Loneliness and social isolation are not associated with executive functioning in a cross-sectional study of cognitively healthy older adults

The literature on the relationship between social interaction and executive functions (EF) in older age is mixed, perhaps stemming from differences in EF measures and the conceptualization/measurement of social interaction. We investigated the relationship between social interaction and EF in 102 cognitively unimpaired older adults (ages 65-90). Participants received an EF battery to measure working memory, inhibition, shifting, and global EF. We measured loneliness subjectively through survey and social isolation objectively through naturalistic observation. Loneliness was not significantly related to any EF measure (p-values = .13-.65), nor was social isolation (p-values = .11-.69). Bayes factors indicated moderate to extremely strong evidence (BF01 = 8.70 to BF01 = 119.49) in support of no relationship..   Overall, these findings suggest that, among cognitively healthy older adults, there may not be a robust cross-sectional relationship between EF and subjective loneliness or objective social isolation.

Distinct personality profiles associated with disease risk and diagnostic status in eating disorders

BACKGROUND

Personality traits have been associated with eating disorders (EDs) and comorbidities. However, it is unclear which personality profiles are premorbid risk rather than diagnostic markers.

METHODS

We explored associations between personality and ED-related mental health symptoms using canonical correlation analyses. We investigated personality risk profiles in a longitudinal sample, associating personality at age 14 with onset of mental health symptoms at ages 16 or 19. Diagnostic markers were identified in a sample of young adults with anorexia nervosa (AN, n = 58) or bulimia nervosa (BN, n = 63) and healthy controls (n = 47).

RESULTS

Two significant premorbid risk profiles were identified, successively explaining 7.93 % and 5.60 % of shared variance (Rc2). The first combined neuroticism (canonical loading, rs = 0.68), openness (rs = 0.32), impulsivity (rs = 0.29), and conscientiousness (rs = 0.27), with future onset of anxiety symptoms (rs = 0.87) and dieting (rs = 0.58). The other, combined lower agreeableness (rs = -0.60) and lower anxiety sensitivity (rs = -0.47), with future deliberate self-harm (rs = 0.76) and purging (rs = 0.55). Personality profiles associated with "core psychopathology" in both AN (Rc2 = 80.56 %) and BN diagnoses (Rc2 = 64.38 %) comprised hopelessness (rs = 0.95, 0.87) and neuroticism (rs = 0.93, 0.94). For BN, this profile also included impulsivity (rs = 0.60). Additionally, extraversion (rs = 0.41) was associated with lower depressive risk in BN.

LIMITATIONS

The samples were not ethnically diverse. The clinical cohort included only females. There was non-random attrition in the longitudinal sample.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest neuroticism and impulsivity as risk and diagnostic markers for EDs, with neuroticism and hopelessness as shared diagnostic markers. They may inform the design of more personalised prevention and intervention strategies.

Validity of the distress tolerance inventory in predicting response to the Cold-Pressor Test

Distress intolerance-a broad band dispositional variable has been shown to serve as a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology. We investigated the predictive validity of the physical and emotional subscales of the Distress Tolerance Inventory (DTI) on behavioral responding (immersion time) and moment-to-moment subjective distress ratings to the Cold-Pressor Test. College students (N = 134) completed self-report questionnaires indexing physical and emotional distress tolerance and then completed a cold pressor challenge. The DTI displayed convergent validity with several well-established self-report measures assessing distress tolerance (i.e. DTS, PCS, DIS). Participants' scores on the DTI physical subscale (but not the DTS or DTI emotional subscale) predicted participants' immersion time on the cold pressor challenge, thus supporting the construct validity of the DTI physical distress subscale. The DIS also predicted immersion time, though its internal consistency was marginal. These data suggest that the DTI is a valid measure for both emotional and physical distress tolerance and should be considered as a viable alternative to the DTS, especially for investigative domains involving physical distress such as chronic pain, or screening personnel for physically demanding tasks.

The exercise intensity-music-tempo preference relationship: A decennial revisit

Tempo is a key determinant of the motivational effects of music during exercise and has been the focus of numerous empirical studies (e.g., Karageorghis & Jones, 2014). The present study sought to address the limitations of previous related work and revisit the relationship between exercise intensity and music-tempo preference using unfamiliar, non-lyrical music (to isolate the tempo manipulation). A within-within experimental design was employed to test hypotheses pertaining to the non-linear relationship and associated psychological outcomes (e.g., core affect and state attention). Twenty-four participants (Mage = 20.6 years, SD = 0.92 years) exercised at five intensities (10% of peak V̇O2 below ventilatory threshold [VT]; 5% of peak V̇O2 below VT, at VT, midway between VT and the respiratory compensation point [RCP], and at RCP) during which they were administered music tracks at four tempi (90 bpm, 110 bpm, 130 bpm and 150 bpm) and a no-music control. A music liking item, measures of core affect (valence and arousal), attentional focus and perceived exertion were recorded during the exercise bouts. Results indicated that unlike previous findings with familiar, lyrical music, there was no discernible relationship between exercise intensity and preference for music tempo. The most positive psychological outcomes were associated with fast-tempo music. In accord with previous findings, slow-tempo music attracted low liking scores and the least desirable psychological outcomes at every exercise intensity. The present findings have implications for the use of unfamiliar, non-lyrical music during exercise. Specifically, that such music should be ∼10 bpm faster than familiar, lyrical music.

Intraindividual variability in post-stroke cognition and its relationship with activities of daily living and social functioning: an ecological momentary assessment approach

INTRODUCTION

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a methodological approach to studying intraindividual variation over time. This study aimed to use EMA to determine the variability of cognition in individuals with chronic stroke, identify the latent classes of cognitive variability, and examine any differences in daily activities, social functioning, and neuropsychological performance between these latent classes.

METHODS

Participants (N = 202) with mild-to-moderate stroke and over 3-month post-stroke completed a study protocol, including smartphone-based EMA and two lab visits. Participants responded to five EMA surveys daily for 14 days to assess cognition. They completed patient-reported measures and neuropsychological assessments during lab visits. Using latent class analysis, we derived four indicators to quantify cognitive variability and identified latent classes among participants. We used ANOVA and Chi-square to test differences between these latent classes in daily activities, social functioning, and neuropsychological performance.

RESULTS

The latent class analysis converged on a three-class model. The moderate and high variability classes demonstrated significantly greater problems in daily activities and social functioning than the low class. They had significantly higher proportions of participants with problems in daily activities and social functioning than the low class. Neuropsychological performance was not statistically different between the three classes, although a trend approaching statistically significant difference was observed in working memory and executive function domains.

DISCUSSION

EMA could capture intraindividual cognitive variability in stroke survivors. It offers a new approach to understanding the impact and mechanism of post-stroke cognitive problems in daily life and identifying individuals benefiting from self-regulation interventions.

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale - 2 among Brazilian gender-expansive individuals and transgender men

Among gender-expansive individuals and transgender men, body appreciation can play a protective role against minority stressors and is associated with gender euphoria. The Body Appreciation Scale (BAS-2; Tylka & Wood-Barcalow, 2015) is a leading measure of body appreciation that has been mainly validated in cisgender and mixed-gender samples; however, it has not been validated among Brazilian gender-expansive individuals and transgender men. Therefore, we evaluated the psychometric properties of the BAS-2 among adult Brazilian gender-expansive individuals and transgender men. Participants (158 gender-expansive individuals and 138 transgender men) were recruited through social media in Brazil. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported the original 10-item, unidimensional solution. Multigroup CFA showed configural, metric, and scalar invariance of the BAS-2 between gender-expansive individuals and transgender men. Moreover, the BAS-2 demonstrated significant negative associations, ranging from small to large, with self-objectification, drive for muscularity, and appearance-ideal internalization. We also found good internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the measure. Taken together, our results support the psychometric properties of the BAS-2 among Brazilian gender-expansive individuals and transgender men. The present work offers a valuable contribution towards better understanding facets of positive body image across gender-expansive and transgender populations.

