Biased processing of emotional information in sub-clinical anxiety: Evidence from Simon effects

We tested the idea that in high trait-anxiety, behavioural responses are influenced by spatial correspondence to emotional information. It is suggested that if an emotional stimulus is preferentially processed, it may act as if presented alone and yield a Simon effect: faster responses when stimulus and response spatially correspond than when not. High-trait-anxious undergraduates indeed showed a content-specific Simon effect for social-threat (not physical-threat) words that were presented together with a neutral word for 14 ms; they showed the reverse response pattern for positive words. Low-anxious undergraduates had no bias. When presentation time was lengthened to 500 ms, the response pattern for social-threat and positive words shown by high-anxious undergraduates reversed as compared to the pattern with 14 ms, but there were no significant group differences. These results can be taken to suggest that in high trait-anxiety, the processing of social-threat is specifically prioritized; social-threat and positive information may elicit an immediate response, counteracted by mood-regulation strategies. We argue that the present approach opens up interesting avenues for investigating biased information processing and response tendencies.     

Cradling side preference is associated with lateralized processing of baby facial expressions in females

Women’s cradling side preference has been related to contralateral hemispheric specialization of processing emotional signals; but not of processing baby’s facial expression. Therefore, 46 nulliparous female volunteers were characterized as left or non-left holders (HG) during a doll holding task. During a signal detection task they were then asked to detect the emotional baby faces in a series of baby portraits with neutral and emotional facial expressions, presented either to the left or the right visual field (VFP). ANOVA revealed a significant HG × VFP interaction on response bias data (p < .05). Response bias was lowest when emotional baby faces were presented in the visual field of cradling side preference, suggesting that women’s cradling side preference may have evolved to save cognitive resources during monitoring emotional baby face signals.     

A Cross-Cultural Study of Response Biases in Personality Measures

The purposes of this study were to (a) compare the response bias tendencies of U.S. and Philippine college students and men and women in each culture when responding to personality measures, (b) examine the comparability of different measures of the same response biases, (c) examine the stability or consistency of response biases across instruments, (d) examine the extent to which controlling for response biases affects cultural mean comparisons in personality variables, and (e) test hypothesized personality correlates of response biases. The results did not support the presence of large cross-cultural or gender differences in response biases. Moderate to high agreement was found between different indexes of the same biases. Participants' response bias tendencies were moderately stable across instruments. Controlling for response biases led to trivial changes in effect sizes; in most cases, conclusions about cultural differences in personality constructs did not change. Most hypotheses relating personality variables to response biases were not supported.     

An Evaluation of the Response Modulation Hypothesis in Relation to Attention–Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Several hypotheses related to Newman's (e.g., Patterson & Newman, 1993) response modulation hypothesis were examined among adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n=18) and normal controls (n=23). Consistent with predictions, youth with ADHD committed more passive avoidance errors (PAEs) than controls during the latter trials of a computerized go/no go task with mixed incentives, and this effect remained significant or marginally significant even after common variance associated with variables that covary with ADHD (i.e., IQ, oppositional-defiant/conduct disorder [ODD/CD] symptoms, anxious/depressed mood) was removed. While a moderate inverse association was observed between PAE frequency and the amount of time spent viewing response feedback following punishment, both categorical (diagnostic) and dimensional analyses of ADHD symptomatology indicated that ADHD and reflection on punishment feedback are uniquely associated with PAE commission. Findings from this study are discussed in relation to models of disinhibition applicable to youth with ADHD.

Degrees of freedom and motor planning in purposive movement

This paper presents empirical evidence suggesting that healthy humans can perform a two degree of freedom visuo-motor pursuit tracking task with the same response time delay as a one degree of freedom task. In contrast, the time delay of the response is influenced markedly by the nature of the motor synergy required to produce it. We suggest a conceptual account of this evidence based on adaptive model theory, which combines theories of intermittency from psychology and adaptive optimal control from engineering. The intermittent response planning stage has a fixed period. It possesses multiple optimal trajectory generators such that multiple degrees of freedom can be planned concurrently, without requiring an increase in the planning period. In tasks which require unfamiliar motor synergies, or are deemed to be incompatible, internal adaptive models representing movement dynamics are inaccurate. This means that the actual response which is produced will deviate from the one which is planned. For a given target-response discrepancy, corrective response trajectories of longer duration are planned, consistent with the principle of speed-accuracy trade-off. Compared to familiar or compatible tasks, this results in a longer response time delay and reduced accuracy. From the standpoint of the intermittency approach, the findings of this study help make possible a more integral and predictive account of purposive action.     

