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Zhou S, Sun Y, Zhao Y, Jiang T, Yang H, Li S. I prefer what you can see: The role of visual perspective-taking on the gaze-liking effect. Heliyon 2024; 10:e29615. [PMID: 38681601 PMCID: PMC11046107 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Individuals' gaze on an object usually leads others to prefer that object, which is called the gaze-liking effect. However, it is still unclear whether this effect is driven by social factors (i.e., visual perspective-taking) or the domain-general processing (i.e., attention cueing). This research explored the mechanism of the gaze-liking effect by manipulating the objects' visibility to an avatar in six online one-shot experiments. The results showed that participants' affective evaluation for the object was modulated by the avatar's visual perspective. Specifically, the visible object to the avatar received a higher rating of liking degree. However, when the avatar was replaced with a non-social stimulus, the experimental effect was absent. Furthermore, the gaze-liking effect was robust while controlling for confounding factors such as the distance between the object and the avatar or type of stimuli. These findings provided convincing evidence that the gaze-liking effect involves a process of the other's visual experience and is not merely a by-product of the gaze-cueing effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Zhou
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | | | - Yan Zhao
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Research Center for Regional and National Comparative Diplomacy, China Foreign Affairs University, Beijing, China
| | - Huaqi Yang
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Sha Li
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
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2
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Karjalainen S, Aro T, Parviainen T. Coactivation of Autonomic and Central Nervous Systems During Processing of Socially Relevant Information in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Neuropsychol Rev 2024; 34:214-231. [PMID: 36849624 PMCID: PMC10920494 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-023-09579-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Body-brain interaction provides a novel approach to understand neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this systematic review, we analyse the empirical evidence regarding coexisting differences in autonomic (ANS) and central nervous system (CNS) responses to social stimuli between individuals with ASD and typically developing individuals. Moreover, we review evidence of deviations in body-brain interaction during processing of socially relevant information in ASD. We conducted systematic literature searches in PubMed, Medline, PsychInfo, PsychArticles, and Cinahl databases (until 12.1.2022). Studies were included if individuals with ASD were compared with typically developing individuals, study design included processing of social information, and ANS and CNS activity were measured simultaneously. Out of 1892 studies identified based on the titles and abstracts, only six fulfilled the eligibility criteria to be included in synthesis. The quality of these studies was assessed using a quality assessment checklist. The results indicated that individuals with ASD demonstrate atypicalities in ANS and CNS signalling which, however, are context dependent. There were also indications for altered contribution of ANS-CNS interaction in processing of social information in ASD. However, the findings must be considered in the context of several limitations, such as small sample sizes and high variability in (neuro)physiological measures. Indeed, the methodological choices varied considerably, calling for a need for unified guidelines to improve the interpretability of results. We summarize the current experimentally supported understanding of the role of socially relevant body-brain interaction in ASD. Furthermore, we propose developments for future studies to improve incremental knowledge building across studies of ANS-CNS interaction involving individuals with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suvi Karjalainen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
| | - Tuija Aro
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Tiina Parviainen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
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3
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Newson M, Zhao Y, Zein ME, Sulik J, Dezecache G, Deroy O, Tunçgenç B. Digital contact does not promote wellbeing, but face-to-face contact does: A cross-national survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. NEW MEDIA & SOCIETY 2024; 26:426-449. [PMID: 38174349 PMCID: PMC10758341 DOI: 10.1177/14614448211062164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
With restricted face-to-face interactions, COVID-19 lockdowns and distancing measures tested the capability of computer-mediated communication to foster social contact and wellbeing. In a multinational sample (n = 6436), we investigated how different modes of contact related to wellbeing during the pandemic. Computer-mediated communication was more common than face-to-face, and its use was influenced by COVID-19 death rates, more so than state stringency measures. Despite its legal and health threats, face-to-face contact was still positively associated with wellbeing, and messaging apps had a negative association. Perceived household vulnerability to COVID-19 reduced the positive effect of face-to-face communication on wellbeing, but surprisingly, people's own vulnerability did not. Computer-mediated communication was particularly negatively associated with the wellbeing of young and empathetic people. Findings show people endeavored to remain socially connected, yet however, maintain a physical distance, despite the tangible costs to their wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marwa El Zein
- University College London, UK; Max-Planck for Human Development, Germany
| | | | | | - Ophelia Deroy
- Ludwig Maximilian University, Germany; University of London, UK
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4
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Chen T, Helminen TM, Linnunsalo S, Hietanen JK. Autonomic and facial electromyographic responses to watching eyes. Iperception 2024; 15:20416695231226059. [PMID: 38268784 PMCID: PMC10807318 DOI: 10.1177/20416695231226059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
We measured participants' psychophysiological responses and gaze behavior while viewing a stimulus person's direct and averted gaze in three different conditions manipulating the participants' experience of being watched. The results showed that skin conductance responses and heart rate deceleration responses were greater to direct than averted gaze only in the condition in which the participants had the experience of being watched by the other individual. In contrast, gaze direction had no effects on these responses when the participants were manipulated to believe that the other individual could not watch them or when the stimulus person was presented in a pre-recorded video. Importantly, the eye tracking measures showed no differences in participants' looking behavior between these stimulus presentation conditions. The results of facial electromyography responses suggested that direct gaze elicited greater zygomatic and periocular responses than averted gaze did, independent of the presentation condition. It was concluded that the affective arousal and attention-orienting indexing autonomic responses to eye contact are driven by the experience of being watched. In contrast, the facial responses seem to reflect automatized affiliative responses which can be elicited even in conditions in which seeing another's direct gaze does not signal that the self is being watched.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingji Chen
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Terhi M Helminen
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Samuli Linnunsalo
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jari K Hietanen
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
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5