Ability to Maintain and Improve Health and Socio-Demographic Correlates among Children in Albania

Objective

Our aim was to assess the level and socio-demographic correlates of the ability to maintain health among children in Albania, a post-communist country in the Western Balkans.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Albania in September 2022. The study population consisted of a nationwide representative sample of 7,831 schoolchildren (≈54% girls) aged 12-15 years. A structured self-administered and anonymous questionnaire inquired about the children's attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health) and a range of key dimensions on knowledge and practices regarding healthcare services. Socio-demographic data were also collected. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the socio-demographic correlates of children's ability to maintain health.

Results

Overall, about 71% of schoolchildren exhibited the best attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health). In the multivariable adjusted logistic regression models, poorer attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health) were significantly related to older age (OR=1.2, 95% CI=1.0-1.3), middle/low maternal education (OR=1.2, 95%CI=1.1-1.3), poor/very poor economic situation (OR=1.5, 95%CI=1.2-1.8), lack of appropriate knowledge about rights to healthcare (OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.1-1.5), lack of knowledge about obtaining healthcare services (OR=1.7, 95%CI=1.4-2.2), and lack of consultations/visits with health professionals excluding vaccinations (OR=1.2, 95%CI=1.1-1.4).

Conclusions

Almost 1/3rd of Albanian schoolchildren included in this study did not exhibit the best attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health). The best attitudes were related to a higher socioeconomic level and adequate knowledge and practices regarding healthcare services. There is thus a need to increase health literacy levels among children in order to ultimately induce sustainable healthy behavioural/lifestyle practices.

Comorbidity Profiles of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Across the Medical Phenome

Background

Previous epidemiological research has linked posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with specific physical health problems, but the comprehensive landscape of medical conditions associated with PTSD remains uncharacterized. Electronic health records provide an opportunity to overcome clinical knowledge gaps and uncover associations with biological relevance that potentially vary by sex.

Methods

PTSD was defined among biobank participants (N = 145,959) in 3 major healthcare systems using 2 ICD code-based definitions: broad (≥1 PTSD or acute stress codes vs. 0; n cases = 16,706) and narrow (≥2 PTSD codes vs. 0; n cases = 3325). Using a phenome-wide association study design, we tested associations between each PTSD definition and all prevalent disease umbrella categories, i.e., phecodes. We also conducted sex-stratified phenome-wide association study analyses including a sex × diagnosis interaction term in each logistic regression.

Results

A substantial number of phecodes were significantly associated with PTSDNarrow (61%) and PTSDBroad (83%). While the strongest associations were shared between the 2 definitions, PTSDBroad captured 334 additional phecodes not significantly associated with PTSDNarrow and exhibited a wider range of significantly associated phecodes across various categories, including respiratory, genitourinary, and circulatory conditions. Sex differences were observed in that PTSDBroad was more strongly associated with osteoporosis, respiratory failure, hemorrhage, and pulmonary heart disease among male patients and with urinary tract infection, acute pharyngitis, respiratory infections, and overweight among female patients.

Conclusions

This study provides valuable insights into a diverse range of comorbidities associated with PTSD, including both known and novel associations, while highlighting the influence of sex differences and the impact of defining PTSD using electronic health records.

PsyCog: A computerised mini battery for assessing cognition in psychosis

Despite the functional impact of cognitive deficit in people with psychosis, objective cognitive assessment is not typically part of routine clinical care. This is partly due to the length of traditional assessments and the need for a highly trained administrator. Brief, automated computerised assessments could help to address this issue. We present data from an evaluation of PsyCog, a computerised, non-verbal, mini battery of cognitive tests. Healthy Control (HC) (N = 135), Clinical High Risk (CHR) (N = 233), and First Episode Psychosis (FEP) (N = 301) participants from a multi-centre prospective study were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. PsyCog was used to assess cognitive performance at baseline and at up to two follow-up timepoints. Mean total testing time was 35.95 min (SD = 2.87). Relative to HCs, effect sizes of performance impairments were medium to large in FEP patients (composite score G = 1.21, subtest range = 0.52-0.88) and small to medium in CHR patients (composite score G = 0.59, subtest range = 0.18-0.49). Site effects were minimal, and test-retest reliability of the PsyCog composite was good (ICC = 0.82-0.89), though some practice effects and differences in data completion between groups were found. The present implementation of PsyCog shows it to be a useful tool for assessing cognitive function in people with psychosis. Computerised cognitive assessments have the potential to facilitate the evaluation of cognition in psychosis in both research and in clinical care, though caution should still be taken in terms of implementation and study design.

Fear-related associations in children of parents with an anxiety disorder

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Children of parents with an anxiety disorder are at elevated risk for developing an anxiety disorder themselves. According to cognitive theories, a possible risk factor is the development of schema-related associations. This study is the first to investigate whether children of anxious parents display fear-related associations and whether these associations relate to parental anxiety.

METHODS

44 children of parents with panic disorder, 27 children of parents with social anxiety disorder, and 84 children of parents without an anxiety disorder filled out the SCARED-71, and the children performed an Affective Priming Task.

RESULTS

We found partial evidence for disorder-specificity: When the primes were related to their parent's disorder and the targets were negative, the children of parents with panic disorder and children of parents with social anxiety disorder showed the lowest error rates related to their parents' disorder, but they did not have faster responses. We did not find any evidence for the expected specificity in the relationship between the parents' or the children's self-reported anxiety and the children's fear-related associations, as measured with the APT.

LIMITATIONS

Reliability of the Affective Priming Task was moderate, and power was low for finding small interaction effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Whereas clearly more research is needed, our results suggest that negative associations may qualify as a possible vulnerability factor for children of parents with an anxiety disorder.

Transitioning to college: Testing cognitive bias modification for interpretations as an inoculation tool for social anxiety in college first-years

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Reducing social anxiety development among incoming college students may improve college adjustment and mental health outcomes. This study tested whether cognitive bias modification for interpretations (CBM-I) reduces social anxiety and increases adjustment during the transition to college, and whether changes in outcomes would be mediated by changes in interpretation biases.

METHODS

Participants (N = 73) were randomly assigned to a 3-session weekly CBM-I condition or symptom tracking (ST) control condition. Multilevel models were used to estimate within-person trajectories from baseline to one week post-intervention and to test whether trajectories differed by condition.

RESULTS

Those in the CBM-I condition (vs. ST) reported higher increases in social adjustment across time. There were not significant differences between conditions for changes in social anxiety, academic adjustment, and personal adjustment. CBM-I was indirectly linked to improvements in outcome variables via more adaptive interpretation biases.

LIMITATIONS

CBM-I was administered in a laboratory setting, requiring more resources than some computerized interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

Data tentatively support CBM-I for first-year students to increase social adjustment. Further, mediation findings provide support for targeting interpretation biases to improve social anxiety and adjustment outcomes. Yet, CBM-I did not outperform ST in improving social anxiety symptoms or other areas of college adjustment, and effect sizes were small, suggesting that more work is needed to amplify the potential of CBM-I as a therapeutic tool.

Sexual objectification versus empowerment: Examining the effects of sexualized women's facial expression on viewers' evaluations of social cognition and self-objectification

Objectification scholarship highlights how traditional media portrayals oftentimes direct attention toward women's bodies and away from their faces which communicate important social information. This study sought to investigate how thin-ideal, white women's facial expression potentially attenuates the negative effects of appearing in a sexually objectifying manner using validated imagery. In a 2 × 3 between-subjects experiment (N = 1001 U.S. adult women; Mage = 42.56, SDage = 12.72), portraits of women varied in their sexualization (non-sexualized vs. sexualized) and facial expression (neutral expression, low-intensity smiling, high-intensity smiling) to better understand how these factors influence dimensions of social cognition (competence, warmth, authenticity), self-promotional attributions, and viewers' own self-objectification. Results revealed that viewers rated sexualized (vs. non-sexualized) women lower in competence and authenticity, as well ascribed more self-promotional explanations for their behavior. Moreover, exposure to sexualized women heightened viewers' self-objectification, regardless of facial expression. Results also indicated that smiling intensity positively influenced viewers' ratings of social cognition. However, there is little evidence that smiling intensity overrides the negative effects of sexualization. Implications for the sexual objectification of women are discussed.

