Assessing emotional processing difficulties in normotensive individuals with high and isolated blood pressure elevations

This study examined the effect of sense modality (auditory/visual) on emotional dampening (reduced responsiveness to emotions with elevation in blood pressure). Fifty‐six normotensive participants were assessed on tasks requiring labelling and matching of emotions in faces and voices. Based on median split of systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP, respectively), participants were divided into low BP, high BP and isolated BP groups. On emotion‐labelling tasks, analysis revealed reduced emotion recognition in the high BP than the low BP group. On emotion‐matching tasks, reduced emotion recognition was noted in high and also isolated BP group as compared to low BP group for the task that required matching a visual target with one of the four auditory distractors. Our findings show for the first time that even isolated elevations in either SBP or DBP may result in emotional dampening. Furthermore, the study highlights that the emotional dampening effect generalises to explicit processing (labelling) of emotional information in both faces and voices—and that these effects tentatively occur during more pragmatic and covert (matching) emotion recognition processes too. These findings require replication in clinical hypertensives.     

Toxic Environment of war: Maternal prenatal heavy metal load predicts infant emotional development

BackgroundPeople in war zones are exposed to heavy metal contamination deriving from new-generation weapons, in addition to exposure to psychologically traumatizing war events. Pregnant women and their children-to-be are particularly vulnerable to both biological and psychological war effects.ObjectiveThe aim of the current study was to analyse the impact of maternal prenatal heavy metal contamination on infant emotional development and to examine the potential moderating role of maternal symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the association between heavy metal load and infant emotional development.MethodsThe participants were 502 Palestinian mothers, pregnant in their first trimester during the 2014 War on Gaza. The mothers were recruited at their delivery (T1) and followed at the infants’ age of 6–7 months (T2; N = 392). The load of five weapon-related heavy metals (chromium, mercury, vanadium, strontium, and uranium) was analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP/MS) from mothers’ hair samples at childbirth (T1). Assessment of maternal PTSD symptoms was based on the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) and infant emotional development on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ), both reported by mothers (T2).ResultsTwo of the analysed metals, chromium and uranium, adversely predicted children’s early emotional development, indicated by decreased positive affectivity, increased negative emotionality, and problems in early orientation and regulation. Mother’s PTSD did not moderate the impact of heavy metal contamination on children’s emotional development.ConclusionsAdverse impact of war is not limited to those who experience it directly, but is passed on to future generations through multiple mechanisms. International organizations are obliged to protect parents and infants from the modern weaponry in wars.     

Cross-cultural validation of a French version of the Emotional Processing Scale (EPS-25)

IntroductionThe Emotional Processing Scale (EPS) is a self-report questionnaire consisting of 25 items designed to identify emotional processing styles and impairments. The aim was to develop a French version of the scale and to test its preliminary validity and reliability in French community and clinical samples.MethodAfter translation and back-translation, a validation study was conducted with 1176 adults [215 from a community sample, 251 undergraduate psychology students, 686 people with a range of physical health conditions (HIV, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, leukaemia) and 24 people with bipolar disorder hospitalised for depression].ResultsThe internal reliability of the French EPS was good, with a Cronbach's alpha of .91. The five-factor structure of the original English version of the scale was closely reproduced.ConclusionsThe French EPS demonstrated good reliability and validity. Correlations with other conceptually similar scales (e.g., TAS-20, CERQ, STAXI) were as predicted. EPS scores distinguished between groups (clinical samples vs. a community sample) that would be expected to differ.     

