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Gamble RS, Henry JD, Decety J, Vanman EJ. The role of external factors in affect-sharing and their neural bases. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 157:105540. [PMID: 38211739 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Affect-sharing, the ability to vicariously feel another person's emotions, is the primary component of empathy that is typically thought to rely on the observer's capacity to feel the emotions of others. However, external signals, such as the target's physical characteristics, have been demonstrated to influence affect-sharing in the neuroscientific literature that speaks to the underappreciated role of external factors in eliciting affect-sharing. We consider factors that influence affect-sharing, including physical cues, emotional cues, situational factors, and observer-target relationships, as well as the neural circuits involved in these processes. Our review reveals that, while neural network activation is primarily responsible for processing affect-sharing, external factors also co-activate a top-down cognitive processing network to modulate the conscious process of affect-sharing. From this knowledge, an integrative framework of external factor interactions with affect-sharing are explained in detail. Finally, we identify critical areas for future research in social and affective neuroscience, including research gaps and incorporation of ecologically valid paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger S Gamble
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - Julie D Henry
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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2
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Nitschinsk L, Tobin SJ, Varley D, Vanman EJ. Why Do People Sometimes Wear an Anonymous Mask? Motivations for Seeking Anonymity Online. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2023:1461672231210465. [PMID: 37997811 DOI: 10.1177/01461672231210465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Anonymous environments are more accessible than ever. As such, it is important to understand not only how anonymity can change human behavior but also why people are motivated to seek anonymity in online spaces. In four studies, we investigated differences in motivations for seeking anonymity online and their associations with related dispositional factors and online behavior. We found that some people were motivated to seek anonymity to self-express or behave toxically. Both motivations to seek anonymity were associated with low self-concept clarity and high Machiavellianism but differed in their relation to traits such as self-consciousness and psychopathy. Further analyses suggested that people selectively engage in behaviors in anonymous online environments, in line with the specific gratifications they seek through anonymity. We conclude that people seek anonymity to pursue self- or other-related goals that are otherwise more difficult or costly to pursue when identifiable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis Nitschinsk
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Stephanie J Tobin
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Deanna Varley
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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3
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Nitschinsk L, Tobin SJ, Vanman EJ. A functionalist approach to online trolling. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1211023. [PMID: 37885740 PMCID: PMC10598604 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1211023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Online trolling is often linked to sadism and psychopathy. Yet, little research has assessed why people high in these traits seek online environments to achieve their nefarious goals. We employ a functionalist approach to examine whether people high in sadism and psychopathy are motivated to seek the affordances of online environments (e.g., anonymity) to reveal their malevolent self-aspects by engaging in trolling behavior. A sample of 515 university undergraduates (Mage = 20.47) read vignettes depicting trolling incidents and rated the acceptability of the perpetrators' actions and whether they had ever written similar comments. Participants then completed measures of psychopathy, sadism, and toxic anonymous motivations. We find that toxic anonymous motivations partially mediate the relationship between psychopathy and sadism, and online trolling. Whereas trolling is often understood through its underlying personality traits, toxic motivations to seek anonymity may be a more proximal predictor of who is likely to troll online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis Nitschinsk
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Stephanie J. Tobin
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Eric J. Vanman
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Casey JP, Vanman EJ, Barlow FK. Empathic Conservatives and Moralizing Liberals: Political Intergroup Empathy Varies by Political Ideology and Is Explained by Moral Judgment. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2023:1461672231198001. [PMID: 37712634 DOI: 10.1177/01461672231198001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Empathy has the potential to bridge political divides. Here, we examine barriers to cross-party empathy and explore when and why these differ for liberals and conservatives. In four studies, U.S. and U.K. participants (total N = 4,737) read hypothetical scenarios and extended less empathy to suffering political opponents than allies or neutral targets. These effects were strongly shown by liberals but were weaker among conservatives, such that conservatives consistently showed more empathy to liberals than liberals showed to conservatives. This asymmetry was partly explained by liberals' harsher moral judgments of outgroup members (Studies 1-4) and the fact that liberals saw conservatives as more harmful than conservatives saw liberals (Studies 3 and 4). The asymmetry persisted across changes in the U.S. government and was not explained by perceptions of political power (Studies 3 and 4). Implications and future directions are discussed.