A Nomogram Based on Conventional Ultrasound Radiomics for Differentiating Between Radial Scar and Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast

ABSTRACT

We aimed to develop and validate a nomogram based on conventional ultrasound (CUS) radiomics model to differentiate radial scar (RS) from invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of the breast. In total, 208 patients with histopathologically diagnosed RS or IDC of the breast were enrolled. They were randomly divided in a 7:3 ratio into a training cohort (n = 145) and a validation cohort (n = 63). Overall, 1316 radiomics features were extracted from CUS images. Then a radiomics score was constructed by filtering unstable features and using the maximum relevance minimum redundancy algorithm and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression algorithm. Two models were developed using data from the training cohort: one using clinical and CUS characteristics (Clin + CUS model) and one using clinical information, CUS characteristics, and the radiomics score (radiomics model). The usefulness of nomogram was assessed based on their differentiating ability and clinical utility. Nine features from CUS images were used to build the radiomics score. The radiomics nomogram showed a favorable predictive value for differentiating RS from IDC, with areas under the curve of 0.953 and 0.922 for the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Decision curve analysis indicated that this model outperformed the Clin + CUS model and the radiomics score in terms of clinical usefulness. The results of this study may provide a novel method for noninvasively distinguish RS from IDC.

Anticholinergic load: A commonly neglected and preventable risk to cognition during schizophrenia treatment?

Background

Cognitive impairment is a widespread feature of schizophrenia, affecting nearly 80 % of patients. Prior research has linked the anticholinergic burden of psychiatric medications to these cognitive deficits. However, the impact of the anticholinergic burden from medications for physical morbidity remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the anticholinergic burden of psychiatric and physical medications in patients with schizophrenia and assess its impact on cognitive function.

Methods

A total of 178 patients with schizophrenia were recruited. The assessments included an ad hoc questionnaire for collecting demographic and clinical data. Anticholinergic burden was evaluated using the cumulative Drug Burden Index (cDBI) for each participant, and cognitive function was assessed using MATRICS. Psychopathology was measured using the PANSS, CDSS, CAINS, and the CGI-S. Statistical analysis included Student's t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regressions.

Results

The average cDBI was 1.3 (SD = 0.9). The model developed explained 40.80 % of the variance. The variable with the greatest weight was the cDBI (B = -11.148, p = 0.010). Negative-expression (B = -2.740, p = 0.011) and negative-experiential (B = -1.175, p = 0.030) symptoms were also associated with lower global cognitive score. However, more years of education (B = 5.140, p < 0.001) and cigarettes per day (B = 1.331, p < 0.001) predicted a better global cognitive score.

Conclusion

This study identified specific predictors of global cognition in schizophrenia, with anticholinergic burden emerging as the strongest factor. Our findings underscore the importance of considering the anticholinergic burden of treatments, in addition to negative symptoms, when designing interventions to optimize or maintain cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia.

Behavioural interference at event boundaries reduces long-term memory performance in the virtual water maze task without affecting working memory performance

Narrative episodic memory of movie clips can be retroactively impaired by presenting unrelated stimuli coinciding with event boundaries. This effect has been linked with rapid hippocampal processes triggered by the offset of the event, that are alternatively related either to memory consolidation or with working memory processes. Here we tested whether this effect extended to spatial memory, the temporal specificity and extent of the interference, and its effect on working- vs long-term memory. In three computerized adaptations of the Morris Water Maze, participants learned the location of an invisible target over three trials each. A second spatial navigation task was presented either immediately after finding the target, after a 10-s delay, or no second task was presented (control condition). A recall session, in which participants indicated the learned target location with 10 'pin-drop' trials for each condition, was performed after a 1-h or a 24-h break. Spatial memory was measured by the mean distance between pins and the true location. Results indicated that the immediate presentation of the second task led to worse memory performance, for both break durations, compared to the delayed condition. There was no difference in performance between the delayed presentation and the control condition. Despite this long-term memory effect, we found no difference in the rate of performance improvement during the learning session, indicating no effect of the second task on working memory. Our findings are in line with a rapid process, linked to the offset of an event, that is involved in the early stages of memory consolidation.

Integrating social media, body shame and psychological distress within the Elaborated Sociocultural Model

The Elaborated Sociocultural Model proposes exposure to sociocultural appearance pressures increases women's internalisation of the thin ideal, their engagement in social comparison and body surveillance, and subsequent body dissatisfaction and disturbances in eating (Fitzsimmons-Craft et al., 2011). Although this model has received some empirical support, it is limited in that it does not currently account for social media as a contemporary source of appearance pressure, nor include additional known outcomes of thin ideal internalisation (i.e., body shame, psychological distress). The current study tested the integration of these variables within the Elaborated Sociocultural Model. Using structural equation modelling with latent variables, the extended model provided acceptable to good fit to the data in a sample of 271 female participants. A latent variable representing sociocultural appearance pressures originating from social media, traditional media, family and peers was found to significantly predict thin ideal internalisation and body image concerns. Furthermore, both social comparison and body surveillance emerged as indirect mediators of the relationship between thin ideal internalisation and body image concerns, which in turn, increased report of restrained eating and psychological distress. Aligning with previous research, this extended model offers a useful and comprehensive framework for investigating women's body image.

Association of domain-general speed of information processing with spoken language outcomes in prelingually-deaf children with cochlear implants

Spoken language development after pediatric cochlear implantation requires rapid and efficient processing of novel, degraded auditory signals and linguistic information. These demands for rapid adaptation tax the information processing speed ability of children who receive cochlear implants. This study investigated the association of speed of information processing ability with spoken language outcomes after cochlear implantation in prelingually deaf children aged 4-6 years. Two domain-general (visual, non-linguistic) speed of information processing measures were administered to 21 preschool-aged children with cochlear implants and 23 normal-hearing peers. Measures of speech recognition, language (vocabulary and comprehension), nonverbal intelligence, and executive functioning skills were also obtained from each participant. Speed of information processing was positively associated with speech recognition and language skills in preschool-aged children with cochlear implants but not in normal-hearing peers. This association remained significant after controlling for hearing group, age, nonverbal intelligence, and executive functioning skills. These findings are consistent with models suggesting that domain-general, fast-efficient information processing speed underlies adaptation to speech perception and language learning following implantation. Assessment and intervention strategies targeting speed of information processing may provide better understanding and development of speech-language skills after cochlear implantation.

Childhood Maltreatment and Biological Aging in Middle Adulthood: The Role of Psychiatric Symptoms

Background

Childhood maltreatment and psychiatric morbidity have each been associated with accelerated biological aging primarily through cross-sectional studies. Using data from a prospective longitudinal study of individuals with histories of childhood maltreatment and control participants followed into midlife, we tested 2 hypotheses examining whether 1) psychiatric symptoms mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and biological aging and 2) psychiatric symptoms of anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) act in conjunction with childhood maltreatment to exacerbate the association of child maltreatment to aging.

Methods

Children (ages 0-11 years) with documented histories of maltreatment and demographically matched control children were followed into adulthood (N = 607) and interviewed over several waves of the study. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms were assessed at mean ages of 29 (interview 1) and 40 (interview 2) years. Biological age was measured from blood chemistries collected later (mean age = 41 years) using the Klemera-Doubal method. Hypotheses were tested using linear regressions and path analyses.

Results

Adults with documented histories of childhood maltreatment showed more symptoms of depression, PTSD, and anxiety at both interviews and more advanced biological aging, compared with control participants. PTSD symptoms at both interviews and depression and anxiety symptoms only at interview 2 predicted accelerated biological aging. There was no evidence of mediation; however, anxiety and depression moderated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and biological aging.

