The smart gut: Tracking affective associative learning with measures of “liking”, facial electromyography, and preferential looking

We demonstrate here that initially neutral items can acquire specific value based on their associated outcomes, and that responses of physiological systems to such previously meaningless stimuli can rapidly reflect this associative history. Each participant participated in an associative learning task in which four neutral abstract pictures were each repeatedly paired with one of four foods that varied in valence and magnitude. Over the course of learning, participants’ “liking” ratings of and preferences for each picture came to reflect the value of the food with which it was paired. The abstract pictures also elicited physiological responses characteristic of the foods with which they were paired, including changes in facial electromyography (EMG) and preferential looking. A logistic modeling procedure showed that learning parameters, such as the rate at which participants learned the values associated with the pictures, were similar across food outcomes of different value.     

How is physiological arousal related to self-reported measures of emotional intensity and valence of events and their autobiographical memories?

Research suggests that emotionally intense experiences that elicit higher-than-average physiological arousal responses lead to particularly durable and detailed autobiographical memories. Yet, the lack of objective measures of physiological arousal while events unfold in everyday life makes it hard to corroborate this lab finding. Also, it is uncertain how well arousal maps onto self-reports of the phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical events and memories. Here, we examined how physiological measures of arousal, taken while everyday life events develop, correlate with self-reports. Our results showed that physiological arousal during an event not only was related to self-evaluations of its assessed physical reaction —at the time of report—, but also predicted evaluations of physical reaction, positivity, and importance of their memories one week after. Further analyses revealed that, while arousal affected evaluations of emotional intensity of events and memories, this relationship was moderated by participants’ level of awareness about their own emotional processes.     

Benefits and Interindividual Differences in Children's Responses to Extended and Intensified Relaxation Training

The present study investigates whether extended and intensified systematic relaxation training techniques lead to increased short-term and prolonged effects in settings of stress prevention. One hundred and twenty-eight fourth- and sixth-graders (aged 9.6 and 11.6 years, respectively) participated in Imagination or Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). Extension consisted of a varying number of training sessions (five versus ten), while intensified training contained additional training elements to enhance the transfer to the children's daily life (yes versus no). Age, gender, anxiety, activity level and suggestibility were included as additional variables that were assumed to moderate the effects of the training. Dependent variables indicating short-term training effects included physiological parameters (heart rate, skin conductance level, skin temperature) as well as subjective ratings (mood, physical well-being, training evaluations). Medium-term training effects, measured 1 week and 2 months after the training, were related to stress experiences, somatic stress symptoms, and coping strategies reported by the children. The results do not show considerable short- or medium-term effects of extended or intensified training. In addition, no clear moderator effects were found in the present sample.     

The Simon effect in cognitive electrophysiology: A short review

In the Simon task, stimuli are presented laterally and typically a non-spatial stimulus dimension demands a lateralized choice response. Responses are faster when the task-irrelevant stimulus location and the response location correspond than when they do not correspond. The present paper explores the impact of the Simon task on cognitive electrophysiological research as well as the insights gained from event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in the attempt to uncover the hidden mechanisms underlying the Simon effect.     

Bicyclists’ behavioral and physiological responses to varying roadway conditions and bicycle infrastructure

Population growth increase of vehicle ownership, and development patterns have resulted in greater levels of congestion, pollution, and crash frequency. A proposed solution to lessen current transportation system demands is to increase the share of bicycle trips. Furthermore, as cycling is perceived by some as both a dangerous and stressful mode of transportation, understanding the factors that lead to less comfortable and stressful riding, can help drive bicycle infrastructure development. To establish a more robust understanding of the behaviors of bicyclists and how infrastructure design and operations influence them, a bicycle simulator was used to evaluate bicyclist performance measures of velocity, horizontal displacement, and physiological responses (i.e., galvanic skin response) while riding in varying roadway conditions. Results showed that bicyclists in the bike lane condition, had a GSR reading 1.77 peaks per min less than when cycling in the no bike lane condition. When bicyclists were in no bike lane condition, the GSR reading was not affected by vehicle speed but it was affected by the vehicular volume. Additionally, females felt less comfortable when riding in either bike condition, even though they reported that they were “Strong and Fearless” riders. The methodology used for this study sets forth the foundation for future research that could evaluate varying facility designs and a wider range of individuals.     

