A Social-Neuroscience Perspective on Empathy

ABSTRACT— In recent years, abundant evidence from behavioral and cognitive studies and functional-imaging experiments has indicated that individuals come to understand the emotional and affective states expressed by others with the help of the neural architecture that produces such states in themselves. Such a mechanism gives rise to shared representations, which constitutes one important aspect of empathy, although not the sole one. We suggest that other components, including people's ability to monitor and regulate cognitive and emotional processes to prevent confusion between self and other, are equally necessary parts of a functional model of empathy. We discuss data from recent functional-imaging studies in support of such a model and highlight the role of specific brain regions, notably the insula, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the right temporo-parietal region. Because this model assumes that empathy relies on dissociable information-processing mechanisms, it predicts a variety of structural or functional dysfunctions, depending on which mechanism is disrupted.     

Spontaneous emotional coordination of first-born dizygotic twins and singletons with their mothers in early infancy

We compare matching of facial expressions of emotion, completion of the positive valence of emotional expression, attunement of emotional intensity, and non-matching of emotion, in engagements with their mothers of firstborn dizygotic twins and of singletons. Nine twins and nine singletons were video-recorded at home in spontaneous face-to-face interactions from the second to the sixth month after birth. Microanalysis of infant and maternal facial expressions of emotion revealed qualitative and quantitative differences that indicate that engagements with twins had more frequent and more accurate emotional matching and attunements compared to those with singletons. Singletons displayed more emotional completion and non-matching reactions. Expressions of matching for pleasure and interest followed different developmental patterns in the two kinds of dyads. These results are discussed in relation to the theory of innate affective intersubjectivity. Differences may shed light on the relationship between sharing early life with a twin, and development of self-other awareness.     

Cultural influences in somatosensory amplification and their association with negative affective states

Previous research has indicated that, reflecting East Asians’ holistic attentional style, they are likely to emphasize more somatic symptoms and perceive their internal visceral states less accurately as compared with Westerners. Based on these findings, comparing representative samples of Americans and Japanese participants, this research examined whether somatosensory amplification would vary across cultures. Moreover, by controlling confounding factors, including neuroticism and chronic disorders, the possibility that the association between somatosensory amplification and negative affective states differs across cultures also was tested. The results showed that Japanese exhibit higher somatosensory amplification than do Americans. In both cultures, as neuroticism and the number of chronic disorders increased, negative affective states also increased, leading to higher somatosensory amplification. Whereas negative affective states completely mediated the paths of neuroticism and chronic disorders to somatosensory amplification in the United States, such mediation was partial in Japan. Moreover, the association between somatosensory amplification and negative affective states was weaker in Japanese than in Americans.     

Mitigating the Harmful Effect of Perceived Organizational Compliance on Trust in Top Management: Buffering Roles of Employees’ Personal Resources

This study considers how employees’ POC—defined as their beliefs that the organizational climate stifles change and values compliance with the status quo—reduce their trust in top management, as well as how this negative relationship might be buffered by access to two personal resources that support organizational change: openness to experience and affective commitment to change. Data from a sample of Pakistan-based organizations reveal that POC reduce trust in top management, but this effect is weaker at higher levels of openness to experience and affective commitment to change. These findings are significant in that they indicate that employees who operate in organizational climates marked by “yea-saying” can counter the difficulty of improving their job situation by drawing from adequate personal resources.     

“没有”为什么隐含着“消极情绪”?——否定加工中的情绪表征

采用情感错误归因范式(AMP)和经典情感启动范式(BFP), 在汉语双音节中性名词的前面加上否定或肯定词, 构成“没有/有XX”短语, 作为启动材料, 以中性俄语词或汉语情绪词为目标材料, 探讨了汉语否定加工的情绪表征。在实验1的AMP范式中, 刺激反应不同步(SOA)时间为200 ms和500 ms, 结果显示, 否定短语比肯定短语有显著高的消极反应概率; 在实验2的BFP范式中, 否定短语比肯定短语同样启动了更高的消极反应概率。实验结果表明, 否定本身具有消极效价, 否定加工通过消极情绪实现具身化。     