Conclusions

These new findings reveal the shorter- and longer-term longitudinal impact of PTSD on biological aging and the amplifying effect of anxiety and depression on the relationship between child maltreatment and biological aging.

Examining the daily reciprocal relations between alcohol abstinence self-efficacy and drinking among non-treatment seeking individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD)

Theoretical and empirical models of alcohol use and misuse indicate that abstinence self-efficacy (ASE) predicts improvements in treatment outcomes among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). More recently, studies have begun examining daily fluctuations in ASE to better understand in-the-moment determinants of drinking behaviors. With the goal of assessing how ASE is implicated in maintenance (rather than changing) of hazardous drinking patterns, the current study examined daily reciprocal relations between ASE and drinking among individuals with AUD. Non-treatment seeking adults (n = 63) with AUD were recruited and completed daily surveys assessing ASE and drinking behaviors for 14 days. Data were analyzed using time-lagged multilevel modeling. Results indicated that both within- and between-person elevations in ASE predicted decreased likelihood of drinking, but only within-person ASE predicted fewer drinks consumed on drinking days. Previous-day drinking behavior was unrelated to next-day ASE; however, higher percentage of drinking days during the monitoring period (between-person) was associated with lower daily ASE. These results demonstrate that confidence in one's ability to abstain from drinking varies considerably across days, and that fluctuations may be implicated in daily drinking decisions. The lack of effect of previous-day drinking on ASE (combined with the significant effect of average drinking frequency) may suggest that sustained periods of reduced drinking or abstinence are necessary to impact ASE. This study points to ASE's role in the maintenance of daily drinking behavior among non-treatment-seeking individuals with AUD and reiterates the importance of self-efficacy in behavioral control and decision-making at the daily level.

Characterizing the momentary association between loneliness, depression, and social interactions: Insights from an ecological momentary assessment study

Evidence suggests that loneliness causes people to feel more depressed. It is unknown, however, why this association occurs and whether momentary versus chronic experiences of loneliness are implicated. Theoretical accounts suggest that momentary feelings of loneliness produce two competing motivations: social reaffiliation and social withdrawal. Social affiliation is protective against depression; social withdrawal, in contrast, is a risk factor. Thus, engaging in frequent and high-quality interactions following experiences of loneliness may protect against subsequent depression. We tested this hypothesis using a random-interval experience sampling design (5x/day/day, 14 days; Nobs = 6568) with a racially/ethnically diverse sample of adults with elevated depression symptoms (N = 102). Momentary loneliness was associated with depressed mood at the same time point and ∼2.5h and ∼5h later. Frequency and quality of social interaction did not moderate these associations. Findings suggest that momentary feelings of loneliness may be an important target for clinical intervention.

"Nobody Here Likes Her"-The Impact of Parental Verbal Threat Information on Children's Fear of Strangers

Parental verbal threat (vs. safety) information about strangers may induce fears of these strangers in adolescents. In this multi-method experimental study, utilizing a within-subject design, parents provided standardized verbal threat or safety information to their offspring (N = 77, Mage = 11.62 years, 42 girls) regarding two strangers in the lab. We also explored whether the impact of parental verbal threat information differs depending on the social anxiety levels of parents or fearful temperaments of adolescents. Adolescent's fear of strangers during social interaction tasks was assessed using cognitive (fear beliefs, attention bias), behavioral (observed avoidance and anxiety), and physiological (heart rate) indices. We also explored whether the impact of parental verbal threat information differs depending on the social anxiety levels of parents or fearful temperaments of adolescents. The findings suggest that a single exposure to parental verbal threat (vs. safety) information increased adolescent's self-reported fears about the strangers but did not increase their fearful behaviors, heart rate, or attentional bias. Furthermore, adolescents of parents with higher social anxiety levels or adolescents with fearful temperaments were not more strongly impacted by parental verbal threat information. Longitudinal research and studies investigating parents' naturalistic verbal expressions of threat are needed to expand our understanding of this potential verbal fear-learning pathway.

Fast & slow decisions under risk: Intuition rather than deliberation drives advantageous choices

Would you take a gamble with a 10% chance to gain $100 and a 90% chance to lose $10? Even though this gamble has a positive expected value, most people would avoid taking it given the high chance of losing money. Popular "fast-and-slow" dual process theories of risky decision making assume that to take expected value into account and avoid a loss aversion bias, people need to deliberate. In this paper we directly test whether reasoners can also consider expected value benefit intuitively, in the absence of deliberation. To do so, we presented participants with bets and lotteries in which they could choose between a risky expected-value-based choice and a safe loss averse option. We used a two-response paradigm where participants made two choices in every trial: an initial intuitive choice under time-pressure and cognitive load and a final choice without constraints where they could freely deliberate. Results showed that in most trials participants were loss averse, both in the intuitive and deliberate stages. However, when people opted for the expected-value-based choice after deliberating, they had predominantly already arrived at this choice intuitively. Additionally, loss averse participants often showed an intuitive sensitivity to expected value (as reflected in decreased confidence). Overall, these results suggest that deliberation is not the primary route for expected-value-based responding in risky decision making. Risky decisions may be better conceptualized as an interplay between different types of "fast" intuitions rather than between two different types of "fast" and "slow" thinking per se.

It Takes Two: Online and In-person Discussions Offer Complementary Learning Opportunities for Students

Discussions play a significant role in facilitating student learning through engagement with course material and promotion of critical thinking. Discussions provide space for social learning where ideas are deliberated, internalized, and knowledge is cocreated through socioemotional interactions. With the increase of internet-based and hybrid courses, there is a need to evaluate the degree to which online discussion modalities facilitate quality discussions and enhance student achievement. We assessed the effectiveness of asynchronous online discussion boards and traditional face-to-face discussions via qualitative (thematic coding and discussion network analysis) and quantitative (Bloom's taxonomy) techniques and evaluated student perceptions via precourse and postcourse surveys. We found differential strengths of the two formats. Online discussions increased response complexity, while in-person discussions fostered improved connections with course material. Themes related to sharing of personal identity, humanity and verbal immediacy were more frequent throughout in-person discussions. Survey responses suggested that a sense of community was an external motivator for preference of in-person discussions, while anxiety was a factor influencing online discussion preference. Our findings suggest that online and in-person discussions are complementary, and work in tandem to facilitate complex student thinking through online environments and social learning within the classroom.

Role of interoceptive fear and maladaptive attention and behaviors in the escalation of psychopathology-a network analysis

The complex interplay of fear, attention, and behavior toward bodily sensations with psychopathological symptoms and how they mutually influence and potentially reinforce one another remains to be fully elucidated. In this study, we used a network analytical approach to unravel these complex interactions. Specifically, we aimed to identify central symptoms and etiologically relevant factors that might be associated with anxiety and depressive core symptoms. To this end, the following clusters were assessed in 791 adults: interoceptive fear, interoceptive attention, maladaptive behaviors related to bodily sensations, and core symptoms of anxiety and depression. This network was modeled using a Gaussian Graphical Model. Central variables (nodes) were identified using centrality indices and bridge analysis. Self-examination and attention to bodily sensations emerged as central nodes. Moreover, time spent paying attention to bodily sensations, fear of anxiety-related sensations, and self-examination were identified as central bridge nodes, that is, central nodes connecting psychopathologically relevant symptom clusters. The present study indicates that fear of bodily sensations, the amount of attention and time spent focusing on somatic sensations, and self-examination are central factors. The findings suggest potential targets for future longitudinal studies on the impact of these factors for the escalation of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Psychometric evaluation of the Self-Report Habit Index for assessing habitual e-cigarette use behavior in high school adolescents

Background

E-cigarettes are the most-used nicotine product among adolescents, but limited psychometrically-sound, e-cigarette-relevant measures exist for adolescents. We examined psychometric properties of the Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI) for assessing adolescents' habitual e-cigarette use.

