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Bouzidi YS, Gendolla GHE. Cognitive conflict does not always mean high effort: Task difficulty's moderating effect on cardiac response. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14580. [PMID: 38615338 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
This article presents an experiment (N = 127 university students) testing whether the previously found impact of conflict primes on effort-related cardiac response is moderated by objective task difficulty. Recently, it has been shown that primed cognitive conflict increases cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) reactivity-an index of effort intensity-during the performance of relatively easy tasks. This effect could be attributed to conflict-related negative affect. Consequently, as it has been shown for other types of negative affect, we expected conflict primes' effect to be task-context dependent and thus to be moderated by objective task difficulty. In a between-persons design, we manipulated conflict via embedded pictures of conflict-related vs. non-conflict-related Stroop items in a memory task. We expected primed conflict to increase effort in a relatively easy version of the task but to lead to disengagement when task difficulty was objectively high. PEP reactivity corroborated our predictions. Rather than always increasing effort, cognitive conflict's effect on resource mobilization was context-dependent and resulted in weak responses in a difficult task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann S Bouzidi
- FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Guido H E Gendolla
- FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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2
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Pavlov YG, Gashkova AS, Kasanov D, Kosachenko AI, Kotyusov AI, Kotchoubey B. Task-evoked pulse wave amplitude tracks cognitive load. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22592. [PMID: 38114566 PMCID: PMC10730617 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48917-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive load is a crucial factor in mentally demanding activities and holds significance across various research fields. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of pulse wave amplitude (PWA) as a measure for tracking cognitive load and associated mental effort in comparison to heart rate (HR) during a digit span task. The data from 78 participants were included in the analyses. Participants performed a memory task in which they were asked to memorize sequences of 5, 9, or 13 digits, and a control task where they passively listened to the sequences. PWA and HR were quantified from photoplethysmography (PPG) and electrocardiography (ECG), respectively. Pupil dilation was also assessed as a measure of cognitive load. We found that PWA showed a strong suppression with increasing memory load, indicating sensitivity to cognitive load. In contrast, HR did not show significant changes with task difficulty. Moreover, when memory load exceeded the capacity of working memory, a reversal of the PWA pattern was observed, indicating cognitive overload. In this respect, changes in PWA in response to cognitive load correlated with the dynamics of pupil dilation, suggesting a potential shared underlying mechanism. Additionally, both HR and PWA demonstrated a relationship with behavioral performance, with higher task-evoked HR and lower PWA associated with better memory performance. Our findings suggest that PWA is a more sensitive measure than HR for tracking cognitive load and overload. PWA, measured through PPG, holds significant potential for practical applications in assessing cognitive load due to its ease of use and sensitivity to cognitive overload. The findings contribute to the understanding of psychophysiological indicators of cognitive load and offer insights into the use of PWA as a non-invasive measure in various contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri G Pavlov
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Anastasia S Gashkova
- Laboratory of Neurotechnology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, 620000, Russian Federation
| | - Dauren Kasanov
- Laboratory of Neurotechnology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, 620000, Russian Federation
| | - Alexandra I Kosachenko
- Laboratory of Neurotechnology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, 620000, Russian Federation
| | - Alexander I Kotyusov
- Laboratory of Neurotechnology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, 620000, Russian Federation
| | - Boris Kotchoubey
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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Pearman A, Neupert SD, Ennis GE. Age and extraversion differences in heart rate reactivity during working memory tasks. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245539. [PMID: 33481892 PMCID: PMC7822317 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Research and theory have shown a link between heart rate reactivity during cognitive testing and extraversion in younger adults; however, similar work has not been conducted with older adults. This study was designed to explore age and extraversion-related differences in within-person heart rate (HR) reactivity during two working memory tasks of varying difficulty using a multi-level modeling approach. Across 570 total within-person assessments of continuous HR monitoring, 28 younger adults (M = 19.76, SD = 1.15) and 29 older adults (M = 71.19, SD = 6.63) were administered two working memory tasks (backward digit span and n-back). There were no age differences in reactivity during the backward digit span. However, similar to previous findings, on the more difficult n-back task, younger adults low in extraversion showed a trend toward higher HR reactivity than young adults high in extraversion. Interestingly, the older adults showed the opposite pattern in that lower extraversion older adults were less reactive than the higher extraversion older adults who showed the steepest increase in HR. The HR increase of the older adults high in extraversion may be an indication of higher engagement in this more difficult task. Individual differences in extraversion need to be taken into account when administering working memory tasks in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Pearman
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Shevaun D. Neupert
- Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Gilda E. Ennis
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
