1
|
Zsido AN, Coelho CM, Polák J. Nature relatedness: A protective factor for snake and spider fears and phobias. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Carlos M. Coelho
- Faculty of Psychology Chulalongkorn University Bangkok Thailand
- School of Psychology ISMAI University Institute of Maia Porto Portugal
- Center for Psychology at University of Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Jakub Polák
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts Charles University Klecany Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zsido AN, Arato N, Ihasz V, Basler J, Matuz-Budai T, Inhof O, Schacht A, Labadi B, Coelho CM. "Finding an Emotional Face" Revisited: Differences in Own-Age Bias and the Happiness Superiority Effect in Children and Young Adults. Front Psychol 2021; 12:580565. [PMID: 33854456 PMCID: PMC8039508 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.580565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
People seem to differ in their visual search performance involving emotionally expressive faces when these expressions are seen on faces of others close to their age (peers) compared to faces of non-peers, known as the own-age bias (OAB). This study sought to compare search advantages in angry and happy faces detected on faces of adults and children on a pool of children (N = 77, mean age = 5.57) and adults (N = 68, mean age = 21.48). The goals of this study were to (1) examine the developmental trajectory of expression recognition and (2) examine the development of an OAB. Participants were asked to find a target face displaying an emotional expression among eight neutral faces. Results showed that children and adults found happy faces significantly faster than angry and fearful faces regardless of it being present on the faces of peers or non-peers. Adults responded faster to the faces of peers regardless of the expression. Furthermore, while children detected angry faces significantly faster compared to fearful ones, we found no such difference in adults. In contrast, adults detected all expressions significantly faster when they appeared on the faces of other adults compared to the faces of children. In sum, we found evidence for development in detecting facial expressions and also an age-dependent increase in OAB. We suggest that the happy face could have an advantage in visual processing due to its importance in social situations and its overall higher frequency compared to other emotional expressions. Although we only found some evidence on the OAB, using peer or non-peer faces should be a theoretical consideration of future research because the same emotion displayed on non-peers' compared to peers' faces may have different implications and meanings to the perceiver.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nikolett Arato
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
| | - Virag Ihasz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
| | - Julia Basler
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
| | | | - Orsolya Inhof
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
| | - Annekathrin Schacht
- Department of Affective Neuroscience and Psychophysiology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Beatrix Labadi
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
| | - Carlos M. Coelho
- School of Psychology, ISMAI University Institute of Maia, Maia, Portugal
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
A School-Based Comparison of Positive Search Training to Enhance Adaptive Attention Regulation with a Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention for Reducing Anxiety Symptoms in Children. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 47:1821-1840. [PMID: 31073880 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-019-00551-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Many children experience anxiety but have limited access to empirically-supported interventions. School-based interventions using brief, computer-assisted training provide a viable way of reaching children. Recent evidence suggests that computer-delivered 'positive search training' (PST) reduces anxiety in children. This multi-informant, randomised controlled trial compared classroom-based, computer-delivered PST (N = 116) to a classroom-based, therapist-delivered cognitive-behavioural intervention (CBI) (N = 127) and a curriculum-as-usual control condition (CAU) (N = 60) in 7-11 year old children. Primary outcomes were child and parent report of child anxiety symptoms. Secondary outcomes were child and parent report of child depressive symptoms and child attention biases. Outcomes were assessed before and after the interventions, and six- and 12-months post-intervention. Teacher report of children's social-emotional functioning was assessed at pre- and post-intervention. As expected, compared to CAU, children receiving PST and the CBI reported greater anxiety reductions by post-intervention and six-month follow-up but, unexpectedly, not at 12-month follow-up. Partially consistent with hypotheses, compared to CAU, parents reported greater anxiety reductions in children receiving PST, but not the CBI, at 12-month follow-up. Contrary to expectation, there was a pre- to post-intervention increase in threat attention bias in PST compared to the other conditions, with no significant differences at follow-up. In support of hypotheses, teachers reported higher post-intervention social-emotional functioning in Year 5 students receiving the CBI but, unexpectedly, lower post-intervention functioning in students receiving PST. There were no effects on depressive symptoms. Further research is needed on strategies to maintain long-term benefits and determine preventative versus early intervention effects.