神经质对青少年情绪化饮食的影响：一个有调节的中介效应模型

摘 要 为探讨神经质、青少年情绪化饮食、体验回避及自尊之间的关系,选取1000名青少年为被试,采用简式大五人格问卷、荷兰饮食行为问卷、接纳行动量表及自尊量表进行测试。结果表明：（1）神经质对青少年情绪化饮食有显著的正向影响,并间接地通过体验回避对青少年情绪化饮食产生作用;（2）自尊在体验回避对青少年情绪化饮食的影响中起显著的调节作用,具体而言,在低自尊水平下,体验回避能显著地正向预测青少年情绪化饮食,而在高自尊水平下,体验回避对青少年情绪化饮食的预测作用不显著。     

工作场所文明行为：从内隐的自我提升到外显的组织优化

工作场所文明行为是一种在组织文化下, 基于社会和组织角色义务的, 传达礼貌和尊重的主动性行为, 是一种向内要求自我控制, 向外主张尊重传达的行为, 它对于个体自身性格的塑造、组织中人际关系的改善以及文明氛围的培养都具有积极意义。在员工-员工、领导-下属、员工-顾客等关系中, 工作场所文明行为发挥着增进同事情谊、促进合作、增强领导力、建立信任、提升绩效等作用。未来的研究应该进一步厘清工作场所文明行为与不文明行为的关系, 运用动态视角研究它们发生、发展和被感知的机制, 以及这两种行为能否相互转化等问题。     

自我损耗对工作场所安全的影响及缓解途径

员工安全行为是工作场所安全的重要保障,而自我控制资源损耗会对安全行为产生负面影响。研究拟借鉴自我控制资源有限模型,结合行为和生理指标,探讨工作要求和辱虐管理通过损耗个体自我控制资源对安全行为的影响,并从特质自我控制和自动化安全趋近倾向两个角度探索上述效应的缓解机制。此外,研究拟采用心率变异性作为自我损耗的生理测量。研究有助于从自我控制资源的角度理解员工不安全行为的影响因素、发生机制和缓解方法。     

Emotional self-efficacy,conduct problems,and academic attainment: Developmental cascade effects in early adolescence

The study is amongst the first of its kind to utilise developmental cascade modelling in order to examine the inter-relations between emotional self-efficacy, conduct problems, and attainment in a large, nationally representative sample of English adolescents (n = 2414, aged 11 years). Using a 3-wave, longitudinal, cross lagged-design, we tested three cascading hypotheses: adjustment erosion, adjustment fortification, and academic incompetence. A fourth hypothesis considered the role of shared risk. Results supported small effects consistent with the cascade hypotheses, and a small but significant effect was found for shared risk. Strengths and limits of the study are considered alongside a discussion of the implications for these findings.     

A quick eye to anger: An investigation of a differential effect of facial features in detecting angry and happy expressions

Detection of angry and happy faces is generally found to be easier and faster than that of faces expressing emotions other than anger or happiness. This can be explained by the threatening account and the feature account. Few empirical studies have explored the interaction between these two accounts which are seemingly, but not necessarily, mutually exclusive. The present studies hypothesised that prominent facial features are important in facilitating the detection process of both angry and happy expressions; yet the detection of happy faces was more facilitated by the prominent features than angry faces. Results confirmed the hypotheses and indicated that participants reacted faster to the emotional expressions with prominent features (in Study 1) and the detection of happy faces was more facilitated by the prominent feature than angry faces (in Study 2). The findings are compatible with evolutionary speculation which suggests that the angry expression is an alarming signal of potential threats to survival. Compared to the angry faces, the happy faces need more salient physical features to obtain a similar level of processing efficiency.     

Temperament and Social-Emotional Difficulties: The Dark Side of Learning Disabilities

The authors compared the relations between general psychological difficulties and dimensions of temperament in children with and without learning disability (LD). The main aim was to analyze whether and to what extent children's temperament dimensions contribute to their general psychological difficulties when LD diagnosis, age, and gender are taken into account. Participants were 52 elementary school children 7–11 years old (M age = 8.61 years, SD = 1.21 years). Twenty-six of them had been diagnosed with LD. Six teachers rated their pupils with and without LD in relation to their general psychological difficulties (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) and temperament dimensions (Italian Questionnaires of Temperament). In children with LD, the main dimensions of temperament with the power to predict general psychological difficulties (i.e., emotionality and social orientation) concern these students' relationships with others (teachers and peers). The findings of the current study draw educators' and practitioners' attention to the fact that children's temperamental characteristics may affect how they experience their LD, with significant implications for their later social adjustment.