爱荷华博弈任务(IGT)与决策的认知神经机制

爱荷华博弈任务(IGT)是一项检查情感性决策机制的常用实验范式。据此, Damasio等人提出了躯体标记假设(SMH)解释情绪影响决策的神经生理机制。近期, 大量研究在IGT究竟是模糊决策还是风险决策、与情绪和认知的关系、与工作记忆和陈述性记忆的关系以及IGT的神经网络与分子遗传机制等方面积累了丰富资料。结果显示, IGT加工的早期由模糊决策主导, 情绪性躯体信号对引导决策选项的偏好可能起关键作用, 后期则倾向是一种风险决策, 认知评价和预期对选项偏向逐渐占优势; IGT与工作记忆的加工成分有相互重叠, 也需陈述性记忆的参与; IGT的加工不仅依赖于杏仁核、腹内侧前额皮层、眶额皮层等组成的情绪脑网络的活动, 还与背外侧前额皮层、海马、腹侧纹状体、岛叶皮层、辅助运动前区、扣带回皮层等许多脑区的活动有关; COMT和5-HTT的基因多态性会调节IGT相关的决策加工。总之, IGT是一项需要多重神经系统协同活动的决策加工任务, 且模糊与风险决策可能具有不同的遗传基础。     

CPM领导行为模式对员工利他行为及工作投入的作用机制

通过对我国26个省市企事业单位员工的问卷调查,探讨了CPM领导行为模式对员工利他行为和工作投入的影响途径。采用潜变量路径分析的方法,对两个阶段的模型进行检验和比较,结果表明：（1）C因素和M因素通过信任上司的完全中介作用影响利他行为和工作投入,而P因素则通过信任上司的部分中介作用对它们产生影响。（2）信任上司通过情感承诺的完全中介作用影响工作投入,通过情感承诺的部分中介作用影响员工的利他行为。     

初中生的社会比较对认知与情感信任的影响

本研究旨在探讨不同友谊状态下,初中生的社会比较对认知与情感信任的影响,及两种信任在社会比较与亲密度变化关系中的中介作用。有效被试为522名(M=12.87岁, SD=0.67),开学初让被试提名一位最亲密朋友,期中考试后让其比较与该好友的成绩排名并评价对好友的认知与情感信任水平,随后重新评价该好友的亲密度。结果表明:在亲密朋友(第二次依旧为最亲密的朋友)中,向下比较的情感信任高于向上比较,社会比较不影响认知信任;在普通朋友(第二次亲密度降低的朋友)中,向上比较的认知和情感信任均高于向下比较;社会比较只通过认知信任影响亲密度变化(完全中介),即相比于向下比较,向上比较时的认知信任水平较高,从而更有利于维持友谊的亲密性。     

情感事件理论的内容、应用及研究展望

组织中的情绪情感研究逐渐成为了学界关注的热点, 情感事件理论的出现为该领域研究提供了一个整合的框架。情感事件理论认为员工在工作中的情感反应由特定的工作事件引发, 这些情感反应会进一步影响员工的态度与行为。该理论区分了情感反应与工作满意度的差异, 并在对工作满意度解构的基础上提出了情感驱动型和判断驱动型两类不同性质的行为。情感事件理论对研究组织成员情感反应的作用机制具有重要的指导意义, 但另一方面它也需考虑团体层次情感机制及测量方法等因素, 在更加具体的情境中进一步验证和完善。     

SPEECH EVENTS, LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, AND THE CLINICAL SITUATION

Psychoanalysis brings about psychic change by the mediation of speech. This paper reflects upon the significance of the structure and developmental organisation of the speech event as a verbal and non-verbal unit composed of semantically and prosodically encoded messages, interactions and emotional contact between partners. Spoken words communicate semantic meanings and the affects of a given speech event. Words carry personal emotional meanings which are inseparable from their referential significance. Such emotional meanings are very hard to articulate in words. They are conveyed by the ineffable but essential feelings present in their sound and pronunciation. Speech is an intentionally object-related and emotionally engaging social activity resulting from a child having been spoken to early in life by an adult wanting to establish affective verbal contact. The early organisation and later transformation of the structure of the speech event carries private meanings for each person's listening and speaking stance. A refined understanding of the structural and emotional complexities of verbal communicative exchanges during analysis may enhance the analyst's ability to understand the patient'smanner of participation in the analytic process.