Methods

During Fall 2022, 4855 students from eight Connecticut high schools completed an anonymous survey. The analytic sample comprised 491 students who reported past-month e-cigarette use and completed the SRHI (Age M=15.94, SD=1.24 years, 56 % female, 37.1 % Hispanic, 57.6 % White). We examined the SRHI's latent factor structure; internal reliability; measurement invariance and between-groups differences (e.g., nicotine vs. nicotine-free vaping); and associations with total e-cigarette flavors used in the past month, past-30-day vaping frequency, and e-cigarette dependence.

Results

The SRHI's 6-item, 1-factor structure was confirmed. Internal reliability was excellent. The SRHI was scalar invariant for all subgroups tested. Nicotine (vs. nicotine-free) and daily (vs. non-daily) e-cigarette use were associated with greater habitual e-cigarette use behavior. In adjusted models, habitual e-cigarette use was associated with using more e-cigarette flavors, vaping more frequently, and greater e-cigarette dependence. Habitual e-cigarette use incrementally accounted for variance in past-month flavors used and vaping frequency beyond dependence.

Conclusions

The SRHI evidenced solid psychometric properties for assessing habitual e-cigarette use behavior among high school students. Relationships between habitual use and frequency of use, e-cigarette flavors, and dependence might be expected as these constructs are associated with the three characterizing features of habitual behaviors: frequent repetition, cue-driven elicitation, and automaticity. Future prospective research can clarify the temporal ordering of habitual e-cigarette use and dependence in adolescents.

Testing a brief attention training protocol to prevent emotional distress from a fear induction procedure

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Attentional hypervigilance to threat in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an important topic to investigate. Efforts to leverage attention training to prevent PTSD have been promising but underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. The current study tested whether Attention Bias Modification (ABM) prior to an emotion induction of fear could reduce self-reported fear and arousal compared to two control conditions.

METHODS

Participants (N = 86) were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and randomized to receive either (1) ABM where they were directed towards fear related words on every trial; (2) Attention Control Training (ACT) where they were directed towards fear related words on 50% of trials; or (3) Neutral training where all words were neutral. Participants then completed a fear emotion induction (a 2-min video), reporting fear, arousal, and mood before and after the emotion induction.

RESULTS

Participants in the ABM condition had lower fear compared to the Neutral condition b = 11.43, 95% CI (1.20, 21.65), d = 0.48. Participants in the ABM condition did not have lower fear compared to the ACT condition b = 9.75, 95% CI (-0.64, 19.96), d = 0.41. Importantly, attentional avoidance at baseline moderated the effect of condition for both fear and arousal; higher avoidance at baseline for the ABM condition was associated with lower fear and arousal after the emotion induction compared to the Neutral condition.

LIMITATIONS

The sample size was relatively small and limited in diversity.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings are the first experimental evidence showing that the benefit of ABM prior to a fearful experience may be in its reduction of the target emotion. Additionally, ABM may work best for those that demonstrate the most avoidance at baseline in their attention towards fearful stimuli.

Feasibility of an Online Acute Stressor in Preschool Children of Mothers with Depression

Maternal depression is a risk factor for future mental health problems in offspring, with stress-system function as a candidate vulnerability factor. Here we present initial validation of an online matching-task (MT) paradigm in young children exposed to maternal depression (N = 40), a first in stressor-paradigm research for this age group. Investigations of stress-system reactivity that can be conducted online are an innovative assessment approach, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicate high feasibility, with a >75% data collection success rate across measures, similar-to or better-than in-person success rates in young children. Overall, the online MT elicited significant heart rate but not cortisol reactivity. Individual differences in child mental health symptoms were a moderator of reactivity to the stressor such that children with lower, but not higher, behavioral problems exhibited the typical pattern of cortisol reactivity to the online MT. Results are aligned with allostatic load models, which suggest downregulation of stress-system reactivity as a result of experiencing adversity and mental health vulnerability. Consistent with in-person research, this suggests that an early phenotype for the emergence of behavior problems may be linked to altered stress-system reactivity. Results hold potential clinical implications for intervention development and the future of online stress-system research. Trial Registration: Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04639557; (Building Regulation in Dual Generations-Telehealth Model [BRIDGE]).

Testing the structural disconnection hypothesis: Myelin content correlates with memory in healthy aging

INTRODUCTION

The "structural disconnection" hypothesis of cognitive aging suggests that deterioration of white matter (WM), especially myelin, results in cognitive decline, yet in vivo evidence is inconclusive.

METHODS

We examined age differences in WM microstructure using Myelin Water Imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging in 141 healthy participants (age 20-79). We used the Virginia Cognitive Aging Project and the NIH Toolbox® to generate composites for memory, processing speed, and executive function.

RESULTS

Voxel-wise analyses showed that lower myelin water fraction (MWF), predominantly in prefrontal WM, genu of the corpus callosum, and posterior limb of the internal capsule was associated with reduced memory performance after controlling for age, sex, and education. In structural equation modeling, MWF in the prefrontal white matter and genu of the corpus callosum significantly mediated the effect of age on memory, whereas fractional anisotropy (FA) did not.

DISCUSSION

Our findings support the disconnection hypothesis, showing that myelin decline contributes to age-related memory loss and opens avenues for interventions targeting myelin health.

Augmented-reality-based multi-person exercise has more beneficial effects on mood state and oxytocin secretion than standard solitary exercise

BACKGROUND

Exercise has positive effects on psychological well-being, with team sports often associated with superior mental health compared to individual sports. Augmented reality (AR) technology has the potential to convert solitary exercise into multi-person exercise. Given the role of oxytocin in mediating the psychological benefits of exercise and sports, this study aimed to investigate the impact of AR-based multi-person exercise on mood and salivary oxytocin levels.

METHODS

Fourteen participants underwent three distinct regimens: non-exercise (Rest), standard solitary cycling exercise (Ex), and AR-based multi-person cycling exercise (Ex+AR). In both Ex and Ex+AR conditions, participants engaged in cycling at a self-regulated pace to maintain a Rating of Perceived Exertion of 10. In the Ex+AR condition, participants' avatars were projected onto a tablet screen, allowing them to cycle alongside ten other virtual avatars in an AR environment. Mood states and saliva samples were collected before and immediately after each 10-minute regimen. Subsequently, salivary oxytocin levels were measured.

RESULTS

Notably, only the Ex+AR condition significantly improved mood states associated with depression-dejection and exhibited a non-significant trend toward suppressing anger-hostility in participants. Moreover, the Ex+AR condition led to a significant elevation in salivary oxytocin levels, while the Ex condition showed a non-significant trend toward an increase. However, changes in salivary oxytocin did not show a significant correlation with changes in mood states.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that Ex+AR enhances mood states and promotes oxytocin release. AR-based multi-person exercise may offer greater psychological benefits compared to standard solitary exercise, although the relationship between oxytocin and mood changes remains inconclusive.

Witnessing-condition information differentially affects evaluations of high- and moderate-confidence eyewitness identifications

Recent research on the eyewitness confidence-accuracy relationship reveals that confidence can be highly diagnostic of accuracy when the identification evidence is collected using pristine procedures (Wixted & Wells, 2017) and in the absence of suspect bias (Smalarz, 2021). Some researchers have further argued that eyewitnesses who make high-confidence suspect identifications are highly likely to be accurate even if they experienced suboptimal witnessing conditions (Semmler et al., 2018). The current research examined evaluations of eyewitness identification evidence in cases involving suboptimal witnessing conditions. Students (Experiments 1 & 2) and community members (Experiment 3) read eight crime vignettes involving an eyewitness's identification. We manipulated information about poor witnessing conditions (present vs. absent), the eyewitness's confidence level (high vs. moderate), and the format of the confidence statement (verbal vs. numeric) and measured evaluations of eyewitness-identification accuracy. Across all three experiments, information about suboptimal witnessing conditions disproportionately reduced evaluators' belief of highly confident compared to moderately confident eyewitnesses. This differential-discrediting pattern occurred for both numeric and verbal confidence-statement formats. Expert testimony describing the imperviousness of high-confidence suspect-identification accuracy to suboptimal witnessing conditions reduced, but did not eliminate, the differential-discrediting effect. Given that crime eyewitnesses frequently experience suboptimal witnessing conditions (e.g., Behrman & Davey, 2001; Wright & McDaid, 1996), the current findings have widespread implications for the capacity of the legal system to correctly classify suspects as guilty or innocent based on eyewitness identification testimony.

