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Journal of Experimental Psychology.... Jun 2024Previous work shows a reinforcing impact of action effect on behavior, independent of other reinforces such as positive outcomes or task success. Action-effect temporal...
Previous work shows a reinforcing impact of action effect on behavior, independent of other reinforces such as positive outcomes or task success. Action-effect temporal contiguity plays an important role in such a reinforcing effect, possibly indicating a motor-based evaluation of their causal relationship. In the present study, we aimed to negate the reinforcing impact of an immediate action effect with task success by designing a task where red and green circle stimuli rapidly descended on the screen. Participants were instructed to respond only when a specific sequence of colored stimuli matched a predefined response rule. The temporal contiguity between the response and a perceptual effect was manipulated. We initially hypothesized an increased action tendency resulting in higher false alarm rates in the immediate (compared to 400 ms lag) action-effect condition. We also expected this pattern to be more pronounced in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder compared to typically developing individuals. Contrary to our expectations, results from three experiments showed a consistent pattern of a lower false alarm rate in the immediate compared to the 400 ms lag effect condition across both attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and typically developing groups. Additionally, while action-effect temporal contiguity did not significantly alter the overall rate of misses, we observed earlier improvements in both misses and false alarms in the immediate condition during the first blocks. Possible explanations for the complex impact of action effect on action tendency and action control are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
PubMed: 38900525
DOI: 10.1037/xhp0001221 -
Journal of Developmental and Behavioral... Jun 2024"Andrew" is a 6-year-old, right-handed, cisgender boy who presents for neuropsychological testing to determine whether he meets criteria for...
"Andrew" is a 6-year-old, right-handed, cisgender boy who presents for neuropsychological testing to determine whether he meets criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Andrew's parents report that he is easily distracted, has poor concentration, and is unable to sustain attention for discrete periods of time. Andrew is the product of an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery, and there were no reported concerns in the postnatal period. Andrew met all of his language and motor milestones on time. He was described as having an "easy" temperament in his infancy and toddler years. Difficulties with attention started in preschool in that Andrew was described as frequently "getting lost" in his play or the task he was working on. He was easy to redirect and responded to cues and reminders. Socially, Andrew was described as friendly but not always "picking up on social cues." Andrew's kindergarten teachers first noted that sometimes Andrew would "blank out" and appear to stare off, which was attributed to inattention. His teachers brought their concerns to Andrew's parents, and his parents began to observe Andrew more carefully and noted that these episodes also occurred at home daily. When queried, his parents reported that these episodes would last 4 to 5 seconds and Andrew would not respond to his name being called or to being physically touched. Andrew's medical history, and that of his immediate and extended family, is unremarkable. Routine hearing and vision screenings are also unremarkable. There are no reports of head injuries or concussions. Andrew's gait is stable, and there are no signs of motor weakness. There are no reports of sensory seeking or avoiding behaviors. There are no reports of witnessing or experiencing trauma; motor or vocal tics; or compulsions, ritualized behaviors, or restricted interests.Testing revealed high average verbal comprehension skills, average perceptual and fluid reasoning, and lower end of average working memory and processing speed. During testing, the examiner noted a rapid eye flutter, which Andrew did not see to recognize himself but did ask the examiner to repeat the previous question. Parent and teacher rating scales of emotional and behavioral functioning showed elevations in the areas of inattention and adaptability and 1 scale of executive functioning noted elevations in task monitoring but no other difficulties. Socially, Andrew is well liked by his peers, although he can present as "silly." He has many same-aged friends and enjoys group activities. His parents have been hesitant to get him involved in sports because he has been known to have these staring episodes right after competing in sporting events. He also tends to have them more often during the school week when he has less sleep, which his parents attribute to having a difficult time falling asleep at night. What would you do next?
PubMed: 38900453
DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000001284 -
BMC Psychology Jun 2024Fear overgeneralization constitutes a susceptibility factor contributing to the development and maintenance of anxiety spectrum disorders. Extant research has...
BACKGROUND
Fear overgeneralization constitutes a susceptibility factor contributing to the development and maintenance of anxiety spectrum disorders. Extant research has demonstrated that exposure to positive and supportive social relationships attenuates fear acquisition and promotes the extinction of conditioned fear responses. However, the literature lacks investigation into the effect of secure attachment priming on inhibiting the generalization of conditioned fear.
METHODS
In this study, college students were recruited via online platforms to voluntarily engage in the experimental procedures, resulting in 57 subjects whose data were deemed suitable for analysis. The experimental protocol consisted of four consecutive phases: pre-acquisition, acquisition, priming, and generalization. The priming phase consisted of two experimental conditions: secure attachment priming (experimental group) and positive emotion priming (control group). This study adopted the perceptual discrimination fear conditioning paradigm, employing subjective expectancy of shock ratings and skin conductance responses as primary assessment indices. Individual difference variables were measured using corresponding psychological measurement scales.