Collapse
|
4
|
Rádlová S, Polák J, Janovcová M, Sedláčková K, Peléšková Š, Landová E, Frynta D. Emotional Reaction to Fear- and Disgust-Evoking Snakes: Sensitivity and Propensity in Snake-Fearful Respondents. Front Psychol 2020; 11:31. [PMID: 32047463 PMCID: PMC6997343 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper continues our previous study in which we examined the respondents’ reaction to two morphologically different snake stimuli categories – one evoking exclusively fear and another evoking exclusively disgust. Here we acquired Likert-type scale scores of fear and disgust evoked by the same snake stimuli by a total of 330 respondents. Moreover, we collected data about the respondents’ age, gender, education, snake fear [Snake Questionnaire (SNAQ)], and disgust propensity [Disgust Scale-Revised (DS-R)], and we analyzed the effect of these variables on the emotional scores (with special focus on snake-fearful respondents). In addition, we collected the SNAQ and DS-R scores from the respondents tested in the previous study using the rank-ordering method to directly compare the results of these two approaches. The results showed that non-fearful respondents give high scores of fear to the fear-eliciting snakes and high scores of disgust to the disgust-eliciting snakes, but they give low scores of the other emotional dimension (disgust/fear) to each. In contrast, snake-fearful respondents not only give higher fear and disgust scores to the respective snake stimuli, but they also give high scores of fear to the disgust-eliciting snakes and high scores of disgust to the fear-eliciting snakes. Both Likert-scale scores and rank-ordering data show that the clear border dividing both snake stimuli categories dissolves when evaluated by the snake-fearful respondents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Silvie Rádlová
- Applied Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Research Programme, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
| | - Jakub Polák
- Applied Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Research Programme, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Markéta Janovcová
- Applied Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Research Programme, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Kristýna Sedláčková
- Applied Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Research Programme, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Šárka Peléšková
- Applied Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Research Programme, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Eva Landová
- Applied Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Research Programme, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Daniel Frynta
- Applied Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Research Programme, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Investigating evolutionary constraints on the detection of threatening stimuli in preschool children. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2018; 185:166-171. [PMID: 29482090 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2018.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Revised: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous objects and animals could be threatening, and thus, children learn to avoid them early. Spiders and syringes are among the most common targets of fears and phobias of the modern word. However, they are of different origins: while the former is evolutionary relevant, the latter is not. We sought to investigate the underlying mechanisms that make the quick detection of such stimuli possible and enable the impulse to avoid them in the future. The respective categories of threatening and non-threatening targets were similar in shape, while low-level visual features were controlled. Our results showed that children found threatening cues faster, irrespective of the evolutionary age of the cues. However, they detected non-threatening evolutionary targets faster than non-evolutionary ones. We suggest that the underlying mechanism may be different: general feature detection can account for finding evolutionary threatening cues quickly, while specific features detection is more appropriate for modern threatening stimuli.
Collapse
|
6
|
Morales S, Fu X, Pérez-Edgar KE. A developmental neuroscience perspective on affect-biased attention. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2016; 21:26-41. [PMID: 27606972 PMCID: PMC5067218 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Revised: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
There is growing interest regarding the impact of affect-biased attention on psychopathology. However, most of the research to date lacks a developmental approach. In the present review, we examine the role affect-biased attention plays in shaping socioemotional trajectories within a developmental neuroscience framework. We propose that affect-biased attention, particularly if stable and entrenched, acts as a developmental tether that helps sustain early socioemotional and behavioral profiles over time, placing some individuals on maladaptive developmental trajectories. Although most of the evidence is found in the anxiety literature, we suggest that these relations may operate across multiple domains of interest, including positive affect, externalizing behaviors, drug use, and eating behaviors. We also review the general mechanisms and neural correlates of affect-biased attention, as well as the current evidence for the co-development of attention and affect. Based on the reviewed literature, we propose a model that may help us better understand the nuances of affect-biased attention across development. The model may serve as a strong foundation for ongoing attempts to identify neurocognitive mechanisms and intervene with individuals at risk. Finally, we discuss open issues for future research that may help bridge existing gaps in the literature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Morales
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Psychology, 140 Moore Building, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
| | - Xiaoxue Fu
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Psychology, 140 Moore Building, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Koraly E Pérez-Edgar
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Psychology, 140 Moore Building, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
de Haan AM, Smit M, Van der Stigchel S, Dijkerman HC. Approaching threat modulates visuotactile interactions in peripersonal space. Exp Brain Res 2016; 234:1875-1884. [PMID: 26894891 PMCID: PMC4893051 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-016-4571-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The region surrounding our body (i.e. peripersonal space) is coded in a multimodal representation by fronto-parietal bimodal neurons integrating tactile stimuli on the body with nearby visual stimuli. This has often been suggested to serve a defensive purpose, which we propose could be mediated through visuotactile predictions. An approaching threat would then be of particular interest to peripersonal space processing. To investigate this, we asked participants to respond as fast as possible to a tactile stimulus on the hand, while looking at an animation of an approaching or receding spider or butterfly. Tactile stimulation was applied at one of 25 possible time points during the animation. Tactile reaction times were faster when an approaching stimulus was closer to the hand at the time of tactile presentation. Critically, this effect of distance on reaction times was larger when participants saw an approaching spider compared to an approaching butterfly, but only for participants who were afraid of spiders. This finding demonstrates that the perceived threat of an approaching stimulus modulates visuotactile interactions in peripersonal space and is consistent with the idea that visuotactile predictions are important for defensive purposes and maintaining bodily integrity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alyanne M de Haan