Conflict Intensity,Family History,and Physiological Stress Reactions to Conflict Within Romantic Relationships

This study drew upon the physiological model of stress and desensitization processes to deduce hypotheses linking the intensity of conflict communication and exposure to familial verbal aggression in childhood to experiences of conflict within romantic relationships. One hundred college‐aged students (50 dating couples) participated in a dyadic interaction in which partners discussed a source of conflict in their romantic relationship. Participants reported childhood exposure to familial verbal aggression, third‐party observers rated the intensity of conflict communication, and salivary cortisol indexed physiological stress responses to the conflict interactions. As predicted, results showed a positive association between conflict intensity and cortisol reactivity, and this association was attenuated for individuals who reported higher, rather than lower, levels of childhood exposure to familial verbal aggression.     

Throwing light on the dark side of personality: Reinforcement sensitivity theory and primary/secondary psychopathy in a student population

In a student sample, we examined two major issues in relation to primary/secondary subtypes of psychopathy and the reinforcement sensitivity theory of personality: the roles played by (a) fear (related to the fight-flight-freeze system, FFFS) and anxiety (related to the behavioural inhibition system, BIS), and (b) different aspects of the behavioural approach system (BAS). Largely consistent with Corr’s (2010a) proposal concerning the neuropsychological deficits associated with the psychoticism-psychopathy continuum, results confirmed that low BIS activity was associated with both primary and secondary psychopathy; whereas low FFFS activity was associated with only primary psychopathy. In relation to the BAS, reward sensitivity and drive were positively related to primary psychopathy; whereas Fun Seeking was negatively related to primary psychopathy but positively related to secondary psychopathy. These results represent a more nuanced picture of FFFS/BIS/BAS and dispositional psychopathy in a student sample. Specifically, they challenge the view that low BIS is preferentially associated with primary psychopathy and a high BAS is preferentially associated with secondary psychopathy. Further work is needed to confirm that these findings extend to clinical and forensic psychopathy populations.     

Poor cognitive flexibility,and the experience thereof,in a subclinical sample of female students with obsessive‐compulsive symptoms

Research indicates that people with obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) have poor cognitive flexibility. However, studies have largely focused on actual abilities and while individuals' emotional responses may be just as important, little is known about how those with OCD experience a situation that requires cognitive flexibility. It is furthermore largely unknown whether cognitive flexibility may also be important for people with OCD symptoms, rather than only to those with full blown disorders. This study investigates the relationship between cognitive flexibility, and the experience thereof in female students with and without OCD symptoms. It was expected that poor cognitive flexibility would be positively associated to OCD symptoms, and that those with OCD symptoms would display poor cognitive flexibility, and experience situations requiring cognitive flexibility as more difficult, than those without OCD symptoms. Participants completed a measure for OCD symptoms, a neuropsychological task to measure cognitive flexibility, and a self‐report measure assessing emotional experience of situations requiring cognitive flexibility. Positive associations between OCD symptoms and both poor cognitive flexibility and negative experience of situations requiring cognitive flexibility were found. Furthermore, those with OCD symptoms performed poorer on the cognitive flexibility task than those without OCD symptoms, and reported higher scores on the cognitive inflexibility questionnaire. Results confirm a relation between OCD symptoms and poor cognitive flexibility in a subclinical sample and identify a relation between OCD symptoms and a negative experience of situations that require cognitive flexibility. Overall findings suggest that poor cognitive flexibility may be an important part of OCD symptomatology.     

计算机自适应测验在特质焦虑量表中的运用

将基于项目反应理论的计算机自适应测验运用于特质焦虑量表,考察这一测验形式在人格测量中所具有的特性.收集特质焦虑量表真实纸笔作答数据,选用合适的心理测量模型,模拟计算机自适应测验.结果表明：相对纸笔测验而言,计算机自适应测验的测试效率更高、对被试的分辨力更强、结果更直观.计算机自适应测验在人格测量中的实践值得进一步探索.     

Examining the Response Competition Hypothesis of Age Effects in Implicit Memory

ABSTRACT

Age reductions in priming have been explained by differences in processing demands across implicit memory tests. According to one hypothesis, older adults show reduced priming relative to younger adults on implicit tests that require production of a response because these tests typically allow for response competition. In contrast, older adults do not show reductions in priming on identification tests that contain little response competition. The following experiments tested the specific role of response competition in mediating age effects in implicit memory. In Experiment 1, younger and older adults studied a list of words and were then given an implicit test of word stem completion. They studied a second list of words and were given an implicit test of general knowledge. Each implicit test contained items with unique solutions (the low response competition condition) and items with multiple solutions (the high response competition condition). In Experiment 2, younger and older adults were given explicit versions of the word stem completion and the general knowledge tests. Results showed an effect of age on explicit memory (Experiment 2), but no effect of age or response competition on priming (Experiment 1). Results are inconsistent with the theory that response competition leads to age effects on production tests of implicit memory.