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Wever MCM, van Houtum LAEM, Janssen LHC, Wentholt WGM, Spruit IM, Tollenaar MS, Will GJ, Elzinga BM. Looking into troubled waters: Childhood emotional maltreatment modulates neural responses to prolonged gazing into one's own, but not others', eyes. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:1598-1609. [PMID: 37880569 PMCID: PMC10684401 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01135-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
One of the most prevalent nonverbal, social phenomena known to automatically elicit self- and other-referential processes is eye contact. By its negative effects on the perception of social safety and views about the self and others, childhood emotional maltreatment (CEM) may fundamentally affect these processes. To investigate whether the socioaffective consequences of CEM may become visible in response to (prolonged) eye gaze, 79 adult participants (mean [M]age = 49.87, standard deviation [SD]age = 4.62) viewed videos with direct and averted gaze of an unfamiliar other and themselves while we recorded self-reported mood, eye movements using eye-tracking, and markers of neural activity using fMRI. Participants who reported higher levels of CEM exhibited increased activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex to one's own, but not to others', direct gaze. Furthermore, in contrast to those who reported fewer of such experiences, they did not report a better mood in response to a direct gaze of self and others, despite equivalent amounts of time spent looking into their own and other peoples' eyes. The fact that CEM is associated with enhanced neural activation in a brain area that is crucially involved in self-referential processing (i.e., vmPFC) in response to one's own direct gaze is in line with the chronic negative impact of CEM on a person's self-views. Interventions that directly focus on targeting maladaptive self-views elicited during eye gaze to self may be clinically useful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjam C M Wever
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Lisanne A E M van Houtum
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Loes H C Janssen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Wilma G M Wentholt
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Iris M Spruit
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marieke S Tollenaar
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Geert-Jan Will
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Bernet M Elzinga
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
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6
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Alhasan A, Caruana N. Evidence for the adaptive parsing of non-communicative eye movements during joint attention interactions. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16363. [PMID: 38025743 PMCID: PMC10668824 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
During social interactions, the ability to detect and respond to gaze-based joint attention bids often involves the evaluation of non-communicative eye movements. However, very little is known about how much humans are able to track and parse spatial information from these non-communicative eye movements over time, and the extent to which this influences joint attention outcomes. This was investigated in the current study using an interactive computer-based joint attention game. Using a fully within-subjects design, we specifically examined whether participants were quicker to respond to communicative joint attention bids that followed predictive, as opposed to random or no, non-communicative gaze behaviour. Our results suggest that in complex, dynamic tasks, people adaptively use and dismiss non-communicative gaze information depending on whether it informs the locus of an upcoming joint attention bid. We also went further to examine the extent to which this ability to track dynamic spatial information was specific to processing gaze information. This was achieved by comparing performance to a closely matched non-social task where eye gaze cues were replaced with dynamic arrow stimuli. Whilst we found that people are also able to track and use dynamic non-social information from arrows, there was clear evidence for a relative advantage for tracking gaze cues during social interactions. The implications of these findings for social neuroscience and autism research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayeh Alhasan
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Perception in Action Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nathan Caruana
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Perception in Action Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Linnunsalo S, Küster D, Yrttiaho S, Peltola MJ, Hietanen JK. Psychophysiological responses to eye contact with a humanoid robot: Impact of perceived intentionality. Neuropsychologia 2023; 189:108668. [PMID: 37619935 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Eye contact with a social robot has been shown to elicit similar psychophysiological responses to eye contact with another human. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the attention- and affect-related psychophysiological responses differentiate between direct (toward the observer) and averted gaze mainly when viewing embodied faces that are capable of social interaction, whereas pictorial or pre-recorded stimuli have no such capability. It has been suggested that genuine eye contact, as indicated by the differential psychophysiological responses to direct and averted gaze, requires a feeling of being watched by another mind. Therefore, we measured event-related potentials (N170 and frontal P300) with EEG, facial electromyography, skin conductance, and heart rate deceleration responses to seeing a humanoid robot's direct versus averted gaze, while manipulating the impression of the robot's intentionality. The results showed that the N170 and the facial zygomatic responses were greater to direct than to averted gaze of the robot, and independent of the robot's intentionality, whereas the frontal P300 responses were more positive to direct than to averted gaze only when the robot appeared intentional. The study provides further evidence that the gaze behavior of a social robot elicits attentional and affective responses and adds that the robot's seemingly autonomous social behavior plays an important role in eliciting higher-level socio-cognitive processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuli Linnunsalo
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
| | - Dennis Küster
- Cognitive Systems Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Santeri Yrttiaho
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Mikko J Peltola
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland; Tampere Institute for Advanced Study, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jari K Hietanen
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
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8
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Clin E, Kissine M. Neurotypical, but not autistic, adults might experience distress when looking at someone avoiding eye contact: A live face-to-face paradigm. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2023; 27:1949-1959. [PMID: 36688307 DOI: 10.1177/13623613221148553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT What is already known about the topic?Autistics are usually reported to share less eye contact than neurotypicals with their interlocutors. However, the reason why autistics might pay less attention to eyes looking at them is still unknown: some autistics express being hyper-aroused by this eye contact, while some eye-tracking studies suggest that eye contact is associated with hypo-arousal in autism.What this paper adds?This study is based on a highly controlled live face-to-face paradigm, combining a wearable eye-tracker (to study eye behaviours) with electrodermal activity sensors (to assess potential stress). We draw a nuanced picture of social attention in autism, as our autistic participants did not differ from our neurotypical group in their eye behaviours nor their skin conductance responses. However, we found that neurotypicals, compared to autistics, seemed to be much more distressed when their interlocutor did not gaze at them during the experiment.Implications for practice, research or policy:Our study encourages to consider social interaction difficulties in autism as a relational issue, instead as an individual deficit. This step might be first taken in research, by implementing paradigms sensitive to the experimenter's role and attitude.