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Nitschke FT, McKimmie BM, Vanman EJ. The Effect of Heuristic Cues on Jurors’ Systematic Information Processing in Rape Trials. Psychology of Women Quarterly 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/03616843221118018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
There is concern that jurors’ decisions in rape trials might be influenced by misleading cues (e.g., victim stereotypes) potentially explaining disproportionately low conviction rates. We investigated the bias hypothesis from the heuristic–systematic model as an explanation for how jurors may be influenced by misleading stereotypes even while they are effortfully processing rape trial evidence. We expected that when case evidence was ambiguous, stereotypes would guide motivated participants’ effortful information processing, but not when case evidence was strong. Mock jurors ( N = 901) were asked to make decisions about a rape trial with either ambiguous or strong evidence in which the complainant was either stereotypically distressed or unemotional giving evidence. Participants were either placed under high motivation conditions to encourage effortful information processing or in a control condition with low motivation instructions to encourage less effortful processing as a comparison. Participants’ information processing and case decisions were measured as key dependent variables. We found partial support for the hypothesized interaction and the bias hypothesis, suggesting that the types of evidence participants attended to in decision-making were influenced by misleading stereotypical cues. Our findings have implications for interventions to reduce the effect of misleading stereotypes on decisions in rape trials. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843221118018 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Faye T. Nitschke
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Q4072, Australia
| | - Blake M. McKimmie
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Q4072, Australia
| | - Eric J. Vanman
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Q4072, Australia
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Nitschinsk L, Tobin SJ, Vanman EJ. The Disinhibiting Effects of Anonymity Increase Online Trolling. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw 2022; 25:377-383. [PMID: 35594292 DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2022.0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Research assessing online trolling-a behavior designed to trigger or antagonize other users for entertainment-has largely focused on identifying individual differences that underlie the behavior. Less attention has been given to how situational factors influence trolling, such as the disinhibiting effects of anonymity. In this study, we evaluated the roles of both individual differences and levels of anonymity in online trolling. We assessed these through experimentation, a relatively novel approach in trolling research. Australian undergraduate students (n = 242, 167 women, 75 men, Mage = 21.18) were allocated to one of three conditions: an anonymous condition where they were not visible to one another, an identifiable condition where they were visible to one another, or an external condition where they completed the study outside of a controlled laboratory environment. Participants first read a short news article before interacting in an online group discussion where participants could chat freely. The first comment participants wrote was later coded for trolling. Participants also completed assessments of psychopathy, sadism, and a global assessment of trolling. As predicted, participants in the anonymous condition trolled more than those in the identifiable condition. No differences were seen between these two conditions and the external condition. Analyses also revealed that sadism and global trolling were positively associated with trolling in the chat room, but psychopathy showed no association. These results demonstrate the importance of both individual differences and the disinhibiting effects of anonymity when investigating the complex nature of trolling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis Nitschinsk
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Stephanie J Tobin
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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Abstract
Reciprocating smiles is important for maintaining social bonds as it both signals affiliative intent and elicits affiliative responses. Feelings of social exclusion may increase mimicry as a means to regulate affiliative bonds with others. In this study, we examined whether feelings of exclusion lead people to selectively reciprocate the facial expressions of more affiliative-looking people. Participants first wrote about either a time they were excluded or a neutral event. They then classified 20 smiles-half spontaneous smiles and half posed. Facial electromyography recorded smile muscle activity. Excluded participants distinguished the two smile types better than controls. Excluded participants also showed greater zygomaticus major (mouth smiling) activity toward enjoyment smiles compared to posed smiles; control participants did not. Orbicularis oculi (eye crinkle) activity matched that of the smile type viewed, but did not vary by exclusion condition. Affiliative social regulation is discussed as a possible explanation for these effects.
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Grainger SA, Mead JK, Vanman EJ, Henry JD. The relationship between testosterone and social cognition in younger and older adults. Biol Psychol 2021; 161:108072. [PMID: 33722565 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone (T) has been linked to poorer social cognition in younger adults. Because social cognition and T both decline with normal aging, a different type of relationship may exist between T and social cognition in late adulthood. To test this possibility, younger and older adults provided a salivary T sample and completed two social cognition tasks. The results showed that age-group was a significant moderator in the relationship between T and theory of mind (ToM) performance for males, such that T was a negative predictor of ToM in younger males and a positive predictor of ToM in older age. No relationships were identified for females. These findings show for the first time that T is differentially related to ToM in the early and later stages of the male adult lifespan, and are discussed in relation to prior work that suggests T may have neuroprotective effects in older age.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica K Mead
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Julie D Henry
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia
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Vanman EJ, Kappas A, Ito TA. Social neuroscience is more than the study of the human brain: The legacy of John Cacioppo. Soc Neurosci 2021; 16:1-5. [PMID: 33522430 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2021.1879459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
John Cacioppo passed away in 2018, leaving a legacy of profound methodological, theoretical, and inferential contributions to social neuroscience. This paper serves as an introduction to the nine articles that comprise this special issue in honor of John Cacioppo's work in social neuroscience. Although he made many contributions to psychology, here we briefly review four milestones in Cacioppo's career that had important implications specifically for the development of social neuroscience today: (1) an early research focus on cardiovascular and facial EMG measurement, (2) the training of others, (3) the importance of sound inference, and (4) the definition of social neuroscience. In sum, we argue that John Cacioppo envisioned social neuroscience as having multiple levels of explanation and requiring multiple kinds of physiological evidence. It is not all just the brain!