RESULTS
In terms of generalization degree, a notable divergence surfaced in the skin conductance responses across various generalization materials between the secure attachment priming group and the control group. Similarly, during generalization extinction, a significant disparity emerged in the skin conductance responses across different generalization phases between the secure attachment priming group and the control group. In addition, individual differences analyses revealed that the inhibitory effect of secure attachment priming on fear generalization was not affected by intolerance of uncertainty and attachment orientations. Conversely, slope analyses confirmed that as intolerance of uncertainty increased, the inhibitory effect of positive emotion priming on fear generalization was attenuated.
CONCLUSION
The findings suggest that activating participants' representations of secure attachment via imagination effectively attenuates the generalization of perceptual fear at the physiological level. The inhibitory effect of secure attachment priming appears to be distinct from positive emotional modulation and remains unaffected by individual trait attachment styles. These results offer novel insights and avenues for the prevention and clinical intervention of anxiety spectrum disorders.
Topics: Humans; Fear; Male; Female; Young Adult; Generalization, Psychological; Object Attachment; Adult; Conditioning, Classical; Galvanic Skin Response; Extinction, Psychological; Adolescent
PubMed: 38890761
DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01857-9 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Face-processing timing differences may underlie visual social attention differences between autistic and non-autistic people, and males and females. This study...
Face-processing timing differences may underlie visual social attention differences between autistic and non-autistic people, and males and females. This study investigates the timing of the effects of neurotype and sex on face-processing, and their dependence on age. We analysed EEG data during upright and inverted photographs of faces from 492 participants from the Longitudinal European Autism Project (141 neurotypical males, 76 neurotypical females, 202 autistic males, 73 autistic females; age 6-30 years). We detected timings of sex/diagnosis effects on event-related potential amplitudes at the posterior-temporal channel P8 with Bootstrapped Cluster-based Permutation Analysis and conducted Growth Curve Analysis (GCA) to investigate the timecourse and dependence on age of neural signals. The periods of influence of neurotype and sex overlapped but differed in onset (respectively, 260 and 310 ms post-stimulus), with sex effects lasting longer. GCA revealed a smaller and later amplitude peak in autistic female children compared to non-autistic female children; this difference decreased in adolescence and was not significant in adulthood. No age-dependent neurotype difference was significant in males. These findings indicate that sex and neurotype influence longer latency face processing and implicates cognitive rather than perceptual processing. Sex may have more overarching effects than neurotype on configural face processing.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Adolescent; Child; Adult; Autistic Disorder; Young Adult; Electroencephalography; Brain; Evoked Potentials; Facial Recognition; Sex Characteristics
PubMed: 38890406
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64387-9 -
Proceedings. Biological Sciences Jun 2024Visual illusions have been studied in many non-human species, spanning a wide range of biological and methodological variables. While early reviews have proved useful in... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Visual illusions have been studied in many non-human species, spanning a wide range of biological and methodological variables. While early reviews have proved useful in providing an overview of the field, they have not been accompanied by quantitative analysis to systematically evaluate the contribution of biological and methodological moderators on the proportion of illusory choice. In the current meta-analytical study, we confirm that geometrical visual illusion perception is a general phenomenon among non-human animals. Additionally, we found that studies testing birds report stronger illusion perception compared to other classes, as do those on animals with lateral-positioned eyes compared to animals with forward-facing eyes. In terms of methodological choices, we found a positive correlation between the number of trials during training or testing and the effect sizes, while studies with larger samples report smaller effect sizes. Despite studies that trained animals with artificial stimuli showing larger effect sizes compared with those using spontaneous testing with naturalistic stimuli, like food, we found more recent studies prefer spontaneous choice over training. We discuss the challenges and bottlenecks in this area of study, which, if addressed, could lead to more successful advances in the future.
Topics: Animals; Visual Perception; Optical Illusions; Illusions; Birds
PubMed: 38889782
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0414 -
Sleep deprivation increases the generalization of perceptual and concept-based fear: An fNIRS study.Journal of Anxiety Disorders Jun 2024Insufficient sleep can initiate or exacerbate anxiety by triggering excessive fear generalization. In this study, a de novo paradigm was developed and used to examine...