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Petereit P, Weiblen R, Perry A, Krämer UM. Effects of social presence on behavioral, neural, and physiological aspects of empathy for pain. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:9954-9970. [PMID: 37462059 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In mediated interactions (e.g. video calls), less information is available about the other. To investigate how this affects our empathy for one another, we conducted an electroencephalogram study, in which 30 human participants observed 1 of 5 targets undergoing painful electric stimulation, once in a direct interaction and once in a live, video-mediated interaction. We found that observers were as accurate in judging others' pain and showed as much affective empathy via video as in a direct encounter. While mu suppression, a common neural marker of empathy, was not sensitive to others' pain, theta responses to others' pain as well as skin conductance coupling between participants were reduced in the video-mediated condition. We conclude that physical proximity with its rich social cues is important for nuanced physiological resonance with the other's experience. More studies are warranted to confirm these results and to understand their behavioral significance for remote social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Petereit
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ronja Weiblen
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Anat Perry
- Psychology Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, 91905 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ulrike M Krämer
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
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10
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Balki E, Holland C, Hayes N. Use and Acceptance of Digital Communication Technology by Older Adults for Social Connectedness During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mixed Methods Study. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e41535. [PMID: 37531187 PMCID: PMC10433026 DOI: 10.2196/41535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Older adults are at higher risk for health issues, including mental health problems. This was especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, where older adults were simultaneously more vulnerable to the disease and the mental health concerns created by social distancing. Subsequently, the use of digital communication technology (DCT) became a critical option for maintaining social connectedness in older adults. Prior to the pandemic, the low uptake and use of technology by older adults was an established problem, known as the digital divide. However, not much is known about how this may have changed as a result of the pandemic. OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore how older adults maintained social connectedness through DCT during the pandemic and to understand factors influencing the use and acceptance of DCT. METHODS A mixed methods explorative field study was set up, involving surveys and interviews of 25 community-dwelling older adults (65-88 years old) living in the United Kingdom. The surveys included the internet acceptance questionnaire (based on the Technology Acceptance Model [TAM]); COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety was captured using the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (CAS). Background information (demographics, use of technology) was gathered before conducting semistructured interviews. We hypothesized that CAS would affect constructs of TAM and that predictive constructs of TAM would have remained valid during the pandemic. We also posited that there would be unidentified themes outside TAM that impacted the acceptance and use of DCT. We used the quantitative data to guide the semistructured interviews, which were then analyzed through thematic analysis to identify additional themes. RESULTS Correlational analysis showed that CAS influences all constructs of TAM. We also saw that the predictive constructs of TAM, especially the perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU), remained valid during the pandemic. Common acceptance-influencing themes were encountered in both quantitative and qualitative analyses, with 3 matching the known constructs of TAM (PU, PEU, and behavioral intention). We identified 2 additional themes affecting acceptance, namely influence of the pandemic (situational context) and privacy and security concerns. DCT use (especially email and videoconferencing use) increased during the pandemic, but the results related to social networking sites were mixed. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic impacted technology acceptance and use by older adults, encouraging their use of certain DCT apps (email and videoconferencing apps, such as WhatsApp). These apps helped insulate them from adverse effects (social isolation and loneliness). Other social networking apps, however, exerted a negative influence, increasing anxiety and a general feeling of negativity. Future studies should maximize older adult agency related to design, privacy, security, and user requirements for development. We also recommend that when studying DCT acceptance for older adults, our additional identified themes should be considered alongside the existing TAM constructs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Balki
- Centre for Ageing and Research, Division of Health, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Carol Holland
- Centre for Ageing and Research, Division of Health, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Niall Hayes
- Nottingham Trent University, The Directorate, Notthingham, United Kingdom
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11
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Diana F, Juárez-Mora OE, Boekel W, Hortensius R, Kret ME. How video calls affect mimicry and trust during interactions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210484. [PMID: 36871586 PMCID: PMC9985972 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Many social species, humans included, mimic emotional expressions, with important consequences for social bonding. Although humans increasingly interact via video calls, little is known about the effect of these online interactions on the mimicry of scratching and yawning, and their linkage with trust. The current study investigated whether mimicry and trust are affected by these new communication media. Using participant-confederate dyads (n = 27), we tested the mimicry of four behaviours across three different conditions: watching a pre-recorded video, online video call, and face-to-face. We measured mimicry of target behaviours frequently observed in emotional situations, yawn and scratch and control behaviours, lip-bite and face-touch. In addition, trust in the confederate was assessed via a trust game. Our study revealed that (i) mimicry and trust did not differ between face-to-face and video calls, but were significantly lower in the pre-recorded condition; and (ii) target behaviours were significantly more mimicked than the control behaviours. This negative relationship can possibly be explained by the negative connotation usually associated with the behaviours included in this study. Overall, this study showed that video calls might provide enough interaction cues for mimicry to occur in our student population and during interactions between strangers. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Face2face: advancing the science of social interaction'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola Diana
- Comparative Psychology and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Oscar E. Juárez-Mora
- Laboratorio de Ecología de La Conducta, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Puebla 72530, Mexico