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland , Brisbane, Australia
| | - Arvid Kappas
- Dean of Graduate and Executive Education, Jacobs University Bremen , Bremen, Germany
| | - Tiffany A Ito
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder, USA
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Grainger SA, Vanman EJ, Henry JD. Tears of sadness reduce others' gazing toward the eyes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 22:1382-1386. [PMID: 33211507 DOI: 10.1037/emo0000926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Emotional tears enhance perceptions of sadness and promote helping behaviors, but it is yet to be established whether they also influence the way we gaze at emotional faces. This is an important question to address given that how people visually attend to faces plays a critical role during social interaction and may also be used to regulate emotional arousal. We used eye-tracking to quantify the time spent gazing to the eyes and mouths of emotional faces. Participants' (N = 131) gaze patterns were monitored while they viewed stimuli that were manipulated to have tears present or absent. The key finding to emerge was that participants gazed less at the eyes of faces when tears were present compared with absent, suggesting that perceiving tears may be emotionally aversive. These findings are discussed in relation to prior work that suggests eye-gaze is used to regulate emotional arousal. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Abstract
Alexithymia is characterised by a lack of words for emotional experiences and it has been implicated in deficits in emotion processing. Research in this area has typically focused on judgements of discrete emotions rather than of affect, which is a precursor to emotion construction. In the current study, higher alexithymia was predicted to be related to more neutral judgements of valence and arousal of music representing a range of emotions. Participants (N = 162) listened to ten 15-second musical pieces that represented five target emotions (happy, sad, tender, angry, and fearful) and rated the valence and arousal of each. Participants also listed emotion words they knew to be expressed in music. Analyses revealed that alexithymia was not related to the number of emotion words generated but was related to valence-specific affect judgements of music. Participants higher in alexithymia rated sad, angry, and fearful pieces as more neutral in valence and arousal. Alexithymia was not related to ratings of valence or arousal for happy and tender pieces. These findings suggest that perceptual deficits in alexithymia may be specific to negative emotions. Our results are consistent with the idea that alexithymia is related to the direction of attention away from negative stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel L Larwood
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
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12
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Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Baker M, Fischer A, Gračanin A, Kardum I, Manley H, Manokara K, Pattara-Angkoon S, Vingerhoets AJJM, Vanman EJ. The Relationship of Gender Roles and Beliefs to Crying in an International Sample. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2288. [PMID: 31649598 PMCID: PMC6795704 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to (1) investigate the variation in self ascription to gender roles and attitudes toward gender roles across countries and its associations with crying behaviors, emotion change, and beliefs about crying and (2) understand how the presence of others affects our evaluations of emotion following crying. This was a large international survey design study (N = 893) conducted in Australia, Croatia, the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Analyses revealed that, across countries, gender, self-ascribed gender roles, and gender role attitudes (GRA) were related to behavioral crying responses, but not related to emotion change following crying. How a person evaluates crying, instead, appeared to be highly related to one’s beliefs about the helpfulness of crying, irrespective of gender. Results regarding crying when others were present showed that people are more likely both to cry and to feel that they received help around a person that they know, compared to a stranger. Furthermore, closeness to persons present during crying did not affect whether help was provided. When a crier reported that they were helped, they also tended to report feeling better following crying than those who cried around others but did not receive help. Few cross-country differences emerged, suggesting that a person’s responses to crying are quite consistent among the countries investigated here, with regard to its relationship with a person’s gender role, crying beliefs, and reactions to the presence of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah S Sharman
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Genevieve A Dingle
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Marc Baker
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Agneta Fischer
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Asmir Gračanin
- Department of Psychology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Igor Kardum
- Department of Psychology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Harry Manley
- Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kunalan Manokara
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Ad J J M Vingerhoets
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands
| | - Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Grainger SA, Vanman EJ, Matters G, Henry JD. The influence of tears on older and younger adults’ perceptions of sadness. Psychol Aging 2019; 34:665-673. [DOI: 10.1037/pag0000373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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15
