students (173 females and 44 males) from a college in northern Israel. Participants completed the Hebrew versions of Life Events Checklist (LEC), Differentiation of Self Inventory‐Revised (DSI‐R) and intergenerational triangulation (INTRI). The main findings were that levels of stressful life events during childhood and adolescence among both genders were positively correlated with the levels of fusion with others and intergenerational triangulation. The levels of positive life events were negatively related to levels of emotional reactivity, emotional cut‐off and intergenerational triangulation. Levels of stressful life events in females were positively correlated with emotional reactivity. Intergenerational triangulation was correlated with emotional reactivity, emotional cut‐off, fusion with others and I‐position. Findings suggest that families that experience higher levels of stressful life events may be at risk for higher levels of intergenerational triangulation and lower levels of differentiation of self.     

Peer acceptance among Chinese adolescents: The role of emotional empathy,cognitive empathy and gender

Previous studies have found mixed results on the relationship between empathy and peer acceptance. Emotional and cognitive components of empathy were hypothesised to play different roles in peer acceptance, and the relationship between empathy and peer acceptance differed across genders. In this study, 375 Chinese adolescents completed self‐report measures of emotional and cognitive empathy. They also provided peer nominations that allowed for the determination of social preference and social impact scores. The results showed that a boy's cognitive empathy positively correlated with the extent to which he was liked by his male classmates, whereas a girl's cognitive empathy positively correlated with her social impact among her female classmates. This study suggests that empathy does not affect peer acceptance among adolescents uniformly; instead, gender plays a determinative role in the dialectics between social acceptance and empathy.     

The impact of threat and cognitive stress on speech motor control in people who stutter

PurposeIn the present study, an Emotional Stroop and Classical Stroop task were used to separate the effect of threat content and cognitive stress from the phonetic features of words on motor preparation and execution processes.MethodA group of 10 people who stutter (PWS) and 10 matched people who do not stutter (PNS) repeated colour names for threat content words and neutral words, as well as for traditional Stroop stimuli. Data collection included speech acoustics and movement data from upper lip and lower lip using 3D EMA.ResultsPWS in both tasks were slower to respond and showed smaller upper lip movement ranges than PNS. For the Emotional Stroop task only, PWS were found to show larger inter-lip phase differences compared to PNS. General threat words were executed with faster lower lip movements (larger range and shorter duration) in both groups, but only PWS showed a change in upper lip movements. For stutter specific threat words, both groups showed a more variable lip coordination pattern, but only PWS showed a delay in reaction time compared to neutral words. Individual stuttered words showed no effects. Both groups showed a classical Stroop interference effect in reaction time but no changes in motor variables.ConclusionThis study shows differential motor responses in PWS compared to controls for specific threat words. Cognitive stress was not found to affect stuttering individuals differently than controls or that its impact spreads to motor execution processes.Educational objectives: After reading this article, the reader will be able to: (1) discuss the importance of understanding how threat content influences speech motor control in people who stutter and non-stuttering speakers; (2) discuss the need to use tasks like the Emotional Stroop and Regular Stroop to separate phonetic (word-bound) based impact on fluency from other factors in people who stutter; and (3) describe the role of anxiety and cognitive stress on speech motor processes.     

Emotional availability (EA): Theoretical background,empirical research using the EA Scales,and clinical applications

Emotional availability (EA), as a construct, refers to the capacity of a dyad to share an emotionally healthy relationship. The Emotional Availability (EA) Scales assess this construct using a multi-dimensional framework, with scales measuring the affect and behavior of both the child and adult partner (caregiver). The four caregiver components are sensitivity, structuring, non-intrusiveness, and non-hostility. The two child components are the child’s responsiveness to the caregiver and the child’s involvement of the caregiver. We first describe this relationship construct, look at psychometric properties in basic and prevention/intervention efforts, then review the extant empirical literature in order to examine the scope of studies assessing EA by using the EA Scales. We also explore its use in clinical practice. Throughout, we critically evaluate the knowledge base in this area as well as identify areas for further growth.     

EI training and pre-service teacher wellbeing

Teaching is a profession of high occupational stress and ‘emotional labour’ that can potentially result in job dissatisfaction, mental health problems, and leaving the profession. Emotional intelligence (EI) encompasses an array of emotional competencies that facilitate the identification, processing, and regulation of emotion and may enhance successful stress management, as well as augmentation of teacher well-being and classroom performance. Drawing upon research that EI can be developed through specific training, a modified version of the program, “Managing Occupational Stress through the Development of Emotional Intelligence” (Hansen, Gardner, & Stough, 2007), was administered to pre-service teachers over a five-week period. A control group completed only the questionnaire protocol of EI and other measures at the start, end, and one month following the program. Results were generally in line with those obtained by Poole and Saklofske (2009) suggesting that EI and related psychological well-being variables can be positively impacted by focused EI training.     

Emotional intelligence as a unique predictor of individual differences in humour styles and humour appreciation

A small amount of research to-date has examined the association between emotional intelligence (EI) and humour styles, however, none of this research has controlled for the effects of personality and socially desirable responding. Furthermore, none of the research has examined the possible associations with humour appreciation, as distinct from humour styles. Thus, a novel audio-visual humour appreciation measure (AVHAM) was developed based on responses to ostensibly humorous video clips. The AVHAM was found to be associated with factorial validity, as three, positively correlated factors emerged (aggressive, children, and animals). Additionally, convergent validity was observed for the AVHAM, as theoretically consistent and moderately sized correlations were observed between the AVHAM and the Humour Styles Questionnaire (HSQ). Finally, incremental predictive validity was found to be associated with self-reported EI and humour styles, but not humour appreciation. The results are discussed in light of the distinction between humour styles and humour appreciation, as well as the unique role of EI in understanding individual differences in humour.