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Krpan D, Galizzi MM, Dolan P. Looking at Spillovers in the Mirror: Making a Case for "Behavioral Spillunders". Front Psychol 2019; 10:1142. [PMID: 31156523 PMCID: PMC6532417 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral spillovers refer to the influence that a given intervention targeting behavior 1 exerts on a subsequent, non-targeted, behavior 2, which may or may not be in the same domain (health, finance, etc.) as one another. So, a nudge to exercise more, for example, could lead people to eat more or less, or possibly even to give more or less to charity depending on the nature of the spillover. But what if spillovers also operate backward; that is, if the expectation of behavior 1 influences behavior 0 that precedes it? For example, a person may form an intention to exercise prompted by a policy intervention but overeat at present as a result. We define such a possibility as a "spillunder." In the proposed article, we critically review the few papers that we have identified through a narrative literature review which have demonstrated spillunder effects to date, and we propose a conceptual framework. Based on evidence about the human mind and behavior from psychology and economics, we argue that spillunder effects may be more common than the limited empirical findings suggest. We propose six representative mechanisms through which the prospect of behavior 1 may impact behavior 0: executive functions, moral licensing and moral cleansing, emotion regulation, energization, construal level, and savoring and dread. We further discuss the policy and practical implications of spillunder effects and examine methodological issues that need to be considered when empirically testing these effects. As with our earlier paper on spillovers, we aim to motivate other behavioral scientists to research behavioral spillunders more systematically and extensively, and to prompt decision makers to consider these effects when designing behavioral interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Krpan
- Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom
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5
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Evaluating personality as a moderator of the association between life events stress and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress. Int J Psychophysiol 2018; 126:52-59. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Monetary incentive moderates the effect of implicit fear on effort-related cardiovascular response. Biol Psychol 2016; 117:150-158. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 03/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Seery MD. The Biopsychosocial Model of Challenge and Threat: Using the Heart to Measure the Mind. SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Seery
- University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
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8
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Gendolla GH. Implicit affect primes effort: A theory and research on cardiovascular response. Int J Psychophysiol 2012; 86:123-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2012] [Revised: 05/14/2012] [Accepted: 05/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Bustin GM, Quoidbach J, Hansenne M, Capa RL. Personality modulation of (un)conscious processing: Novelty Seeking and performance following supraliminal and subliminal reward cues. Conscious Cogn 2012; 21:947-52. [PMID: 22475476 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2012.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2011] [Revised: 03/09/2012] [Accepted: 03/09/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
This study provides evidence that personality traits associated with responsiveness to conscious reward cues also influence responsiveness to unconscious reward cues. Participants with low and high levels of Novelty Seeking (NS) performed updating tasks in which they could either gain 1 euro or 5 cents. Gains were presented either supraliminally or subliminally at the beginning of each trial. Results showed that low NS participants performed better in the high-reward than in the low-reward condition, whereas high NS participants' performance did not differ between reward conditions. Interestingly, we found that low NS participants performed significantly better when rewards were presented unconsciously, whereas high NS participants' performance did not differ whether reward cues were presented subliminally or supraliminally. Our findings highlight the necessity of taking personality into account in unconscious cognition research. They also suggest that individual differences might determine whether implicit and explicit motives have similar or complementary influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëlle M Bustin
- Department of Psychology: Cognition and Behavior, University of Liège, Belgium.
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Freydefont L, Gendolla GHE, Silvestrini N. Beyond valence: The differential effect of masked anger and sadness stimuli on effort-related cardiac response. Psychophysiology 2012; 49:665-71. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01340.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2011] [Accepted: 10/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laure Freydefont
- Geneva Motivation Lab, Department of Psychology; University of Geneva; Geneva; Switzerland
| | - Guido H. E. Gendolla
- Geneva Motivation Lab, Department of Psychology; University of Geneva; Geneva; Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Silvestrini
- Geneva Motivation Lab, Department of Psychology; University of Geneva; Geneva; Switzerland
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Capa RL, Cleeremans A, Bustin GM, Bouquet CA, Hansenne M. Effects of Subliminal Priming on Nonconscious Goal Pursuit and Effort-Related Cardiovascular Response. SOCIAL COGNITION 2011. [DOI: 10.1521/soco.2011.29.4.430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Capa RL, Cleeremans A, Bustin GM, Hansenne M. Long-lasting effect of subliminal processes on cardiovascular responses and performance. Int J Psychophysiol 2011; 81:22-30. [PMID: 21515314 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2011] [Revised: 04/05/2011] [Accepted: 04/07/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Students were exposed to a priming task in which subliminal representations of the goal of studying were directly paired (priming-positive group) or not (priming group) to positive words. A control group without subliminal prime of the goal was added. Just after the priming task, students performed an easy or a difficult learning task based on their coursework. Participants in the priming-positive group performed better and had a stronger decrease of pulse transit time and pulse wave amplitude reactivity than participants of the two other groups, but only during the difficult condition. Results suggested that subliminal priming induces effortful behavior extending over twenty five minutes but only when the primes had been associated with visible positive words acting as a reward. These findings provide evidence that subliminal priming can have long-lasting effects on behaviors typical of daily life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémi L Capa
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of Liège, Belgium.