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Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Vingerhoets AJJM, Vanman EJ. Using crying to cope: Physiological responses to stress following tears of sadness. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 20:1279-1291. [PMID: 31282699 DOI: 10.1037/emo0000633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This research tested the hypothesis that emotional crying facilitates coping and recovery, specifically through physiological changes that occur during crying. Female undergraduate students (N = 197) were randomly assigned to either a sad or neutral condition using short videos. Sad videos were selected for their extreme emotion elicitation. We predicted that compared to those who did not cry to the stimuli and those who were exposed to neutral videos, people who cried would (a) be able to withstand a stressful task for longer; (b) show lower levels of cortisol following crying and exposure to the stressor; and (c) have faster recovery (i.e., return to baseline levels of affect). The final groups consisted of the neutral group (n = 65), sad criers (n = 71), and sad noncriers (n = 61). After a 5-min baseline period, participants watched either the sad or neutral videos for 17 min and then completed a physical stressor (cold pressor test). Heart rate and respiration were continuously recorded, whereas salivary samples for cortisol were taken at 4 separate time points during testing. Analyses revealed no differences between the 3 groups in time withstanding the stressor or cortisol changes. Respiration rate, however, increased in the neutral group and noncriers while watching the videos, with criers' respiration remaining stable. Furthermore, heart rate was found to decelerate just before crying, with a return to baseline during the first crying period. These results suggest that crying may assist in generally maintaining biological homeostasis, perhaps consciously through self-soothing via purposeful breathing and unconsciously through regulation of heart rate. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ad J J M Vingerhoets
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University
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Nitschke FT, McKimmie BM, Vanman EJ. A meta-analysis of the emotional victim effect for female adult rape complainants: Does complainant distress influence credibility? Psychol Bull 2019; 145:953-979. [PMID: 31282696 DOI: 10.1037/bul0000206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Rape cases have a disproportionately high attrition rate and low conviction rate compared with other criminal offenses. Evaluations of a rape complainant's credibility often determine whether a case progresses through the criminal justice system. Even though emotional demeanor is not related to witness honesty or accuracy, distressed rape complainants are perceived to be more credible than complainants who present with controlled affect. To understand the extent and robustness of the influence of emotional demeanor on credibility judgments of female adult rape complainants, we conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis, and p-curve analysis of the experimental simulated decision-making literature on the influence of complainant emotional demeanor on complainant credibility. The meta-analysis included 20 studies with participants who were criminal justice professionals (e.g., police officers and judges), community members, and mock jurors (N = 3128). Results suggest that distressed demeanor significantly increased perceptions of complainant credibility, with a small to moderate effect size estimate. Importantly, the results of p-curve analysis suggest that reporting bias is not a likely explanation for the effect of emotional demeanor on rape complainant credibility. Sample type (whether perceivers were criminal justice professionals or prospective jurors) and stimulus modality (whether perceivers read about or watched the complainant recount the alleged rape) were not found to moderate the effect size estimate. These results suggest that effective methods of reducing reliance on emotional demeanor to make credibility judgments about rape complainants should be investigated to make credibility assessments fairer and more accurate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Vanman EJ. Does crying help? Development of the beliefs about crying scale (BACS). Cogn Emot 2019; 33:722-736. [DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2018.1488243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leah S. Sharman
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | | | - Eric J. Vanman
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
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18
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Grainger SA, Henry JD, Steinvik HR, Vanman EJ. Intranasal oxytocin does not alter initial perceptions of facial trustworthiness in younger or older adults. J Psychopharmacol 2019; 33:250-254. [PMID: 30326770 DOI: 10.1177/0269881118806303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oxytocin is a neuropeptide involved in a range of social processes, and prior research has shown that intranasal oxytocin (iOT) may enhance trusting behaviors. However, it is unclear whether iOT influences perceptions of whether a face is trustworthy. In addition, no studies in this literature have investigated whether the participant's age may play a moderating role in the effects of iOT on trust. AIMS We aimed to examine for the first time whether iOT influences perceptions of facial trustworthiness and eye-gaze patterns and, if so, whether age moderates these iOT effects. METHODS One hundred and eighteen participants took part in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-groups study. Participants made judgments about the perceived trustworthiness of a series of faces while their eye movements were monitored. RESULTS Younger and older adults differed in their judgments of facial trustworthiness. However, most critically, iOT had no effect on these judgments for either age group. For the eye-tracking data, prior age effects in attending to the stimuli were replicated, with older adults gazing less at the eye region and more at the mouth region relative to younger adults. However, iOT had no effect on eye gaze. CONCLUSIONS These findings are discussed in relation to the growing body of literature that suggests that the effect of iOT on social processing is complex and may not be as robust as first thought.
