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Tao MX, Hu JP, Zhang ZQ, Chen YQ. The effects of implicit emotion on the use of theory of mind among college students in China. Cogn Process 2024; 25:267-279. [PMID: 38064117 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-023-01173-x] [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: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
This research aims to study the impact of implicit emotion on the use of theory of mind and enrich the research on emotions and the use of theory of mind, thus allowing adults to apply theory of mind more effectively in the context of social interaction. This study includes 120 college students as participants. A two (level of theory of mind: high vs. low) * three (implicit emotional state: implicit positive emotion, implicit neutral emotion, or implicit negative emotion) * two (private knowledge: endowed vs. unendowed) between-subjects three-factor design was employed. This study obtained the following results: (1) The main effect of different implicit emotional states on college students' use of theory of mind is significant. College students with implicit positive emotions use theory of mind much less than those with implicit neutral and negative emotions. (2) In cases of implicit positive emotions, college students with a low level of theory of mind use theory of mind substantially less than students with a high level of theory of mind. In cases of implicit neutral and negative emotions, college students with the high and low theory of mind do not exhibit substantial differences in their use of theory of mind. This study concludes that different emotional states affect college students' use of theory of mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Xin Tao
- Mental Health Education Center, Anhui Broadcasting Movie And Television College, Hefei, 230011, China.
- Institute of Psychology, St. Paul University Philippines, Tuguegarao, Philippines.
| | - Jin-Ping Hu
- Mental Health Education Center, Anhui Broadcasting Movie And Television College, Hefei, 230011, China
| | - Zu-Qiang Zhang
- Mental Health Education Center, Anhui Broadcasting Movie And Television College, Hefei, 230011, China
| | - You-Qing Chen
- Institute of Psychology, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
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Troncoso A, Blanco K, Rivera-Rei Á, Martínez-Pernía D. Empathy bodyssence: temporal dynamics of sensorimotor and physiological responses and the subjective experience in synchrony with the other's suffering. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1362064. [PMID: 38577111 PMCID: PMC10994162 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1362064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Empathy is foundational in our intersubjective interactions, connecting with others across bodily, emotional, and cognitive dimensions. Previous evidence suggests that observing individuals in painful situations elicits whole bodily responses, unveiling the interdependence of the body and empathy. Although the role of the body has been extensively described, the temporal structure of bodily responses and its association with the comprehension of subjective experiences remain unclear. Objective Building upon the enactive approach, our study introduces and examines "bodyssence," a neologism formed from "body" and "essence." Our primary goal is to analyze the temporal dynamics, physiological, and phenomenological elements in synchrony with the experiences of sportspersons suffering physical accidents. Methods Using the empirical 5E approach, a refinement of Varela's neurophenomenological program, we integrated both objective third-person measurements (postural sway, electrodermal response, and heart rate) and first-person descriptions (phenomenological data). Thirty-five participants watched videos of sportspersons experiencing physical accidents during extreme sports practice, as well as neutral videos, while standing on a force platform and wearing electrodermal and heart electrodes. Subsequently, micro-phenomenological interviews were conducted. Results Bodyssence is composed of three distinct temporal dynamics. Forefeel marks the commencement phase, encapsulating the body's pre-reflective consciousness as participants anticipate impending physical accidents involving extreme sportspersons, manifested through minimal postural movement and high heart rate. Fullfeel, capturing the zenith of empathetic engagement, is defined by profound negative emotions, and significant bodily and kinesthetic sensations, with this stage notably featuring an increase in postural movement alongside a reduction in heart rate. In the Reliefeel phase, participants report a decrease in emotional intensity, feeling a sense of relief, as their postural control starts to reach a state of equilibrium, and heart rate remaining low. Throughout these phases, the level of electrodermal activity consistently remains high. Conclusion This study through an enactive approach elucidates the temporal attunement of bodily experience to the pain experienced by others. The integration of both first and third-person perspectives through an empirical 5E approach reveals the intricate nature of bodyssence, offering an innovative approach to understanding the dynamic nature of empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Troncoso
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
| | - Kevin Blanco
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
| | - Álvaro Rivera-Rei
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
| | - David Martínez-Pernía
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
- Geroscience Center for Health and Brain Metabolism (GERO), Santiago, Chile