| | - Wouter Boekel
- Comparative Psychology and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ruud Hortensius
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mariska E. Kret
- Comparative Psychology and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
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12
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Angelini L, Tamburro G, Lionetti F, Spinelli M, Comani S, Zappasodi F, Fasolo M, Aureli T. Alpha and theta brain activity in 9-month-old infants during a live referential gaze paradigm. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14198. [PMID: 36271701 PMCID: PMC10078202 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The ability to establish a connection between the direction of the other's gaze and the object that is observed has important implications in the development of social cognition and learning. In this study, we analyzed alpha and theta band oscillations in one group of 9-month-old infants by implementing a face-to-face live paradigm, which presented the infants with a triadic social interaction with a real human being. We compared neural activations in two experimental conditions: Congruent and Incongruent gaze shift following the appearance of an object. In the Incongruent object-gaze shift condition, we observed an increase of the theta power in comparison with the Congruent condition. We also found an enhancement of the alpha activity during the Congruent versus the Incongruent object-gaze condition. These findings confirm the involvement of the theta and alpha band activity in the detection of the gaze of others when it shifts toward a referential target. We consider that the theta band modulation could be associated with the processing of unexpected events. Furthermore, the increase of the alpha band activity during the Congruent object-gaze condition seems to be in agreement with prior findings on the mechanisms of internally controlled attention that emerge before the first year of life. The implementation of a live paradigm elicited a partially different oscillatory pattern in comparison with non-live standard paradigms, supporting the importance of an ecological set-up reproducing real-life conditions to study the development of social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Angelini
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Gabriella Tamburro
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics Center, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Francesca Lionetti
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Maria Spinelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Silvia Comani
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics Center, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Filippo Zappasodi
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics Center, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Mirco Fasolo
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Tiziana Aureli
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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13
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Sun W, Chen T, Hietanen JK. Skin conductance, facial EMG, and heart rate responses in multi-person gaze interactions. Biol Psychol 2023; 176:108465. [PMID: 36442581 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Previous literature has reported enhanced affective and attentional responses to faces with a direct vs. averted gaze. Typically, in these studies, only single faces were presented. However, daily social encounters often involve interaction with more than just one person. By employing an experimental set-up in which the participants believed they were interacting with two other persons, the present study, for the first time, investigated participants' skin conductance, facial electromyographic (EMG), and heart rate deceleration responses in multi-person eye contact situations. Responses were measured in two different social contexts; i) when the participants observed eye contact between two other persons ('vicarious eye contact effect'), and ii) when the participants themselves received direct gaze either from one or two persons. The results showed that the skin conductance, facial EMG, and heart rate deceleration responses elicited by observing two other persons making eye contact did not differ from those elicited by observing one person looking at the other while the other person was not reciprocating with their gaze. As a novel finding, the results showed that receiving direct gaze from two persons elicited greater affective arousal and zygomatic EMG, but smaller heart rate deceleration responses in participants than receiving direct gaze from one person only. The findings are thoroughly discussed and it is concluded that physiological responses in multi-person interaction contexts are influenced by many social effects between the interactors and can be markedly different from those observed in two-person interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenting Sun
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Tingji Chen
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China.
| | - Jari K Hietanen
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
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14
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Being watched by a humanoid robot and a human: Effects on affect-related psychophysiological responses. Biol Psychol 2022; 175:108451. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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15
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Mauersberger H, Kastendieck T, Hess U. I looked at you, you looked at me, I smiled at you, you smiled at me—The impact of eye contact on emotional mimicry. Front Psychol 2022; 13:970954. [PMID: 36248540 PMCID: PMC9556997 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.970954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Eye contact is an essential element of human interaction and direct eye gaze has been shown to have effects on a range of attentional and cognitive processes. Specifically, direct eye contact evokes a positive affective reaction. As such, it has been proposed that obstructed eye contact reduces emotional mimicry (i.e., the imitation of our counterpart’s emotions). So far, emotional mimicry research has used averted-gaze faces or unnaturally covered eyes (with black censor bars) to analyze the effect of eye contact on emotional mimicry. However, averted gaze can also signal disinterest/ disengagement and censor bars obscure eye-adjacent areas as well and hence impede emotion recognition. In the present study (N = 44), we used a more ecological valid approach by showing photos of actors who expressed either happiness, sadness, anger, or disgust while either wearing mirroring sunglasses that obstruct eye contact or clear glasses. The glasses covered only the direct eye region but not the brows, nose ridge, and cheeks. Our results confirm that participants were equally accurate in recognizing the emotions of their counterparts in both conditions (sunglasses vs. glasses). Further, in line with our hypotheses, participants felt closer to the targets and mimicked affiliative emotions more intensely when their counterparts wore glasses instead of sunglasses. For antagonistic emotions, we found the opposite pattern: Disgust mimicry, which was interpreted as an affective reaction rather than genuine mimicry, could be only found in the sunglasses condition. It may be that obstructed eye contact increased the negative impression of disgusted facial expressions and hence the negative feelings disgust faces evoked. The present study provides further evidence for the notion that eye contact is an important prerequisite for emotional mimicry and hence for smooth and satisfying social interactions.