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Silvestrini N, Gendolla GHE. Masked affective stimuli moderate task difficulty effects on effort-related cardiovascular response. Psychophysiology 2011; 48:1157-64. [PMID: 21457273 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01181.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This experiment investigated the combined effect of masked affective stimuli and task difficulty on effort-related cardiovascular response. Cardiovascular reactivity (ICG, blood pressure) was recorded during a baseline period and performance of an easy or difficult attention task in which participants were exposed to masked sad vs. happy facial expressions. As expected, participants in the sad-faces/easy and happy-faces/difficult conditions showed stronger sympathetic nervous system discharge to the heart and vasculature--shorter preejection period, higher systolic blood pressure--indicating more effort than participants in the sad-faces/difficult and happy-faces/easy conditions. Total peripheral resistance reacted similarly as preejection period and systolic blood pressure. The findings are compatible with the effects of consciously experienced affect on effort-related cardiovascular response.
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Silvia PJ, Jones HC, Kelly CS, Zibaie A. Masked first name priming increases effort-related cardiovascular reactivity. Int J Psychophysiol 2011; 80:210-6. [PMID: 21439332 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2011] [Revised: 03/09/2011] [Accepted: 03/15/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Recent research on motivational intensity has shown that explicit manipulations of self-focused attention (e.g., mirrors and video cameras) increase effort-related cardiovascular responses during active coping. An experiment examined whether masked first name priming, an implicit manipulation of self-focused attention, had similar effects. Participants (n=52 young adults) performed a self-paced cognitive task, in which they were told to get as many trials correct as possible within 5min. During the task, the participant's first name was primed for 0%, 33%, 67%, or 100% of the trials. First name priming, regardless of its frequency, significantly increased cardiovascular reactivity, particularly systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity. Furthermore, the priming manipulation interacted with individual differences in trait self-focus: trait self-focus predicted higher SBP reactivity in the 0% condition, but first name priming eliminated the effects of individual differences. Implications for self-awareness research and for the emerging interest in priming effects on effort are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Silvia
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, USA.
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15
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Trait self-focused attention, task difficulty, and effort-related cardiovascular reactivity. Int J Psychophysiol 2010; 79:335-40. [PMID: 21145360 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2010.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2010] [Revised: 11/19/2010] [Accepted: 11/30/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Using motivational intensity theory as a framework, the present experiment examined how individual differences in self-focused attention interact with task difficulty to predict effort, assessed via cardiovascular reactivity. Participants (n = 50) worked on a cognitive task fixed at an easy, medium, or hard level of difficulty, and individual differences in private self-consciousness and self-reflection were measured. Regression models indicated that trait self-focus interacted with task difficulty to predict cardiovascular reactivity, particularly systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity. Participants low and high in trait self-focus showed similar SBP reactivity in the easy and medium conditions, but they diverged in the hard condition: High trait focus was associated with higher SBP reactivity, indicating greater effort, whereas low trait self-focus was associated with low SBP reactivity, indicating disengagement. The findings thus support the motivational intensity approach to effort and its interpretation of self-focus's role in effort mobilization.
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Effort Mobilization when the Self is Involved: Some Lessons from the Cardiovascular System. REVIEW OF GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.1037/a0019742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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17
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Personality, emotion, and individual differences in physiological responses. Biol Psychol 2010; 84:541-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2009] [Revised: 09/16/2009] [Accepted: 09/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Capa RL, Audiffren M. How does achievement motivation influence mental effort mobilization? Physiological evidence of deteriorative effects of negative affects on the level of engagement. Int J Psychophysiol 2009; 74:236-42. [PMID: 19804797 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2009.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2009] [Revised: 09/24/2009] [Accepted: 09/24/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
We tested whether the effect of achievement motivation on effort is modulated by two possible factors of the motivational intensity theory (Wright and Kirby, 2001): perceived difficulty and maximally justified effort. Approach-driven (N=16) and avoidance-driven (N=16) participants were first instructed to perform a reaction time task to the best of their abilities. Next, the participants were instructed to consistently beat their performance standard established in the first condition. Approach-driven participants showed a stronger decrease of midfrequency band of heart rate variability, which was used as an index of mental effort, than avoidance-driven participants in the second instruction condition. Moreover, avoidance-driven participants showed a higher corrugator supercilii reactivity, which was used as an index of negative affects, than approach-driven participants in the second instruction condition. No difference of perceived difficulty between groups was observed. Results suggested that avoidance-driven participants developed negative affects in the second instruction condition decreasing the maximally justified effort and their level of engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémi L Capa
- University of Poitiers, CeRCA, CNRS, France.
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