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Miranda Smit
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Stefan Van der Stigchel
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - H Chris Dijkerman
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Ptáčková J, Landová E, Lišková S, Kuběna A, Frynta D. Are the aesthetic preferences towards snake species already formed in pre-school aged children? EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2016.1144507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
|
9
|
Waters AM, Zimmer-Gembeck MJ, Craske MG, Pine DS, Bradley BP, Mogg K. Look for good and never give up: A novel attention training treatment for childhood anxiety disorders. Behav Res Ther 2015; 73:111-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2015.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Revised: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
10
|
LoBue V, Rakison DH. What we fear most: A developmental advantage for threat-relevant stimuli. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2013.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
11
|
Waters AM, Pittaway M, Mogg K, Bradley BP, Pine DS. Attention training towards positive stimuli in clinically anxious children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2012; 4:77-84. [PMID: 23063461 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2012.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2012] [Revised: 09/04/2012] [Accepted: 09/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Attention bias modification training (ABMT) is a promising treatment. Nevertheless, few studies examine its effectiveness in anxious children. This study examined the efficacy of such an ABMT protocol in pediatric anxiety. METHOD 37 anxious children were randomly assigned to one of two ABMT conditions. In the attention-towards-positive (ATP) condition, children searched 3×3 matrices for a happy face amongst angry faces. In the attention-training-control (ATC) condition, they searched for a bird amongst flowers. Children completed 160 trials in each of four training sessions per week for three weeks at home (1920 total trials). Clinical and attention bias measures were assessed before and after ABMT. RESULTS Children randomized to ATP showed greater post-training attention bias towards happy faces than children randomized to ATC. ATP also produced significantly greater reductions in clinician-rated diagnostic severity and number of diagnoses, compared to ATC. In the ATP group, 50% of children who completed training did not meet criteria for their principal diagnosis, compared to 8% in the ATC group. CONCLUSION Training anxious children to focus attention on positive features of their environment may be a promising treatment.
Collapse
|
12
|
What makes some species of milk snakes more attractive to humans than others? Theory Biosci 2009; 128:227-35. [PMID: 19890672 DOI: 10.1007/s12064-009-0075-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2009] [Accepted: 09/25/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Animals are ancestrally important stimuli for humans who pay disproportional attention to animal objects and exhibit an outstanding ability to categorize animal species, especially those most relevant to them. Humans as well as other primates perceive snakes as ambivalent stimuli that elicit unspecific arousal and attention. We assessed human aesthetic preferences toward milk snakes, the traditional model for studies of Batesian mimicry. The genus is fairly uniform in size and shape, but includes a great variety of color forms; some possessing aposematic patterns while others being rather cryptic. This provides an opportunity to test which features are responsible for positive aesthetic evaluation of the species. We asked the respondents to rank 34 pictures of milk snakes according to perceived beauty. The sets (whole bodies, heads, and skin fragments) covered most of naturally occurring variation in milk snake appearance. While ranking the beauty, the respondents spontaneously classified the species according to two dimensions. In each set, one of the dimensions corresponds to perceived beauty. The respondents' ranking revealed several distinct clusters of species instead of a continuous gradient. The species clustered in a similar way irrespective of evaluated set. One dimension of the ranking associated with the relative representation of red color and the number of transversal stripes, the other corresponded to a low proportion of red and a high proportion of black color. When the whole body of the snake is evaluated, aposematic coloration contributes to its perceived beauty. In conclusion, humans showed a surprising ability to classify milk snake patterns; they repeatedly formed the same distinct groups of species, thus completing a process that resembles unsupervised categorization.
Collapse
|
13
|
Waters AM, Valvoi JS. Attentional bias for emotional faces in paediatric anxiety disorders: an investigation using the emotional Go/No Go task. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2009; 40:306-16. [PMID: 19159866 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2008.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2008] [Revised: 10/22/2008] [Accepted: 12/16/2008] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study examined contextual modulation of attentional control processes in paediatric anxiety disorders. METHOD Anxious children (N=20) and non-anxious controls (N=20) completed an emotional Go/No Go task in which they responded on some trials (i.e., Go trials) when neutral faces were presented amongst either angry or happy faces to which children avoided responding (i.e., No Go trials) or when angry and happy faces were presented as Go trials and children avoided responding to neutral faces. RESULTS Anxious girls were slower responding to neutral faces with embedded angry compared with happy face No Go trials whereas non-anxious girls were slower responding to neutral faces with embedded happy versus angry face No Go trials. Anxious and non-anxious boys showed the same basic pattern as non-anxious girls. There were no significant group differences on No Go trials or when the emotional faces were presented as Go trials. CONCLUSIONS Results are discussed in terms of selective interference by angry faces in the control of attention in anxious girls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Waters
- School of Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast Qld, Australia.
| | | |
Collapse
|