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16
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Wever MCM, van Houtum LAEM, Janssen LHC, Wentholt WGM, Spruit IM, Tollenaar MS, Will GJ, Elzinga BM. Neural and Affective Responses to Prolonged Eye Contact with One's Own Adolescent Child and Unfamiliar Others. Neuroimage 2022; 260:119463. [PMID: 35830902 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Eye contact is crucial for the formation and maintenance of social relationships, and plays a key role in facilitating a strong parent-child bond. However, the precise neural and affective mechanisms through which eye contact impacts on parent-child relationships remain elusive. We introduce a task to assess parents' neural and affective responses to prolonged direct and averted gaze coming from their own child, and an unfamiliar child and adult. While in the scanner, 79 parents (n = 44 mothers and n = 35 fathers) were presented with prolonged (16-38 s) videos of their own child, an unfamiliar child, an unfamiliar adult, and themselves (i.e., targets), facing the camera with a direct or an averted gaze. We measured BOLD-responses, tracked parents' eye movements during the videos, and asked them to report on their mood and feelings of connectedness with the targets after each video. Parents reported improved mood and increased feelings of connectedness after prolonged exposure to direct versus averted gaze and these effects were amplified for unfamiliar targets compared to their own child, due to high affect and connectedness ratings after videos of their own child. Neuroimaging results showed that the sight of one's own child was associated with increased activity in middle occipital gyrus, fusiform gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus relative to seeing an unfamiliar child or adult. While we found no robust evidence of specific neural correlates of eye contact (i.e., contrast direct > averted gaze), an exploratory parametric analysis showed that dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) activity increased linearly with duration of eye contact (collapsed across all "other" targets). Eye contact-related dmPFC activity correlated positively with increases in feelings of connectedness, suggesting that this region may drive feelings of connectedness during prolonged eye contact with others. These results underline the importance of prolonged eye contact for affiliative processes and provide first insights into its neural correlates. This may pave the way for new research in individuals or pairs in whom affiliative processes are disrupted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjam C M Wever
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Lisanne A E M van Houtum
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Loes H C Janssen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Wilma G M Wentholt
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Iris M Spruit
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Marieke S Tollenaar
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Geert-Jan Will
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Bernet M Elzinga
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
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17
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Kulke L, Langer T, Valuch C. The Emotional Lockdown: How Social Distancing and Mask Wearing Influence Mood and Emotion Recognition in Adolescents and Adults. Front Psychol 2022; 13:878002. [PMID: 35756255 PMCID: PMC9226820 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.878002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, government-mandated protection measures such as contact restrictions and mask wearing significantly affected social interactions. In the current preregistered studies we hypothesized that such measures could influence self-reported mood in adults and in adolescents between 12 and 13 years of age, who are in a critical phase of social development. We found that mood was positively related to face-to-face but not to virtual interactions in adults and that virtual interactions were associated with negative mood in adolescents. This suggests that contact restrictions leading to a decrease in face-to-face compared to virtual interactions may be related to negative mood. To understand if prolonged exposure to people wearing masks during the pandemic might be related to increased sensitivity for subtle visual cues to others’ emotions from the eye region of the face, we also presented both age groups with the same standardized emotion recognition test. We found slightly better performance in emotion recognition from the eyes in our student sample tested during the pandemic relative to a comparable sample tested prior to the pandemic although these differences were restricted to female participants. Adolescents were also better at classifying emotions from the eyes in the current study than in a pre-pandemic sample, with no gender effects occurring in this age group. In conclusion, while social distancing might have detrimental effects on self-reported mood, the ability to recognize others’ emotions from subtle visual cues around the eye region remained comparable or might have even improved during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louisa Kulke
- Neurocognitive Developmental Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Theresia Langer
- Neurocognitive Developmental Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christian Valuch
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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18
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Kaiser N, Henry K, Eyjólfsdóttir H. Eye Contact in Video Communication: Experiences of Co-creating Relationships. Front Psychol 2022; 13:852692. [PMID: 35572344 PMCID: PMC9094362 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.852692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased number of persons have been forced to limit their interactions with friends and families to contact via video, which excludes eye-contact. The aim of this study was to examine individuals’ experiences of the difference between forced skewed visuality and the ability for eye-contact in conversations. Two custom-made units allowed 15 participants interacting in dyads to alternate between being able to make eye contact and having that ability removed through skewed visuality. Participants reported their experiences in semi-structured interviews. Data analyzed with qualitative content analysis resulted in three themes: Shared eye contact allows us to create our relationship together; With eye contact, we adjust to each other to feel more connected and less intimidated; and We get more self-conscious when the visuality is skewed or shifting. The results imply that skewed visuality as forced lack of eye-contact in video conversations effects embodied non-verbal processes related to sense of connectedness and participatory sensemaking, creating a sense of both emotional and physical distance, as well as heightening self-awareness about the need of actively regulating the other. We argue that this is one of the ways to understand the impact of moving interactions to online communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niclas Kaiser
- Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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19