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Cui Q, Vanman EJ, Long Z, Pang Y, Chen Y, Wang Y, Duan X, Chen H, Gong Q, Zhang W, Chen H. Social anxiety disorder exhibit impaired networks involved in self and theory of mind processing. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 12:1284-1295. [PMID: 28398578 PMCID: PMC5597891 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Most previous studies regarding social anxiety disorder (SAD) have focused on the role of emotional dysfunction, while impairments in self- and theory of mind (ToM)-processing have relatively been neglected. This study utilised functional connectivity density (FCD), resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and discriminant analyses to investigate impairments in self- and ToM-related networks in patients with SAD. Patients with SAD exhibited decreased long-range FCD in the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) and decreased short-range FCD in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG)—key nodes involved in self- and ToM-processing, respectively. Decreased RSFC of the right rACC and STG with widespread frontal, temporal, posteromedial, sensorimotor, and somatosensory, regions was also observed in patients with SAD. Altered RSFC between the right rACC and bilateral superior frontal gyrus, between the right rACC and right middle frontal gyrus, and within the right STG itself provided the greatest contribution to individual diagnoses of SAD, with an accuracy of 84.5%. These results suggest that a lack of cognitive inhibition on emotional self-referential processing as well as impairments in social information integration may play critical roles in the pathomechanism of SAD and highlight the importance of recognising such features in the diagnosis and treatment of SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Cui
- School of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Zhiliang Long
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Yajing Pang
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Yuyan Chen
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Yifeng Wang
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Xujun Duan
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Heng Chen
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, West China School of Medicine, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Huafu Chen
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
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Vanman EJ, Baker R, Tobin SJ. The burden of online friends: The effects of giving up Facebook on stress and well-being. The Journal of Social Psychology 2018; 158:496-507. [DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2018.1453467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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Tsankova E, Vanman EJ, Kappas A. Interaction of stereotypical trustworthiness, facial resemblance, and group membership in the perception of trustworthiness and other traits. Journal of Trust Research 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/21515581.2018.1453824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Tsankova
- Department of Psychology and Methods, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Eric J. Vanman
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Arvid Kappas
- Department of Psychology and Methods, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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Grainger SA, Henry JD, Steinvik HR, Vanman EJ, Rendell PG, Labuschagne I. Intranasal oxytocin does not reduce age-related difficulties in social cognition. Horm Behav 2018; 99:25-34. [PMID: 29408521 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Revised: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that plays a key role in social processing and there are several studies suggesting that intranasally administered oxytocin may enhance social cognitive abilities and visual attention in healthy and clinical groups. However, there are very few studies to date that have investigated the potential benefits of intranasal oxytocin (iOT) on older adults' social cognitive abilities. This is a surprising omission, because relative to their younger counterparts, older adults also exhibit a range of social cognitive difficulties and also show differences in the way they visually attend to social information. Therefore, we tested the effect of iOT (24 IU) versus a placebo spray on 59 older and 61 younger adults' social cognitive abilities and visual attention using a double-blind placebo-controlled within-groups design. While iOT provided no overall age-related benefit on social cognitive abilities, the key finding to emerge was that iOT improved ToM ability in both age-groups when the task had minimal contextual information, but not when the task had enriched contextual information. Interestingly, iOT had gender specific effects during a ToM task with minimal context. For males in both age-groups, iOT reduced gazing to the social aspects of the scenes (i.e., faces & bodies), and for females, iOT eliminated age differences in gaze patterns that were observed in the placebo condition. These effects on eye-gaze were not observed in a very similar ToM task that included more enriched contextual information. Overall, these findings highlight the interactive nature of iOT with task related factors (e.g., context), and are discussed in relation to the social salience hypothesis of oxytocin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tara Trewartha
