Roles of cognitive load and self-relevance during emotional information searching on decision-making

Older adults have been found to favor positive stimuli over negative stimuli; further, developing a negative preference may be a cognitively demanding process. In the present study, we focused on the joint effects task self-relevance and cognitive load have on older adults' emotional information preferences when performing decision-making. To examine this, we used multi-attribute decision tasks and process-tracing procedure to measure their searching process. The study composed of a 2 (age: young/old) × 2 (cognitive load: load/non-load) × 3 (attribute valence: positive/neutral/negative) × 3 (task self-relevance: high/medium/low) mixed design. Sixty-one young adults and 62 older adults viewed 5 (alternatives) × 5 (attributes) decision matrices that contained positive, negative, and neutral information, with the total views and mean time spent viewing each different valence (positive, negative, and neutral information) set as dependent variables. The results indicated that both young and old adults have no emotional information preference in regard to self-relevance. When under no cognitive load, both positive and negative information were viewed more than neutral information; however, under cognitive load, preference for negative information decreased; this effect size was more robust in older adults. There was also a main effect of self-relevance on total views and mean checking time, with attributes concerning higher self-relevance tasks being more likely to attract attention. Older adults exhibited a consistent hedonic focus, even in highly self-relevant contexts; however, this effect disappeared under cognitive load. Overall, the findings suggest that cognitive resources play an important role in emotional information processing during decision processes.     

Books received

Analytical Psychology
Hinshaw, Robert (ed.) The Rock Rabbit and The Rainbow
Serrano, Miguel. C. G. Jung and Hermann Hesse: A Record of Two Friendships.
Kennedy, Roger. The Elusive Human Subject: A Psychoanalytic Theory of Subject Relations.
Molino, Anthony (ed.) Freely Associated: Encounters in Psychoanalysis with Christopher Bollas, Joyce McDougall, Michael Eigen, Adam Phillips, Nina Coltart
Sandler, J., Holder, A., Dare, C. & Dreher, A. U. Freud's Models of the Mind: An Introduction
Hunt, Celia & Sampson, Fiona (eds.) The Self on the Page: Theory and Practice of Creative Writing in Personal Development.
Evans, John. Active Analytic Group Therapy for Adolescents.
Furer, Manuel, Nersessian, Edward & Perri, Carmela (eds.) Controversies in Contemporary Psychoanalysis: Lectures from the Faculty of the New York Psychoanalytic Institute.
Harwood, Irene & Pines, Malcolm (eds.) Self Experiences in Group: Intersubjective and Self Psychological Pathways to Human Understanding.
Marrone, Mario. Attachment and Interaction.
Rothstein, Arnold. Psychoanalytic Technique and the Creation of Analytic Patients.
Srole, Leo, Millman, Ernest Joel. Personal History and Health: The Midtown Longitudinal Study, 1954–1974.
Ulanov, Ann & Barry. Cinderella and Her Sisters: The Envied and the Envying.     

Some boundary conditions of the expressor culture effect in emotion recognition: Evidence from Hong Kong Chinese perceivers

In a recent review of the emotion recognition literature, Elfenbein and Ambady (2002) found that recognition is generally more accurate for perceivers from the same cultural group as the emotion expressors. In two studies conducted in Hong Kong, we found little evidence for such expressor culture effect. In contrast, a reverse trend was found in the recognition of several emotions. We interpret these findings in terms of the unique display and decoding rules of emotions in Asian contexts. In addition, the effects of expressor culture were observed only in non-pleasant emotions, but not in happiness. Finally, reaction time data revealed that identification of happiness is an automatic, holistic process, identification of non-pleasant emotions is a relatively capacity-consuming, piecemeal process.     

羞怯儿童对模糊情绪面孔的知觉偏差

采用类别知觉情绪识别范式,考察高、低羞怯儿童对快乐-愤怒和快乐-悲伤模糊情绪面孔的知觉偏差和知觉敏感性。结果发现：（1）相对于低羞怯儿童,高羞怯儿童倾向于将快乐-愤怒模糊情绪面孔知觉为愤怒,将快乐-悲伤模糊情绪面孔知觉为悲伤;（2）两组儿童在快乐-愤怒、快乐-悲伤模糊情绪面孔类别界线处的斜率差异均不显著。研究表明高羞怯儿童具有敌意归因偏向和更高的悲伤共情反应,而对快乐-愤怒和快乐-悲伤表情的类别转变不敏感。     

认知方式与消极情绪对旅游决策影响的实验研究

本研究在以往研究基础上,通过实验室实验,探索了个人的认知方式和消极情绪对旅游决策的影响。结果发现,认知方式的主效应不显著;消极情绪的主效应非常显著,有消极情绪唤醒的被试与没有消极情绪唤醒的被试．最终的决策结果,存在非常显著的差异。     

社会互动视角下的人际情绪调节：概念、测量和理论取向

人际情绪调节指的是个体通过与他人的互动,对自己或他人情绪进行调节的社会加工过程,对人际互动和社会关系的维持具有重要的意义。本文基于人际情绪调节社会互动的视角,首先探讨了人际情绪调节的概念;其次简要介绍了人际情绪调节的测量方法及其优缺点,包括主观评价法,实验室法和动态评估法等;最后分别从沟通理论和过程理论两方面梳理了人际情绪调节的研究,并针对这两方面的理论取向,提出相应的未来研究方向。     

认知重评和表达抑制情绪调节策略的脑网络分析：来自EEG和ERP的证据

本文旨在对认知重评和表达抑制两种常用情绪调节策略的自发脑网络特征及认知神经活动进行深入探讨。研究采集36名在校大学生的静息态和任务态脑电数据,经过源定位和图论分析发现节点效率与两种情绪调节显著相关的脑区,以及脑区之间的功能连接。研究结果表明,在使用认知重评进行情绪调节时会激活前额叶皮质、前扣带回、顶叶、海马旁回和枕叶等多个脑区,在使用表达抑制进行情绪调节时会激活前额叶皮质、顶叶、海马旁回、枕叶、颞叶和脑岛等多个脑区。因此,这些脑区的节点效率或功能连接强度可能成为评估个体使用认知重评和表达抑制调节情绪效果的指标。