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Leutrum M. The analyst as user illusion: therapy in the time of COVID-19. THE JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 67:170-182. [PMID: 35417575 PMCID: PMC9111122 DOI: 10.1111/1468-5922.12778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
In his essay The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man, Jung states that ‘The spiritual problem of modern man is one of those questions which are so much part of the age we live in that we cannot see them in proper perspective. Modern man is an entirely new phenomenon; a modern problem is one which has just arisen and whose answer still lies in the future’ (Jung 1928, para. 148). During the pandemic, analytic treatment largely moved to online platforms. I propose an examination of the implications of video therapy for our experience and understanding of the analytic frame and container. Through the introduction of Marina Abramović’s performance piece entitled The Artist is Present, which took place at MoMA, New York, in 2010, I explore some reverberations of technologically‐mediated sessions. By putting Abramović’s piece in context with some of my experiences, I draw conclusions regarding a technologically‐mediated therapeutic paradigm. Supported by writings from authors André Sassenfeld, Tor Nørretranders and Iain McGilchrist, I introduce the concept of ‘exformation’ and investigate different neuroscientific presets of human perception and communication. I will ask how they might affect online therapeutic work and our experience of an embodied versus a virtual co‐presence.
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20
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García E, Di Paolo EA, De Jaegher H. Embodiment in online psychotherapy: A qualitative study. Psychol Psychother 2022; 95:191-211. [PMID: 34390129 DOI: 10.1111/papt.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many therapists and patients have been required to switch to online sessions in order to continue their treatments. Online psychotherapy has become increasingly popular, and although its efficacy seems to be similar to face-to-face encounters, its capacity to support the implicit nonverbal and embodied aspects of the therapeutic relationship has been questioned and remains understudied. OBJECTIVES To study how embodied and intersubjective processes are modified in online psychotherapy sessions. DESIGN Taking the enactive concept of participatory sense-making as a guiding thread, we designed an interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine the experiences of embodiment in online therapy. METHODS We conducted phenomenological semi-structured interviews with patients and therapists who have recently switched from face-to-face encounters to online modality. RESULTS Adjustments in verbal and nonverbal behavior, gaze behavior, management of silences, and displacements of non-intentional and pre-reflective patterns onto reflective ones are reported as necessary to compensate for changes introduced in the online modality. CONCLUSIONS From an enactive perspective, such adaptations manifest regulatory processes aimed at sustaining interactive dynamics and coordinating the primordial tension between relational and individual norms in social encounters. PRACTITIONER POINTS We examine different aspects of embodiment that practitioners should take into account when switching from face-to-face to online encounters with their clients. Online communication systems can alter aspects of the therapeutic relationship, such as its structure, its fragility, and its significance. Video calls afford new forms of intervention such as integrating the experience of patients with their self-image, incorporating information about their habitual environment into the process, and adopting less confrontational therapeutic styles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enara García
- IAS-Research Center for Mind, Life and Society, Department of Philosophy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Ezequiel A Di Paolo
- IAS-Research Center for Mind, Life and Society, Department of Philosophy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian, Spain.,IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.,Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Hanne De Jaegher
- IAS-Research Center for Mind, Life and Society, Department of Philosophy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian, Spain.,ChatLab, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
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21
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Ahn S, Park S. Online Art Therapy for an Adult in COVID-19-Related Quarantine: A Case Study. ART THERAPY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2021.2013717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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22
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Önen Ünsalver B, Evrensel A, Kaya Yertutanol FD, Dönmez A, Ceylan ME. The Changeable Positioning of the Couch and Repositioning to Face-to-Face Arrangement in Psychoanalysis to Facilitate the Experience of Being Seen. Front Psychol 2021; 12:718319. [PMID: 34867597 PMCID: PMC8632814 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Bariş Önen Ünsalver
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Uskudar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Alper Evrensel
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Uskudar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | - Aslihan Dönmez
- Department of Psychology, Bogaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Emin Ceylan
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Uskudar University, Istanbul, Turkey
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23
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Many heads are more utilitarian than one. Cognition 2021; 220:104965. [PMID: 34872034 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Moral judgments have a very prominent social nature, and in everyday life, they are continually shaped by discussions with others. Psychological investigations of these judgments, however, have rarely addressed the impact of social interactions. To examine the role of social interaction on moral judgments within small groups, we had groups of 4 to 5 participants judge moral dilemmas first individually and privately, then collectively and interactively, and finally individually a second time. We employed both real-life and sacrificial moral dilemmas in which the character's action or inaction violated a moral principle to benefit the greatest number of people. Participants decided if these utilitarian decisions were morally acceptable or not. In Experiment 1, we found that collective judgments in face-to-face interactions were more utilitarian than the statistical aggregate of their members compared to both first and second individual judgments. This observation supported the hypothesis that deliberation and consensus within a group transiently reduce the emotional burden of norm violation. In Experiment 2, we tested this hypothesis more directly: measuring participants' state anxiety in addition to their moral judgments before, during, and after online interactions, we found again that collectives were more utilitarian than those of individuals and that state anxiety level was reduced during and after social interaction. The utilitarian boost in collective moral judgments is probably due to the reduction of stress in the social setting.