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | | | - Eric J. Vanman
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
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Grainger SA, Henry JD, Phillips LH, Vanman EJ, Allen R. Age Deficits in Facial Affect Recognition: The Influence of Dynamic Cues. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2015; 72:622-632. [DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbv100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Loftus AM, Yalcin O, Baughman FD, Vanman EJ, Hagger MS. The impact of transcranial direct current stimulation on inhibitory control in young adults. Brain Behav 2015; 5:e00332. [PMID: 25874165 PMCID: PMC4389055 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2014] [Revised: 01/31/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence that the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a brain region related to reward and motivational processes, is involved in effective response inhibition and that decreased activity in this region coincides with reduced inhibitory capacity. Using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to manipulate cortical activation, this study examined whether cross-hemispheric tDCS over the DLPFC affected performance on an inhibitory control task. METHODS Neurologically intact participants performed a modified Stroop color-word matching task before and after completing one of two tDCS conditions; (1) anodal stimulation over the left DLPFC or (2) sham tDCS. RESULTS There was a statistically significant effect of tDCS condition on Stroop reaction time (RT) pre-post tDCS change scores. Participants who received anodal stimulation over the left DLPFC demonstrated statistically significant faster RT change scores on the Stroop items compared to participants in the sham condition. Although errors on Stroop incongruent items decreased before and after receiving the tDCS treatment, there were no significant differences in errors on Stroop items between the anodal stimulation over left DLPFC and sham tDCS conditions. Anodal tDCS, which is known to elevate neural excitation, may have enhanced activation levels in the left DLPFC and minimized impairment of inhibitory control, resulting in better task performance. CONCLUSIONS Current findings provide preliminary evidence that increased excitation of the left DLPFC improves inhibitory control and are a step toward understanding the potential of tDCS for moderating deficits in inhibitory control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M Loftus
- Curtin Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Ozgur Yalcin
- Curtin Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Frank D Baughman
- Curtin Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Martin S Hagger
- Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine Group and Laboratory of Self-Regulation (LaSeR), School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Abstract
Successful human social interactions frequently rely on appropriate interpersonal empathy and eye contact. Here, we report a previously unseen relationship between trait empathy and eye-gaze patterns to affective facial features in video-based stimuli. Fifty-nine healthy adult participants had their eyes tracked while watching a three-minute long "sad" and "emotionally neutral" video. The video stimuli portrayed the head and shoulders of the same actor recounting a fictional personal event. Analyses revealed that the greater participants' trait emotional empathy, the more they fixated on the eye-region of the actor, regardless of the emotional valence of the video stimuli. Our findings provide the first empirical evidence of a relationship between empathic capacity and eye-gaze pattern to the most affective facial region (eyes).
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Cowan
- a School of Psychology , University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD , Australia
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Iyer A, Webster J, Hornsey MJ, Vanman EJ. Understanding the power of the picture: the effect of image content on emotional and political responses to terrorism. J Appl Soc Psychol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/jasp.12243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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J. Vanman E, P. Ryan J, C. Pedersen W, A. Ito T. Probing prejudice with startle eyeblink modification: a marker of attention, emotion, or both? Int J Psychol Res (Medellin) 2013; 6:30-41. [DOI: 10.21500/20112084.717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In social neuroscience research, startle eyeblink modification can serve as a marker of emotion, but it is less clear whether it can also serve as a marker of prejudice. In Experiment 1, 30 White students viewed photographs of White and Black targets while the startle eyeblink reflex and facial EMG from the brow and cheek regions were recorded. Prejudice was related to facial EMG activity, but not to startle modification, which instead appeared to index attention to race. To test further whether racial categorizations are associated with differential attention, a dual-task paradigm was used in Experiment 2. Fifty-four White and fifty-five Black participants responded more slowly to a tone presented when viewing a racial outgroup member or a negative stimulus, indicating that both draw more attention than ingroup members or positive stimuli. We conclude that startle modification is useful to index differential attention to groups when intergroup threat is low.