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Shalev I, Eran A, Uzefovsky F. Fluctuations and individual differences in empathy interact with stress to predict mental health, parenting, and relationship outcomes. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1237278. [PMID: 37928564 PMCID: PMC10621795 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1237278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Empathy is a complex, multifaceted ability allowing for the most basic forms of social communication and plays a prominent role in multiple aspects of everyday lives. In this intensive longitudinal study, we assessed how empathy interacts with stress to predict central domains of psychosocial functioning: mental health, romantic relationships, and parenting. Methods Fluctuations and individual differences in empathy were assessed across eight time points, where participants from the general population (N = 566) self-reported their empathy, stress, depressive symptoms, romantic satisfaction, and parental functioning. Results Both trait and state aspects of empathy were associated with all psychosocial outcomes, with state empathy showing a stronger effect. Additionally, empathy components interacted with stress-emotional empathy better-predicted outcomes under high stress, while cognitive empathy under low stress. Discussion Our findings advance the theoretical understanding of empathy, emphasizing the effects of state-dependent empathy fluctuations on our everyday mental and social lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ido Shalev
- Department of Psychology, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Alal Eran
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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Martínez-Pernía D, Cea I, Troncoso A, Blanco K, Calderón Vergara J, Baquedano C, Araya-Veliz C, Useros-Olmo A, Huepe D, Carrera V, Mack Silva V, Vergara M. "I am feeling tension in my whole body": An experimental phenomenological study of empathy for pain. Front Psychol 2023; 13:999227. [PMID: 36687843 PMCID: PMC9845790 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.999227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Traditionally, empathy has been studied from two main perspectives: the theory-theory approach and the simulation theory approach. These theories claim that social emotions are fundamentally constituted by mind states in the brain. In contrast, classical phenomenology and recent research based on the enactive theories consider empathy as the basic process of contacting others' emotional experiences through direct bodily perception and sensation. Objective This study aims to enrich the knowledge of the empathic experience of pain using an experimental phenomenological method. Materials and methods Implementing an experimental paradigm used in affective neuroscience, we exposed 28 healthy adults to a video of sportspersons suffering physical accidents while practicing extreme sports. Immediately after watching the video, each participant underwent a phenomenological interview to gather data on embodied, multi-layered dimensions (bodily sensations, emotions, and motivations) and temporal aspects of empathic experience. We also performed quantitative analyses of the phenomenological categories. Results Experiential access to the other person's painful experience involves four main themes. Bodily resonance: participants felt a multiplicity of bodily, affective, and kinesthetic sensations in coordination with the sportsperson's bodily actions. Attentional focus: some participants centered their attention more on their own personal discomfort and sensations of rejection, while others on the pain and suffering experienced by the sportspersons. Kinesthetic motivation: some participants experienced the feeling in their bodies to avoid or escape from watching the video, while others experienced the need to help the sportspersons avoid suffering any injury while practicing extreme sports. The temporality of experience: participants witnessed temporal fluctuations in their experiences, bringing intensity changes in their bodily resonance, attentional focus, and kinesthetic motivation. Finally, two experiential structures were found: one structure is self-centered empathic experience, characterized by bodily resonance, attentional focus centered on the participant's own experience of seeing the sportsperson suffering, and self-protective kinesthetic motivation; the other structure is other-centered empathic experience, characterized by bodily resonance, attentional focus centered on the sportsperson, and prosocial kinesthetic motivation to help them. Discussion We show how phenomenological data may contribute to comprehending empathy for pain in social neuroscience. In addition, we address the phenomenological aspect of the enactive approach to the three dimensions of an embodiment of human consciousness, especially the intersubjective dimension. Also, based on our results, we suggest an extension of the enactive theory of non-interactive social experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Martínez-Pernía
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile,Faculty of Medicine, Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile,Faculty of Medicine, Memory and Neuropsychiatric Clinic (CMYN), Neurology Service, Hospital del Salvador, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile,*Correspondence: David Martínez-Pernía,
| | - Ignacio Cea
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile,Philosophy Department, Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alejandro Troncoso
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Kevin Blanco
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jorge Calderón Vergara
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Constanza Baquedano
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Ana Useros-Olmo
- Unidad de Daño Cerebral, Hospital Beata María Ana, Madrid, Spain,Departamento de Fisioterapia and Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - David Huepe
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Valentina Carrera
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Victoria Mack Silva
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Mayte Vergara
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