Stress in the collective: Psychophysiological reactivity to an orchestra concert as a collective naturalistic, real-life stressor of psychosocial nature

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

The investigation of collective stress experiences, including collective stressors and the psychophysiological reactivity of a collective to these stressors, has been widely neglected so far. Here, we examined public non-professional orchestra concerts as collective naturalistic, real-life stressors of psychosocial nature and the resulting psychophysiological reactivity in a collective of non-professional orchestra musicians.

METHODS

The members of two non-professional music orchestras (N = 54) were accompanied during a public concert (stress condition) and a rehearsal (control condition). We repeatedly assessed heart rate, salivary cortisol, and excitement levels before, during, and after the concert/rehearsal in addition to the anticipatory cognitive stress appraisal.

RESULTS

We observed greater physiological reactivity to the concert compared to the rehearsal (p's ≤.017), with higher increases in heart rate levels in anticipation of and in reaction to the concert and in cortisol levels in reaction to the concert compared to the rehearsal. Moreover, orchestra members reported greater psychological reactivity to the concert than to the rehearsal (p's ≤.024) in terms of higher cognitive stress appraisal in anticipation and increased excitement levels before and during the concert compared to the rehearsal.

DISCUSSION

Our findings indicate that orchestra concerts by non-professional musicians constitute collective naturalistic, real-life stressors of psychosocial nature, resulting in significant psychophysiological stress responses with reactivity kinetics differing between the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary axis, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and the psychological response. Potential implications and modulating factors need to be elucidated in future studies.

Perceived physical literacy in children and early adolescents: Two valid and reliable versions of the PL-C Quest

Perceived physical literacy contributes to the understanding of individuals' physical activity (PA) engagement. It is important a scale is validated in the population of interest. Also, the type of administration may affect reliability and validity. So, the aim of this study was twofold: 1) to examine evidence of validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the Physical Literacy for Children Questionnaire (PL-C Quest) in a cohort of children and adolescents and 2) to assess two versions of administering the scale. The study was conducted in two stages, depending on the administration format of the PL-C Quest (double-dichotomous, and four-point response style) in a cohort of 2004 (n1 = 916; n2 = 1088) students. In both administration forms, evidence of validity (relation with other variables, i.e., concurrent and predictive, and structural validity), invariance (between boys and girls) and reliability (test-retest and internal consistency) were examined. There was evidence of validity for both administration types, with adequate reliability and good to excellent test-retest reliability for both administration forms. Both methods of administration for the PL-C Quest can capture perceived physical literacy in Spanish 8- to 14-year-old children and early adolescents.

Registration of finger implants in the Dutch arthroplasty registry (LROI)

Finger arthroplasty is commonly used to treat pain in the finger joints due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Despite the procedure having existed for a relatively long time, it is still unknown which characteristics influence implant survival. The Dutch Arthroplasty Registry (LROI) is one of the 4 registries worldwide registering finger arthroplasties. This study aimed to investigate impact factors for implant survival regarding finger joint arthroplasty and assess registration completeness using the national healthcare claims database to compare. A total of 951 primary arthroplasties and 84 revision arthroplasties of the finger joints were registered. A higher likelihood of primary and revision surgery was found in female patients. The third and fourth proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints were the most frequently operated in primary surgery; however, the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints were the most frequently revised joints. Silicone implants were used in most cases and evenly throughout all digits. Suboptimal registration completeness was shown for plastic surgeons with just 35.5%-37.4% of all surgeries registered. Although orthopedic surgeons do not perform most surgeries on the hand, they registered 76.5%-78.2% of surgeries. No statistical analyses were justified, considering the low completeness and limited follow-up. Female gender and PIP joint disease are possible risk factors for primary arthroplasty. MCP arthroplasties showed higher revision rates. However, participation rates and, therefore, data completeness were not optimal. To optimize participation, improving ease of registration should be explored. Furthermore, we urge readers who deal with joint implants to register their surgeries in the LROI database because only optimal registration completeness leads to high-quality data.

Development of a virtual reality system usability questionnaire (VRSUQ)

Virtual reality (VR) has gained significant attention as a technology that provides immersive experiences similar to the real world. In order for a VR system to be accepted, usability needs to be guaranteed. Accordingly, VR-related researchers are continuing their efforts to improve VR systems by conducting usability evaluations. However, existing studies have limitations in that they cannot comprehensively evaluate the detailed properties of VR systems by using questionnaires developed for general product usability evaluation or focusing only on some usability aspects of VR systems. This suggests it may be difficult to fully capture usability issues in a VR system, and that it is necessary to develop a usability evaluation tool that reflects the specific characteristics of the VR system. Therefore, this study develops and proposes the Virtual Reality System Usability Questionnaire (VRSUQ). In the development of the questionnaire, items were structured based on a literature review and discussions with experts. To account for the diverse characteristics of VR systems, the validity of the questionnaire was verified through both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, utilizing data obtained from three distinct experimental studies that employed different VR systems. In addition, by comparing the results of VRSUQ with the results from the System Usability Scale, which is widely used for perceived usability evaluation, alternative possibilities for using VRSUQ are presented. Further testing on various VR platforms is needed to ensure the reliability and validity of VRSUQ, and as results from using VRSUQ are accumulated, it is expected to be widely used as a more powerful and robust VR-specific perceived usability evaluation tool.

Chinese hospital staff in anxiety and depression: Not only comfort patients but also should be comforted - A nationwide cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Healthcare professionals are in short supply worldwide, especially in China, which can result in increased stress in the work environment and allostatic load for Chinese hospital staff. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms and their relationship with total stress, allostatic overload, sleep quality, and episodic memory among Chinese hospital staff.

METHOD

In this cross-sectional study, self-assessments including Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), PsychoSocial Index (PSI), Pittsburgh Sleeping Quality Index (PSQI), and MemTrax test were used to evaluate participants' anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, total stress, allostatic load/overload, sleep quality, and episodic memory.

RESULTS

A total of 9433 hospital staff from 304 cities participated. Anxiety prevalence was 21.0 % (95 % confidential interval (CI) 20.2 %, 21.8 %), while the prevalence of depressive symptoms was at 21.4 % (95 % CI 20.5 %, 22.2 %). 79.8 % (95 % CI 79.0 %, 80.6 %) of the hospital staff had allostatic overload. Poor sleep quality affected 50.4 % of participants, and 32.1 % experienced poor episodic memory.

LIMITATIONS

This study utilized a convenience sampling approach, relying on an online survey as its data collection method.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospital staff in China are facing a stressful environment with a high prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms, significant allostatic overload, poor sleep quality, and compromised episodic memory. It is imperative that local management and community structures enhance their support and care for these essential workers, enabling them to manage and withstand the stresses of their professional roles effectively.

How do early affiliative memories explain body image shame? A 12-month longitudinal study in adolescent girls

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explain adolescent girls' body image shame across a 12- month longitudinal design, and its relationship with early parental memories of warmth and safeness and fear of receiving compassion from others.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Participants included 231 adolescent girls, who completed self-report measures at three different periods: baseline (W1), 6-month follow-up (W2), and 12-month follow-up (W3). Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed, and differences between participants at the different waves were explored through repeated measures ANOVA. A cross-lagged panel model tested the mediational effect of fears of receiving compassion on the association between early affiliative memories (W1) and body image shame (W3).