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24
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Wahn B, Schmitz L, Kingstone A, Böckler-Raettig A. When eyes beat lips: speaker gaze affects audiovisual integration in the McGurk illusion. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 86:1930-1943. [PMID: 34854983 PMCID: PMC9363401 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01618-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Eye contact is a dynamic social signal that captures attention and plays a critical role in human communication. In particular, direct gaze often accompanies communicative acts in an ostensive function: a speaker directs her gaze towards the addressee to highlight the fact that this message is being intentionally communicated to her. The addressee, in turn, integrates the speaker’s auditory and visual speech signals (i.e., her vocal sounds and lip movements) into a unitary percept. It is an open question whether the speaker’s gaze affects how the addressee integrates the speaker’s multisensory speech signals. We investigated this question using the classic McGurk illusion, an illusory percept created by presenting mismatching auditory (vocal sounds) and visual information (speaker’s lip movements). Specifically, we manipulated whether the speaker (a) moved his eyelids up/down (i.e., open/closed his eyes) prior to speaking or did not show any eye motion, and (b) spoke with open or closed eyes. When the speaker’s eyes moved (i.e., opened or closed) before an utterance, and when the speaker spoke with closed eyes, the McGurk illusion was weakened (i.e., addressees reported significantly fewer illusory percepts). In line with previous research, this suggests that motion (opening or closing), as well as the closed state of the speaker’s eyes, captured addressees’ attention, thereby reducing the influence of the speaker’s lip movements on the addressees’ audiovisual integration process. Our findings reaffirm the power of speaker gaze to guide attention, showing that its dynamics can modulate low-level processes such as the integration of multisensory speech signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basil Wahn
- Department of Psychology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Laura Schmitz
- Institute of Sports Science, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Alan Kingstone
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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25
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Woody ML, Price RB, Amole M, Hutchinson E, Benoit Allen K, Silk JS. Using mobile eye-tracking technology to examine adolescent daughters' attention to maternal affect during a conflict discussion. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22024. [PMID: 32767376 PMCID: PMC7885127 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Attention to socio-emotional stimuli (i.e., affect-biased attention) is an integral component of emotion regulation and human communication. Given the strong link between maternal affect and adolescent behavior, maternal affect may be a critical influence on adolescent affect-biased attention during mother-child interaction. However, prior methodological constraints have precluded fine-grained examinations of factors such as maternal affect on adolescent attention during real-world social interaction. Therefore, this pilot study capitalized on previously validated technological advances by using mobile eye-tracking and facial affect coding software to quantify the influence of maternal affect on adolescents' attention to the mother during a conflict discussion. Results from 7,500 to 9,000 time points sampled for each mother-daughter dyad (n = 28) indicated that both negative and positive maternal affect, relative to neutral, elicited more adolescent attentional avoidance of the mother (ORs = 2.68-9.20), suggesting that typically developing adolescents may seek to avoid focusing on maternal affect of either valence during a conflict discussion. By examining the moment-to-moment association between in vivo displays of maternal affect and subsequent adolescent attention toward the mother's face, these results provide preliminary evidence that maternal affect moderates adolescent attention. Our findings are consistent with cross-species approach-avoidance models suggesting that offspring respond to affectively charged conversations with greater behavioral avoidance or deference.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rebecca B. Price
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychology
| | | | | | | | - Jennifer S. Silk
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychology
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26
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Hietanen JK, Peltola MJ. The eye contact smile: The effects of sending and receiving a direct gaze. VISUAL COGNITION 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2021.1915904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jari K. Hietanen
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Mikko J. Peltola
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
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27
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Schellen E, Bossi F, Wykowska A. Robot Gaze Behavior Affects Honesty in Human-Robot Interaction. Front Artif Intell 2021; 4:663190. [PMID: 34046585 PMCID: PMC8144295 DOI: 10.3389/frai.2021.663190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
As the use of humanoid robots proliferates, an increasing amount of people may find themselves face-to-“face” with a robot in everyday life. Although there is a plethora of information available on facial social cues and how we interpret them in the field of human-human social interaction, we cannot assume that these findings flawlessly transfer to human-robot interaction. Therefore, more research on facial cues in human-robot interaction is required. This study investigated deception in human-robot interaction context, focusing on the effect that eye contact with a robot has on honesty toward this robot. In an iterative task, participants could assist a humanoid robot by providing it with correct information, or potentially secure a reward for themselves by providing it with incorrect information. Results show that participants are increasingly honest after the robot establishes eye contact with them, but only if this is in response to deceptive behavior. Behavior is not influenced by the establishment of eye contact if the participant is actively engaging in honest behavior. These findings support the notion that humanoid robots can be perceived as, and treated like, social agents, since the herein described effect mirrors one present in human-human social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elef Schellen