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Stewart TL, Amoss RT, Weiner BA, Elliott LA, Parrott DJ, Peacock CM, Vanman EJ. The Psychophysiology of Social Action: Facial Electromyographic Responses to Stigmatized Groups Predict Antidiscrimination Action. Basic and Applied Social Psychology 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/01973533.2013.823618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Cui Q, Vanman EJ, Wei D, Yang W, Jia L, Zhang Q. Detection of deception based on fMRI activation patterns underlying the production of a deceptive response and receiving feedback about the success of the deception after a mock murder crime. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2013; 9:1472-80. [PMID: 23946002 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nst134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of a deceiver to track a victim's ongoing judgments about the truthfulness of the deceit can be critical for successful deception. However, no study has yet investigated the neural circuits underlying receiving a judgment about one's lie. To explore this issue, we used a modified Guilty Knowledge Test in a mock murder situation to simultaneously record the neural responses involved in producing deception and later when judgments of that deception were made. Producing deception recruited the bilateral inferior parietal lobules (IPLs), right ventral lateral prefrontal (VLPF) areas and right striatum, among which the activation of the right VLPF contributed mostly to diagnosing the identities of the participants, correctly diagnosing 81.25% of 'murderers' and 81.25% of 'innocents'. Moreover, the participant's response when their deception was successful uniquely recruited the right middle frontal gyrus, bilateral IPLs, bilateral orbitofrontal cortices, bilateral middle temporal gyrus and left cerebellum, among which the right IPL contributed mostly to diagnosing participants' identities, correctly diagnosing 93.75% of murderers and 87.5% of innocents. This study shows that neural activity associated with being a successful liar (or not) is a feasible indicator for detecting lies and may be more valid than neural activity associated with producing deception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Cui
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Eric J Vanman
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Dongtao Wei
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Wenjing Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Lei Jia
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Qinglin Zhang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China, and School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
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Milston SI, Vanman EJ, Cunnington R. Cognitive empathy and motor activity during observed actions. Neuropsychologia 2013; 51:1103-8. [PMID: 23499724 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2012] [Revised: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Whether empathy depends on activation of the mirror neuron system is controversial. This study tested the relationship between cognitive empathy and motor activation during action observation through the sensorimotor system. EEG activity was recorded over the motor area while participants observed and then performed a task demonstrated by a model. Analyses revealed significant suppression in mu/alpha (8-12Hz) and beta (18-22Hz) EEG bands, indicative of sensorimotor activity, during both observed and executed actions. Crucially, participants rating higher in perspective taking as a measure of trait cognitive empathy showed significantly less beta suppression when observing actions. The direction of this relationship, contrary to studies involving induced emotional empathy, may reflect individual differences in mentalizing and mirroring mechanisms to understand others' actions. Implications of these findings for the hypothesised empathy-mirror neuron system link are discussed.
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Philipp MC, Storrs KR, Vanman EJ. Sociality of facial expressions in immersive virtual environments: A facial EMG study. Biol Psychol 2012; 91:17-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2011] [Revised: 05/18/2012] [Accepted: 05/18/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Molenberghs P, Halász V, Mattingley JB, Vanman EJ, Cunnington R. Seeing is believing: neural mechanisms of action-perception are biased by team membership. Hum Brain Mapp 2012; 34:2055-68. [PMID: 22290781 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2011] [Revised: 12/13/2011] [Accepted: 01/02/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Group identification can lead to a biased view of the world in favor of "in-group" members. Studying the brain processes that underlie such in-group biases is important for a wider understanding of the potential influence of social factors on basic perceptual processes. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how people perceive the actions of in-group and out-group members, and how their biased view in favor of own team members manifests itself in the brain. We divided participants into two teams and had them judge the relative speeds of hand actions performed by an in-group and an out-group member in a competitive situation. Participants judged hand actions performed by in-group members as being faster than those of out-group members, even when the two actions were performed at physically identical speeds. In an additional fMRI experiment, we showed that, contrary to common belief, such skewed impressions arise from a subtle bias in perception and associated brain activity rather than decision-making processes, and that this bias develops rapidly and involuntarily as a consequence of group affiliation. Our findings suggest that the neural mechanisms that underlie human perception are shaped by social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Molenberghs
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Read SJ, Vanman EJ, Miller LC. Connectionism, parallel constraint satisfaction processes, and gestalt principles: (re) introducing cognitive dynamics to social psychology. Pers Soc Psychol Rev 2005; 1:26-53. [PMID: 15647127 DOI: 10.1207/s15327957pspr0101_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
We argue that recent work in connectionist modeling, in particular the parallel constraint satisfaction processes that are central to many of these models, has great importance for understanding issues of both historical and current concern for social psychologists. We first provide a brief description of connectionist modeling, with particular emphasis on parallel constraint satisfaction processes. Second, we examine the tremendous similarities between parallel constraint satisfaction processes and the Gestalt principles that were the foundation for much of modem social psychology. We propose that parallel constraint satisfaction processes provide a computational implementation of the principles of Gestalt psychology that were central to the work of such seminal social psychologists as Asch, Festinger, Heider, and Lewin. Third, we then describe how parallel constraint satisfaction processes have been applied to three areas that were key to the beginnings of modern social psychology and remain central today: impression formation and causal reasoning, cognitive consistency (balance and cognitive dissonance), and goal-directed behavior. We conclude by discussing implications of parallel constraint satisfaction principles for a number of broader issues in social psychology, such as the dynamics of social thought and the integration of social information within the narrow time frame of social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Read
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-1061, USA.