Children and Violence: The Role of Children’s Regulation in the Marital Aggression–Child Adjustment Link

Exposure to marital psychological and physical abuse has been established as a risk factor for children’s socio-emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems. Understanding the processes by which children develop symptoms of psychopathology and deficits in cognitive functioning in the context of marital aggression is imperative for developing efficient and effective treatment programs for children and families, and has far-reaching mental health implications. The present paper outlines our research program, Child Regulation and Exposure to Marital Aggression, which focuses on children’s emotional and physiological reactivity and regulation as pathways in the marital aggression–child development link. Findings from our research program, which highlight the importance of children’s regulatory processes for understanding children’s adjustment in contexts of intimate partner violence, are presented, and future directions in this line of inquiry are outlined.     

Approach-achievement goals and motivational context on psycho-physiological functioning and performance among novice basketball players

ObjectivesDrawing from an integrated motivational model (Vansteenkiste, Lens, Elliot, Soenens, & Mouratidis, 2014), this study tested the impact of induced approach-based achievement goal states under different motivational contexts on the psycho-physiological functioning and motor task performance of novice basketball players.DesignA 3 × 2 (Goal [task-/self-/other-approach] x Context [autonomy-supportive/controlling]) repeated measures experimental design was employed.Method114 novice participants (M_age = 23.53; SD = 4.56) performed a basketball shooting task. They were subsequently randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions before repeating this task. Physiological (heart rate [HR] and blood pressure [BP]) and psychological (stress appraisals, state anxiety, task enjoyment, perceived competence, and goal attainment) data were captured at different intervals throughout the experiment.ResultsFactorial ANOVAs revealed participants: 1) performing under a controlling motivational context reported significantly higher HR (p < .001) and systolic BP (p < .05) post-task compared to those operating within an autonomy-supportive environment, 2) induced to an other-approach goal group, recorded significantly higher diastolic BP (p < .05) than those induced to self- and task-approach goals post-task, 3) adopting a task-approach goal under controlling conditions appraised the shooting task as significantly more threatening (p < .05) than their counterparts in the task-approach autonomy-supportive condition, and finally, 4) following approach-based goals under an autonomy-supportive context significantly improved their performance (p < .001) from pre-to post-shooting task.ConclusionsOur findings provide limited support for an integrated motivational model and are discussed in relation to their unique theoretical and practical utility.     

Impact of series length on statistical precision and sensitivity of autocorrelation assessment in human locomotion

Long-range autocorrelations (LRA) are a robust feature of rhythmic movements, which may provide important information about neural control and potentially constitute a powerful marker of dysfunction. A clear difficulty associated with the assessment of LRA is that it requires a large number of cycles to generate reliable results. Here we investigate how series length impacts the reliability of LRA assessment. A total of 94 time series extracted from walking or cycling tasks were re-assessed with series length varying from 64 to 512 data points. LRA were assessed using an approach combining the rescaled range analysis or the detrended fluctuation analysis (Hurst exponent, H), along with the shape of the power spectral density (α exponent). The statistical precision was defined as the ability to obtain estimates for H and α that are consistent with their theoretical relationship, irrespective of the series length. The sensitivity consisted of testing whether significant differences between experimental conditions found in the original studies when considering 512 data points persisted with shorter series. We also investigate the use of evenly-spaced diffusion plots as a methodological improvement of original version of methods for short series. Our results show that the reliable assessment of LRA requires 512 data points, or no shorter than 256 data points provided that more robust methods are considered such as the evenly-spaced algorithms. Such series can be reasonably obtained in clinical populations with moderate, or even more severe, gait impairments and open the perspective to extend the use of LRA assessment as a marker of gait stability applicable to a broad range of locomotor disorders.