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Marques AJ, Gomes Veloso P, Araújo M, de Almeida RS, Correia A, Pereira J, Queiros C, Pimenta R, Pereira AS, Silva CF. Impact of a Virtual Reality-Based Simulation on Empathy and Attitudes Toward Schizophrenia. Front Psychol 2022; 13:814984. [PMID: 35602736 PMCID: PMC9116500 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.814984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Virtual Reality (VR) has been identified as one of the most promising resources for developing empathy towards stigmatized groups as it allows individuals to experience a situation close to reality from another person’s perspective. This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the impact on empathy, knowledge, and attitudes towards people with schizophrenia of a VR simulation that reproduces the experience of psychotic symptoms while performing a cognitive task compared with watching a 2D video and, thus, how these experiences could reduce stigma towards people diagnosed with schizophrenia. The sample comprised of 102 higher education health students, distributed by the experimental and control groups. The impact of the program was measured by completing multiple questionnaires on levels of empathy, attitudes, and mental health knowledge. Both methods (VR and 2D video) were, to a certain extent, effective. However, VR was more effective at eliciting attitudes and knowledge change compared to the control group. These findings suggest that not only VR but also 2D videos could be interesting strategies to enhance empathy and improve attitudes towards people with schizophrenia in higher education health students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio J Marques
- Center for Rehabilitation Research, School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Paulo Gomes Veloso
- Center for Rehabilitation Research, School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Margarida Araújo
- Center for Rehabilitation Research, School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Raquel Simões de Almeida
- Center for Rehabilitation Research, School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Santa Maria Health School, Porto, Portugal
| | - António Correia
- Center for Rehabilitation Research, School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Javier Pereira
- CITIC Research Center, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Cristina Queiros
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Science, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui Pimenta
- School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal and CEISUC, University of Coimbra, Porto, Portugal
| | - Anabela S Pereira
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Carlos F Silva
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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Osaka K, Matsumoto K, Akiyama T, Tanioka R, Betriana F, Zhao Y, Kai Y, Miyagawa M, Tanioka T, Locsin RC. Investigation of Methods to Create Future Multimodal Emotional Data for Robot Interactions in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Case Study. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:healthcare10050848. [PMID: 35627984 PMCID: PMC9140390 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10050848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid progress in humanoid robot investigations offers possibilities for improving the competencies of people with social disorders, although this improvement of humanoid robots remains unexplored for schizophrenic people. Methods for creating future multimodal emotional data for robot interactions were studied in this case study of a 40-year-old male patient with disorganized schizophrenia without comorbidities. The qualitative data included heart rate variability (HRV), video-audio recordings, and field notes. HRV, Haar cascade classifier (HCC), and Empath API© were evaluated during conversations between the patient and robot. Two expert nurses and one psychiatrist evaluated facial expressions. The research hypothesis questioned whether HRV, HCC, and Empath API© are useful for creating future multimodal emotional data about robot–patient interactions. The HRV analysis showed persistent sympathetic dominance, matching the human–robot conversational situation. The result of HCC was in agreement with that of human observation, in the case of rough consensus. In the case of observed results disagreed upon by experts, the HCC result was also different. However, emotional assessments by experts using Empath API© were also found to be inconsistent. We believe that with further investigation, a clearer identification of methods for multimodal emotional data for robot interactions can be achieved for patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoko Osaka
- Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Nursing Course of Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
- Correspondence:
| | - Kazuyuki Matsumoto
- Graduate School of Engineering, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8506, Japan;
| | - Toshiya Akiyama
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8509, Japan; (T.A.); (R.T.); (F.B.)
| | - Ryuichi Tanioka
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8509, Japan; (T.A.); (R.T.); (F.B.)
| | - Feni Betriana
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8509, Japan; (T.A.); (R.T.); (F.B.)
| | - Yueren Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan;
| | - Yoshihiro Kai
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tokai University, Tokyo 259-1292, Japan;
| | - Misao Miyagawa
- Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Welfare, Tokushima Bunri University, Tokushima 770-8514, Japan;
| | - Tetsuya Tanioka
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8509, Japan; (T.T.); or (R.C.L.)
| | - Rozzano C. Locsin
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8509, Japan; (T.T.); or (R.C.L.)
- Christine E Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
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