RESULTS

ANOVA results found significant differences throughout time in memories of warmth and safeness (tending to diminish) and in body image shame (tending to rise). Correlation analysis revealed that all variables were significantly associated in the expected directions, across the three waves. Finally, path analysis revealed that early affiliative parental memories (in W1) had a direct effect on body image shame (in W3), through the fear of receiving compassion from others (in W2), accounting for 85% of body image shame's variance (W3).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that the lack of early affiliative memories often leads to the development of defensive mechanisms such as fears of receiving compassion from others which in turn can foster isolation and distant relationships, enhancing feelings of inferiority and inadequacy, which in female adolescents can emerge centered on body image - body image shame. This study further highlights the importance of prevention and intervention strategies based on compassion to specifically target fears of receiving compassion from others, in adolescent girls dealing with feelings of inferiority and shame regarding their body.

The Ungrading Learning Theory We Have Is Not the Ungrading Learning Theory We Need

Ungrading is an emancipatory pedagogy that focuses on evaluative assessment of learning. Self-regulated learning (SRL) has consistently been referred to as the learning theory that undergirds ungrading, but SRL-with its deficit frame in the literature and in practice-fails to uphold ungrading's emancipatory aims. An asset-framed learning theory-one that combines the cultural orientation of funds of knowledge with the power dynamics of community cultural wealth-is proposed as an alternative to SRL. The proposed learning theory aligns ungrading to its emancipatory aims and may provide an opportunity to better understand the learning that occurs in ungraded classrooms. Scholarly and practical impacts for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and specifically biology, educational research and practice include investigating the plausibility of mixing learning theories, aligning learning theory to emancipatory aims and researching how faculty activate funds of knowledge and community cultural wealth, both individually and collectively, in ungraded STEM classrooms.

Neural Sensitivity to Peer Feedback and Depressive Symptoms: Moderation by Executive Function

Theories of adolescent development suggest that elevated neural sensitivity to social evaluation confers tradeoffs for adolescents' wellbeing, promoting adaptation to changing social contexts but increasing risk for emotional distress and depression. This study investigated whether the association between neural processing of peer feedback and depressive symptoms depends on teacher-reported executive function (EF) ability in adolescent girls. Girls showed activation to negative and positive peer feedback in regions implicated in social-emotional processing that interacted with EF to predict depressive symptoms. Specifically, activation predicted more depression in youth with poorer EF but less depression in youth with better EF, suggesting that the impact of increased social sensitivity may depend on youths' ability to regulate this sensitivity in adaptive ways.

Face recognition's practical relevance: Social bonds, not social butterflies

Research on individual differences in face recognition has provided important foundational insights: their broad range, cognitive specificity, strong heritability, and resilience to change. Elusive, however, has been the key issue of practical relevance: do these individual differences correlate with aspects of life that go beyond the recognition of faces, per se? Though often assumed, especially in social realms, such correlates remain largely theoretical, without empirical support. Here, we investigate an array of potential social correlates of face recognition. We establish social relationship quality as a reproducible correlate. This link generalises across face recognition tasks and across independent samples. In contrast, we detect no robust association with the sheer quantity of social connections, whether measured directly via number of social contacts or indirectly via extraversion-related personality indices. These findings document the existence of a key social correlate of face recognition and provide some of the first evidence to support its practical relevance. At the same time, they challenge the naive assumption that face recognition relates equally to all social outcomes. In contrast, they suggest a focused link of face recognition to the quality, not quantity, of one's social connections.

OPTIMAL theory's claims about motivation lack evidence in the motor learning literature

Motivation is commonly recognized by researchers and practitioners as a key factor for motor learning. The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning (Wulf & Lewthwaite, 2016) claims that practice conditions that enhance learners' expectancies for future successful outcomes or that are autonomy supportive are motivating, thus leading to better learning. To examine the current evidence of the association between motivation and motor learning, we searched the literature for studies that manipulated expectancies and/or autonomy support. Specifically, our goals were to assess whether these manipulations resulted in group differences in motivation and, if so, whether increased motivation was associated with learning advantages. Results showed that out of 166 experiments, only 21% (n = 35) included at least one measure of motivation, even though this is the main factor proposed by OPTIMAL theory to explain the learning benefits of these manipulations. Among those, only 23% (n = 8) found group-level effects on motivation, suggesting that these manipulations might not be as motivating as expected. Of the eight experiments that found a group-level effect on motivation, five also observed learning benefits, offering limited evidence that when practice conditions increase motivation, learning is more likely to occur. Overall, the small number of studies assessing motivation precludes any reliable conclusions on the association between motivation and motor learning from being drawn. Together, our results question whether manipulations implemented in the research lines supporting OPTIMAL theory are indeed motivating and highlight the lack of sufficient evidence in these literatures to support that increased motivation benefits motor learning.

The effects of coaches' pride and shame expressions on field hockey players' emotions and performance

In this study, we examined the effects of female coaches' nonverbal pride and shame expressions on female field hockey players' emotions and performance and considered the role of two potential moderating factors. Across two experiments, a between (emotional expression manipulation) within (pre- and post-manipulation) subjects design was employed. A female hockey coach was scripted to deliver performance feedback randomly displaying pride or shame to skilled players (Experiment 1, n = 38; Experiment 2, n = 44) after they had performed a passing test. Players then performed the passing test for a second time. In both experiments, players reported their emotions, perceptions of the coach, and connection with the coach. In Experiment 2, players also rated their emotion regulation ability. The results showed that displayed pride elicited pride in players while displayed shame elicited shame in players. Further, coaches' pride and shame expressions had differential effects on players' performance. Displayed pride consistently improved players' performance. Displayed shame mainly worsened performance, but players' ability to regulate their own emotions seemed to buffer these negative effects. There was further evidence that players' emotions could underpin the performance effects, particularly when players knew the coach. These findings advance the literature by providing further experimental evidence for when and how coaches' pride and shame expressions influence players' emotions and performance and have important practical implications for coaches aiming to optimize performance.

From One's Heart to the Mind of Others: A Study in School-Aged Children

Studies have shown a significant association between effective parasympathetic modulation of the heart and processes linked to social cognition. Particularly, Quintana and colleagues documented a relation between vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) and performance on a theory of mind (ToM) task, namely, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), in a sample of university students. The purpose of the present study was to test whether such result would extend to a sample of school-aged children (7-9 years old) using the child version of the RMET. In addition, the Eyes Test Revised was administered as it is more suitable to evaluate ToM during childhood. Results supported the positive association between vmHRV and ToM abilities, replicating and extending previous results obtained in young adults. The current study adds to the existing literature pointing to HRV as a putative biomarker of social cognition abilities.

Risks and benefits of social media trends: The influence of "fitspiration", "body positivity", and text-based "body neutrality" on body dissatisfaction and affect in women with and without eating disorders

This online experimental study investigates the effects of the social media trends "fitspiration" (images of thin-muscular women promoting health and fitness), "body positivity" (images of larger female bodies motivating women to love their bodies), and "body neutrality" (illustrations encouraging women to appreciate the body's functions) on body dissatisfaction and affect in women with and without eating disorders (ED). Women with (n = 172) and women without ED (n = 210) were randomly assigned to the conditions "fitspiration", "body positivity", and text-based "body neutrality", each comprising the presentation of 30 Instagram posts. Before and after viewing the posts, participants answered state questionnaires on body dissatisfaction and affect. The results revealed that body dissatisfaction increased after viewing "fitspiration" images and decreased after viewing "body positivity" and text-based "body neutrality" posts. Positive affect decreased following exposure to "fitspiration" and text-based "body neutrality" but remained unchanged following "body positivity". Negative affect decreased following "body positivity" and text-based "body neutrality" content but did not change following exposure to "fitspiration". There was no differential effect on women with versus without ED. This study demonstrates harmful effects of "fitspiration" on body image and affect, indicating the need for prevention programs for both women with and without ED.