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Vanman EJ, Saltz JL, Nathan LR, Warren JA. Racial discrimination by low-prejudiced whites. Facial movements as implicit measures of attitudes related to behavior. Psychol Sci 2004; 15:711-4. [PMID: 15482441 DOI: 10.1111/j.0956-7976.2004.00746.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the relationship of implicit racial prejudice to discriminatory behavior. White university students chose the best of three applicants (two were White and one was Black) for a prestigious teaching fellowship. They then completed the Implicit Association Test (IAT), a measure of implicit racial bias. Three weeks later, participants completed a second implicit measure of racial bias by viewing photos of Whites and Blacks while facial electromyography (EMG) was recorded from sites corresponding to the muscles used in smiling and frowning. Analyses revealed that bias in cheek EMG activity was related to the race of the chosen applicant, whereas bias on the IAT was not. Motivations to control prejudiced reactions were not related to EMG activity or the race of the applicant chosen, but were related to IAT bias. The findings indicate that facial EMG can be used as an implicit measure of prejudice related to discrimination.
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Vanman EJ. Developing a Comprehensive Social Psychology with Shared Explanations of Primate Social Behavior. International Journal of Comparative Psychology 2003. [DOI: 10.46867/c4fw28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Vanman EJ, Mejia VY, Dawson ME, Schell AM, Raine A. Modification of the startle reflex in a community sample: do one or two dimensions of psychopathy underlie emotional processing? Personality and Individual Differences 2003. [DOI: 10.1016/s0191-8869(03)00052-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Tobin RM, Graziano WG, Vanman EJ, Tassinary LG. Personality, emotional experience, and efforts to control emotions. J Pers Soc Psychol 2000; 79:656-69. [PMID: 11045745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Three converging, multimethod studies examined personality and emotional processes. Study 1 (N = 321) examined links among sex, personality, and expectations for emotional events. In Study 2, participants (N = 468) described contents of emotionally evocative slides to a partner (either a friend or a stranger). Participants reported their emotional experience, efforts to control emotion, and the anticipated reactions of their partners. Structural modeling of self-report data and analyses of observational data indicated that Agreeableness and sex were significant predictors of emotional experience and of efforts to control emotion. Study 3 (N = 68) replicated and extended the two previous studies using psychophysiological methods to examine responses to positively and negatively charged emotional materials. Outcomes are discussed in terms of processes underlying the five-factor structural dimension of Agreeableness and links to emotional self-regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- R M Tobin
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-4235, USA
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Abstract
Facial muscle activity and self-reports were examined for racial bias in 3 studies. In the first 2 experiments, While participants imagined cooperating with a Black or White partner. Experiment 1 manipulated reward structure in the context of cooperating with a deficient partner. Experiment 2 manipulated partner deficiency and willingness to expend compensatory effort. On both facial EMG and self-report measures, joint rewards produced more negative affect than independent rewards. However, all partners were liked more when they were willing to try to compensate for their deficits. In addition, more liking was reported for Black partners, but EMG activity indicated bias against Blacks. Experiment 3 investigated individual differences in prejudice. Again, a greater preference for Blacks than Whites occurred on self-report measures, but in their facial muscle activity, high-prejudiced participants exhibited bias against Blacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Vanman
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA.
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Abstract
In previous research on modulation of the startle eyeblink reflex, emotional effects have been demonstrated only at late probe positions, whereas attentional effects have been found at both early and late positions but only when the prepulses were affectively neutral. In Experiment 1, participants viewed emotionally valenced pictures and were instructed to attend to the duration of half of the slides. Affective modulation of the startle eyeblink occurred at long lead intervals, but attentional modulation also occurred late. In Experiment 2, participants viewed the same slides used in Experiment 1 but were instructed to attend to the duration of only the positive or the negative slides. Affective modulation occurred at both early and late probe positions, whereas attentional effects occurred only following slide offset. Early (250 ms) affective modification of startle eyeblink has not been previously reported. These results suggest that the time courses of emotional and attentional modulation of startle are variable and can occur at both early and late startle probe positions, depending on task requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Vanman
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-1061, USA
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