The Situated Assessment Method (SAM2): Establishing individual differences in habitual behavior

Subjective Assessment of Rdoc-Related Constructs in Addiction and Compulsive Disorders: A Scoping Review

Objective

Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs) and disorders due to addictive behavior (DABs) are prevalent conditions that share common neurobiological and behavioral characteristics. This scoping review aims to identify and map the range of subjective assessment tools (e.g., interviews and self-report instruments) for assessing Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) and related constructs underlying DABs and OCRDs, such as impaired response inhibition, habit formation, and compulsivity.

Method

A scoping review was performed following the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA ScR). The search was conducted in Medline, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases. No constraints of data or document type were adopted.

Results

The search yielded 615 instruments, of which 79 were deemed transdiagnostic and capable of assessing at least one of the target constructs. Noteworthy tools included are the Cambridge-Chicago Compulsivity Trait Scale, the Self-report Habit Index, the Reward Probability Index, the Threat-Related Reassurance-Seeking Scale, and the recent Positive Valence Systems Scale.

Conclusions

Despite the growing body of literature on OCRDs and DABs as new diagnostic chapters and the number of tools with the potential to assess their transdiagnostic constructs clinically, most instruments were designed to capture dimensions or psychopathology not directly (or primarily) related to OCRDs, DABs and the concepts of impaired response inhibition, habit formation, and compulsivity in the context of these conditions. Further studies exploring the correlation between subjective assessments, corresponding behavior paradigms, and neuroimaging data would be of great value in the translation of RDoC constructs and domains into clinical settings.

Habitualness, reward and external constraints: Exploring the underlying influences of daily water intake using the Situated Assessment Method2

Understanding what facilitates and hinders water drinking is crucial to inform interventions for preventing underhydration. Using the Situated Assessment Method2, we extended previous research by examining what influences water drinking in daily life. We studied 213 UK adults, assessing 13 potential predictors (e.g. thirst, availability of other drinks) of their typical water intake across 10 everyday situations (e.g. during work, dinner). Participants then reported their actual water intake in these situations over three alternating days during a 1-week follow-up. We evaluated the variability of water intake and its influences across individuals and situations and the prospective relationship between these influences and water intake. The 13 identified predictors explained substantial proportions of variation in water intake. Factors like habitualness (e.g. subjective effort), self-relevance (e.g. health consciousness) and immediate feedback (e.g. taste) were positively associated with water intake. However, the influence of these factors varied significantly across individuals and situations. Our results suggest that various interrelated predictors facilitate and hinder water drinking behaviour, emphasising the importance of using comprehensive behaviour theories to inform research in this domain. They also align with growing evidence that reward may regulate habitual behaviour.

Emotion regulation use in daily-life and its association with success of emotion-regulation, self-efficacy, stress, and state rumination

Introduction

Investigations on emotion regulation strategies (ERS) primarily focus on the influence of instructed emotion regulation (ER) on outcomes. However, recent work has shown that selection of ERS is dependent on, e.g., situational demands and personal resources.

Methods

In this current investigation, we used an online diary to investigate ERS used by free choice and their association with ER-success, stress and rumination. We identified four factors of ERS: cognitive perspective change, cognitive-behavioral problem-solving, suppression-distraction and body-social ERS. Associations of ERS with stress, state-rumination and ER-success were investigated using multilevel-mixed-models, allowing to separate within- and between-subject effects.

Results

Our results show that, on a within-subject level, all adaptive ERS were positively associated with ER-success, while maladaptive ERS as well as higher stress and state rumination were negatively associated with ER-success. On the other hand, only within-subject cognitive ERS were associated with higher self-efficacy. Maladaptive ERS-use was consequently positively associated with stress and state rumination. Surprisingly, only cognitive perspective change ERS were negatively associated with state rumination. Cognitive-behavioral problem-solving was positively associated with stress and success of emotion regulation.

Discussion

We interpret these results in the light of situational constraints of ERS-use and the importance of the assessment of these in future studies.

Developing and Evaluating a Situated Assessment Instrument for Trichotillomania: The SAM2 TAI

Measuring trichotillomania is essential for understanding and treating it effectively. Using the Situated Assessment Method (SAM2), we developed a psychometric instrument to assess hair pulling in situations where it occurs. In two studies, pullers evaluated their pulling in relevant situations, along with how much they experience factors that potentially influence it (e.g., external triggers, reduction in negative emotion, negative self-thoughts). Individual measures of pulling, averaged across situations, exhibited high test reliability, construct validity, and content validity. Large differences between situations in pulling were observed, along with large individual-situation interactions (with limited evidence distinguishing focused versus automatic pulling subtypes). In linear regressions for individual participants, factors that influence pulling tended to correlate with pulling as predicted, explaining a median 74%-83% of its variance. By identifying factors that predict pulling for each individual across situations, the SAM2 Trichotillomania Assessment Instrument (TAI) offers a rich understanding of an individual's pulling experience, potentially supporting individualized pulling interventions.

How consumption and reward features affect desire for food, consumption intentions, and behaviour

Understanding the mechanisms that underlie desire and intentions may assist in the search for strategies to promote the selection and consumption of more sustainable and healthier products. Therefore, we conducted two experiments to examine how cognitive representations influence desire and intentions for various savoury dishes. In Experiment 1, 1000 participants were allocated to one of five conditions, listing either the typical, sensory, context, hedonic, or health features of 20 popular dishes to assess cognitive representations, before rating their present moment desire to consume each dish. Although there was no direct effect of condition on desire, there was a significant mediating effect of condition on desire through the proportion of consumption and reward features listed (i.e., sensory, context, and hedonic words). In Experiment 2, 892 participants were allocated to one of four conditions, listing either the typical, sensory, context, or health features for the same 20 dishes, before rating their intention to consume each dish over the next four weeks. At a 4-week follow-up, participants rated how often they had consumed each dish. Again, there was no direct effect of condition on intentions, although there was a significant mediating effect of condition on intentions through consumption and reward features. This suggests that mentally simulating a previous consumption experience increases intentions to consume the dish in mind. The results also showed a positive indirect effect of consumption and reward features on behaviour through an increase in intentions. Describing healthy and sustainable products in terms of the rewarding consumption experience may increase desire and intentions to consume them, improving the health of both people and the planet.