Evidence for an age-related decline in feature-based attention

Feature-based attention allows to efficiently guide attention to relevant information in the visual scene, but unambiguous empirical evidence on age-related effects is still limited. In this study, young and older participants performed a two-alternative forced choice task in which a response was selected based on a task-relevant number (=target) presented alone or with a task-irrelevant letter (=neutral distracter) or number (=compatible/incompatible distracter). Participants were required to select the target based on color. To compare the behavioral interference of the distracters between the age groups, data were modeled with a hierarchical drift-diffusion model. The results revealed that decreases in the rate at which information was collected in the conditions with versus without a distracter were more pronounced in the older than young age group when the distracter was compatible or incompatible. Our findings are consistent with an age-related decline in the ability to filter out distracters based on features.

Goal-directed remembering in older adults

Compared to younger adults, older adults show a reduced difference in memory between items they are directed to remember and items they are directed to forget. This effect may result from increased processing of goal-irrelevant information in aging. In contrast, healthy older adults are often able to selectively remember valuable information, suggesting preservation of goal-directed encoding in aging. Here, we examined how value may differentially affect directed-forgetting and memory for irrelevant details for younger and older adults in a value-directed remembering task. In Experiment 1, participants studied words paired with a directed-forgetting cue and a point-value they earned for later recognition. Participants' memory was then tested, either after an 8-min or 24-hr retention interval. In Experiment 2 words were presented in two colors and the recognition test assessed whether the participant could retrieve the incidentally-presented point value and the color of each recognized words. In both experiments, older and younger adults displayed a comparable ability to selectively encode valuable items. However, older adults showed a reduced directed-forgetting effect compared to younger adults that was maintained across the 24-hr retention interval. In Experiment 2, older adults showed both intact directed-forgetting and similar incidental detail retrieval compared to younger adults. These findings suggest that older adults maintained selectivity to value, demonstrating that aging does not impact the differential encoding of valuable information. Furthermore, younger and older adults may be similarly goal-directed in terms of item features to encode, but that instructions to forget presented items are less effective in older adults.

Depression and emotional eating in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Major Depressive Disorder in youth is associated with obesity and adult cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Eating in response to emotions (emotional eating) is a potential contributing factor to this association. Although emotional eating is associated with Major Depressive Disorder in adults, findings in children and adolescents are mixed. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to determine the association between depression and emotional eating in children and adolescents. Systematic searches were conducted in seven databases. Studies were included if the study population had a mean age of ≤18 years and assessed both depression and emotional eating using validated measures. The search generated 12,241 unique studies, of which 37 met inclusion criteria. Random-effects meta-analyses of study outcomes were performed. Thirty-seven studies (26,026 participants; mean age = 12.4 years, SD = 3.1) were included. The mean effect size was significant for both cross-sectional and longitudinal data (Hedges' g = 0.48, p < 0.0001; g = 0.37, p = 0.002, respectively), revealing a positive moderately strong association between depressive symptoms and emotional eating in youth. Among longitudinal studies, the association was stronger when depressive symptoms and emotional eating were assessed using child and adolescent self-report versus parent-report. No studies examined youth with a clinical diagnosis of depression. Meta-analyses revealed that depressive symptoms and emotional eating are positively associated in children and adolescents. However, further research in clinical samples is needed. Results raise the possibility for the importance of emotional eating in the link between depression and early CVD risk, though further examination is required to determine whether emotional eating is a potential treatment target to decrease CVD risk among adolescents with increased depression symptoms.

Beyond Rubik: The Embodiment-Presence-Interactivity Cube applied to exercise

Evidence-based interventions are needed to promote engagement in physical activity. Audio-visual stimuli are frequently employed to enhance the exercise experience. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of research that examines the qualities of technological devices that are employed. Using the Embodiment-Presence-Interactivity Cube (Flavián et al., 2019) as a guiding conceptual framework, the aim of this registered report was to examine how each dimension of the cube (i.e., embodiment, presence and interactivity) influenced a range of exercise-related affective and perceptual variables. A counterbalanced within-subjects design was employed (N = 24). Participants completed 20-min exercise bouts on a cycle ergometer under four conditions: Television, augmented reality, 360° video and virtual reality. A repeated-measures ANOVA indicated a significant Condition × Timepoint interaction for affective valence (p = 0.046), with greater embodiment offered by technological devices leading to more positive responses. Analyses also indicated main effects of condition for exercise enjoyment, remembered pleasure and forecasted pleasure, with greater presence of technological devices leading to more positive responses. Technologies that combine high levels of embodiment, presence and interactivity (e.g., virtual reality) appear to yield several benefits in terms of in-task (e.g., affective valence) and post-task (e.g., remembered pleasure) responses for exercise conducted at ventilatory threshold.

Raising Confident Girls: A pragmatic school-based trial of a body image and parenting program for mothers of adolescent girls

This study evaluated Raising Confident Girls (RCG), delivered to mothers of Year 8 students (mean age 12.8-years) who were receiving the classroom-based Dove Confident Me (DCM) program. RCG is an interactive, multi-session intervention designed to improve body image in mothers in order to enhance their capacity to parent and role model this to their daughters. A pragmatic non-randomised controlled trial involved delivery of the program to mothers (n = 69) over three, 2-hour seminars in evenings, compared with a comparison group (n = 51). The study took place at an independent all-girls secondary school in Australia. Multilevel mixed modelling analyses compared pre- and post-test scores on standardized scales. Mothers who participated in the program had significantly higher scores on primary outcome variables of body esteem and body appreciation compared to the comparison group at post-test. Further, participation significantly improved mother's knowledge, confidence, and skills for parenting, and improved role modeling of positive body image. Mothers were well engaged, with low attrition rates, and rated the program highly. The RCG program was effective and engaging for mothers, offering deeper insight into improving parental engagement in body image interventions delivered within the school context.

Schadenfreude or empathy? Children's emotional responses to the physical pain and pleasure of prosocial and antisocial others

Adults' emotional reactions to the pain and pleasure of others are influenced by the moral character of those individuals. However, it remains unclear whether children's emotional responses also show such selectivity. To investigate this, we compared 4- to 8-year-old children's emotional responses to the physical pain and pleasure of prosocial versus antisocial puppets. In Study 1, children reported unhappiness after witnessing the pain of the prosocial and antisocial puppets but reported less unhappiness after witnessing the pain of the antisocial puppet. In Study 2, children reported happiness after witnessing the pleasure of both puppets but reported being less happy for the antisocial puppet. These results suggest that children are less likely to empathize with antisocial individuals. Meanwhile, children did not display Schadenfreude (pleasure at others' pain) or Gluckschmerz (displeasure at others' pleasure) toward antisocial individuals in our studies. Moreover, the selectivity of children's emotional responses disappeared after we manipulated the physical competence rather than the moral character of the puppets in Study 3. Our findings help to reveal the moral selectivity of emotional responses to others' pleasure and pain during early childhood.

"Weeding out" violence? Translational perspectives on the neuropsychobiological links between cannabis and aggression

Recent shifts in societal attitudes towards cannabis have led to a dramatic increase in consumption rates in many Western countries, particularly among young people. This trend has shed light on a significant link between cannabis use disorder (CUD) and pathological reactive aggression, a condition involving disproportionate aggressive and violent reactions to minor provocations. The discourse on the connection between cannabis use and aggression is frequently enmeshed in political and legal discussions, leading to a polarized understanding of the causative relationship between cannabis use and aggression. However, integrative analyses from both human and animal research indicate a complex, bidirectional interplay between cannabis misuse and pathological aggression. On the one hand, emerging research reveals a shared genetic and environmental predisposition for both cannabis use and aggression, suggesting a common underlying biological mechanism. On the other hand, there is evidence that cannabis consumption can lead to violent behaviors while also being used as a self-medication strategy to mitigate the negative emotions associated with pathological reactive aggression. This suggests that the coexistence of pathological aggression and CUD may result from overlapping vulnerabilities, potentially creating a self-perpetuating cycle where each condition exacerbates the other, escalating into externalizing and violent behaviors. This article aims to synthesize existing research on the intricate connections between these issues and propose a theoretical model to explain the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning this complex relationship.