Hemispheric processing of differently valenced and self-relevant attachment words in middle-aged married and separated individuals

The influence of word valence on the right visual field advantage in the VHF paradigm: time to adjust the expectations

Previous studies found that valence and visual half-field have an influence on word reading: Words are processed more efficiently when they evoke positive feelings and when they appear in the right visual field. In the present study we tried to address previous (contradictory) reports of an interaction between valence and visual half-field.A group of 39 right-handed undergraduates completed a lexical decision task in their native language (Dutch). They responded to 300 trials with real words and 300 trials with non-words. Overall, participants responded more efficiently to positive words and there was a strong right visual field advantage. We did not find a significant interaction, however. Further analysis indicated that to find a replicable interaction between a stimulus characteristic and visual half-field, one requires much high numbers of participants and stimuli than done so far. Experimental power is particularly low when the interaction is not fully crossed (a right visual field advantage for one type of stimulus and an equally large left visual field advantage for the other type of stimulus). If such investment cannot be made, the outcome is likely to be ambiguous at best and deceiving at worst if only significant findings are published.

Cerebral lateralization of pro- and anti-social tendencies

Mounting evidence suggest that the right-hemisphere (RH) has a relative advantage, over the left-hemisphere (LH), in mediating social intelligence - identifying social stimuli, understanding the intentions of other people, awareness of the dynamics in social relationships, and successful handling of social interactions. Furthermore, a review and synthesis of the literature suggest that pro-social attitudes and behaviors are associated with physiological activity in the RH, whereas unsocial and anti-social tendencies are mediated primarily by the LH. This hemispheric asymmetry is rooted in several neurobiological and functional differences between the two hemispheres. (I) Positive social interactions often require inhibiting one's immediate desires and considering the perspectives and needs of others. Given that self-control is mediated by the RH, pro-social emotions and behaviors are, therefore, inherently associated with the RH as it subserves the brain's self-restraint mechanisms. (II) The RH mediates experiences of vulnerability. It registers the relative clumsiness and motor weakness of the left limbs, and it is involved, more than the LH, in processing threats and mediating fear. Emotional states of vulnerability trigger the need for affiliation and sociality, therefore the RH has a greater role in mediating pro-social attitudes and behaviors. (III) The RH mediates a holistic mode of representing the world. Holistic perception emphasizes similarities rather than differences, takes a long-term perspective, is associated with divergent thinking and seeing other points-of-view, and it mediates a personal mode of relating to people. All these features of holistic perception facilitate a more empathetic attitude toward others and pro-social behaviors.

If I Cry, Do You Care?

Crying is a powerful solicitation of caregiving, yet little is known about the cognitive processes underpinning caring responses to crying others. This study examined (1) whether crying (compared to sad and happy) faces differentially elicited semantic activation of caregiving, and (2) whether individual differences in cognitive and emotional empathy moderated this activation. Ninety participants completed a lexical decision task in which caregiving, neutral, and nonwords were presented after subliminal exposure (24 ms) to crying, sad, and happy faces. Individuals low in cognitive empathy had slower reaction times to caregiving (vs. neutral) words after exposure to crying faces, but not after sad or happy faces. Results are discussed with respect to the role of empathy in response to crying others.