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Francesco Bossi
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy.,MoMiLab Research Unit, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Agnieszka Wykowska
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
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28
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Bastoni S, Wrede C, Ammar A, Braakman-Jansen A, Sanderman R, Gaggioli A, Trabelsi K, Masmoudi L, Boukhris O, Glenn JM, Bouaziz B, Chtourou H, van Gemert-Pijnen L. Psychosocial Effects and Use of Communication Technologies during Home Confinement in the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy and The Netherlands. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:2619. [PMID: 33807851 PMCID: PMC7967354 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced people from all around the globe to strongly modify their daily routines, putting a significant strain on the social aspects of daily lives. While the first wave of the pandemic was a very challenging time in all countries, it is still uncertain whether various lockdown intensities and infection rates differed regarding their psychosocial impact. This work therefore aimed to investigate (i) the psychosocial effects of home confinement in two European countries that underwent different lockdown intensities: Italy and the Netherlands and (ii) the role of communication technology in relation to feelings of loneliness. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional online survey inquiring about different psychosocial variables and the use of and satisfaction towards communication technology was circulated among the general public during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 629 participants (66% female, 68% from the Netherlands) answered each question twice, referring to "before" and "during" the pandemic. (3) Results: We found significant negative effects of COVID-19 home confinement on depressive feelings (p < 0.001, %∆ = +54%), loneliness (p < 0.001, %∆ = +37.3%), life satisfaction (p < 0.001, %∆ = -19.8%) and mental wellbeing (p < 0.001, %∆ = -10.6%) which were accompanied with a significantly increased need for psychosocial support (p < 0.001, %∆ = +17.3%). However, the magnitude of psychosocial impact did not significantly differ between residents undergoing a more intense (Italy) versus a less intense (Netherlands) lockdown, although the decrease in social participation was found to be significantly different for both countries (z = -7.714, p < 0.001). Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that the increase in loneliness was associated with the adoption of new digital communication tools (r = 0.21, p < 0.001), and significantly higher for individuals who started to adopt at least one new digital communication tool during confinement than for those who did not (z = -4.252, p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: This study highlights that, although COVID-19 home confinement significantly impacted psychosocial wellbeing during the first wave of the pandemic, this impact did not differ based on lockdown intensity. Recognizing the increasing adoption of digital communication technology in an attempt to reduce lockdown loneliness, future studies should investigate what is needed from the technology to achieve this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Bastoni
- Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands; (A.B.-J.); (R.S.); (L.v.G.-P.)
| | - Christian Wrede
- Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands; (A.B.-J.); (R.S.); (L.v.G.-P.)
| | - Achraf Ammar
- Institute of Sport Science, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany;
- Interdisciplinary Laboratory in Neurosciences, Physiology and Psychology: Physical Activity, Health and Learning (LINP2), UFR STAPS, UPL, Paris Nanterre University, 92000 Nanterre, France
| | - Annemarie Braakman-Jansen
- Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands; (A.B.-J.); (R.S.); (L.v.G.-P.)
| | - Robbert Sanderman
- Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands; (A.B.-J.); (R.S.); (L.v.G.-P.)
- Department of Health Psychology, University Medical Center Groningen, 9712 Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Gaggioli
- Department of Psychology, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 20123 Milan, Italy;
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, I.r.c.c.s. Istituto Auxologico Italiano, 20149 Milan, Italy
| | - Khaled Trabelsi
- High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia; (K.T.); (L.M.); (O.B.); (H.C.)
- Research Laboratory: Education, Motricité, Sport et Santé, EM2S, LR19JS01, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Liwa Masmoudi
- High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia; (K.T.); (L.M.); (O.B.); (H.C.)
| | - Omar Boukhris
- High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia; (K.T.); (L.M.); (O.B.); (H.C.)
| | - Jordan M. Glenn
- Exercise Science Research Center, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, NC AR72701, USA;
| | - Bassem Bouaziz
- Multimedia Information Systems and Advanced Computing Laboratory (MIRACL), University of Sfax, 3021 Sfax, Tunisia;
| | - Hamdi Chtourou
- High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia; (K.T.); (L.M.); (O.B.); (H.C.)
- Activité Physique, Sport et Santé, UR18JS01, Observatoire National du Sport, 1003 Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen
- Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands; (A.B.-J.); (R.S.); (L.v.G.-P.)
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Abstract
Remote delivery of evidence-based psychological therapies via video conference has become particularly relevant following the COVID-19 pandemic, and is likely to be an on-going method of treatment delivery post-COVID. Remotely delivered therapy could be of particular benefit for people with social anxiety disorder (SAD), who tend to avoid or delay seeking face-to-face therapy, often due to anxiety about travelling to appointments and meeting mental health professionals in person. Individual cognitive therapy for SAD (CT-SAD), based on the Clark and Wells (1995) model, is a highly effective treatment that is recommended as a first-line intervention in NICE guidance (NICE, 2013). All of the key features of face-to-face CT-SAD (including video feedback, attention training, behavioural experiments and memory-focused techniques) can be adapted for remote delivery. In this paper, we provide guidance for clinicians on how to deliver CT-SAD remotely, and suggest novel ways for therapists and patients to overcome the challenges of carrying out a range of behavioural experiments during remote treatment delivery.
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