Insufficient sleep can initiate or exacerbate anxiety by triggering excessive fear generalization. In this study, a de novo paradigm was developed and used to examine the neural mechanisms governing the effects of sleep deprivation on processing perceptual and concept-based fear generalizations. A between-subject design was adopted, wherein a control group (who had a typical night's sleep) and a one-night sleep deprivation group completed a fear acquisition task at 9:00 PM on the first day and underwent a generalization test the following morning at 7:00 AM. In the fear acquisition task, navy blue and olive green were used as perceptual cues (P+ and P-, respectively), while animals and furniture items were used as conceptual cues (C+ and C-, respectively). Generalization was tested for four novel generalized categories (C+P+, C+P-, C-P+, and C-P-). Shock expectancy ratings, skin conductance responses, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy were recorded during the fear acquisition and generalization processes. Compared with the group who had a typical night's sleep, the sleep deprived group showed higher shock expectancy ratings (especially for P+ and C-), increased oxygenated hemoglobin in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and increased activation in the triangular inferior frontal gyrus during the generalization test. These findings suggest that sleep deprivation increases the generalization of threat memories, thus providing insights into the overgeneralization characteristics of anxiety and fear-related disorders.
PubMed: 38889495
DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102892 -
Attention, Perception & Psychophysics Jun 2024The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of visual cues in audiovisual perception of interrupted speech by nonnative English listeners and to...
The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of visual cues in audiovisual perception of interrupted speech by nonnative English listeners and to identify the role of working memory, long-term memory retrieval, and vocabulary knowledge in audiovisual perception by nonnative listeners. The participants included 31 Mandarin-speaking English learners between 19 and 41 years of age. The perceptual stimuli were noise-filled periodically interrupted AzBio and QuickSIN sentences with or without visual cues that showed a male speaker uttering the sentences. In addition to sentence recognition, the listeners completed a semantic fluency task, verbal (operation span) and visuospatial (symmetry span) working memory tasks, and two vocabulary knowledge tests (Vocabulary Level Test and Lexical Test for Advanced Learners of English). The results revealed significantly better speech recognition in the audio-visual condition than the audio-only condition, but the magnitude of visual benefit was substantially attenuated for sentences that had limited semantic context. The listeners' vocabulary size in English played a key role in the restoration of missing speech information and audiovisual integration in the perception of interrupted speech. Meanwhile, the listeners' verbal working memory capacity played an important role in audiovisual integration especially for the difficult stimuli with limited semantic context.
PubMed: 38886302
DOI: 10.3758/s13414-024-02909-3 -
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2024Conventional methods like patient history, neuropsychological testing, cerebrospinal fluid examination, and magnetic resonance imaging are widely used to diagnose cases...
INTRODUCTION
Conventional methods like patient history, neuropsychological testing, cerebrospinal fluid examination, and magnetic resonance imaging are widely used to diagnose cases in the current clinical setting but are limited in classifying Alzheimer's disease (AD) stages. Patients with AD exhibit visual perception deficits, which may be a potential target to assess the severity of the disease according to visual paradigms. However, owing to the inconsistent forms of perceived objects, the defects of current visual processing paradigms often lead to inconsistent results and a lack of sensitivity and specificity.
METHODS
We develop two paradigms based on global-first topological approach of visual perception, which avoids inconsistent results and lack of sensitivity and specificity owing to the inconsistent forms of perceived objects in traditional paradigms, delineate a unique detection strategy from perception organization (Experiment 1) and visual working memory (VWM) (Experiment 2).
RESULTS
Except for the significant differences of the reaction times (RTs) between groups, significant differences were found when AD subjects recognize small figures due to the consistency of global and local figures in similarity test. The difference of RTs between recognizing global and local figures can be recognized in AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) group compared to healthy elderly (HE) in similarity test (Experiment 1). The memory capacity of AD patients was significantly lower than MCI group. Topological interference effect was observed in MCI and HE group, whereas MCI patients may have a greater difference trend in non-topological and topological changes than HE (Experiment 2).
CONCLUSION
Our paradigms provide a new strategy, which can assist clinical severity staging and linking topological approach of visual perception with pathophysiological processes in AD.
PubMed: 38883415
DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S460421 -
Central Nervous System Agents in... Jun 2024Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is swiftly emerging as a prevalent clinical concern within the elderly demographic. Willoughby spearheaded the pioneering investigation...
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is swiftly emerging as a prevalent clinical concern within the elderly demographic. Willoughby spearheaded the pioneering investigation into the evolution of memory decline spanning from the age of 20 to 70. Employing a computerized substitution examination, he pinpointed a zenith in memory prowess at the age of 22, signifying the shift from infancy, succeeded by a gradual decline in later years in 1929. Cognitive impairment impacts various facets, encompassing cognition, memory, perceptual acuity, and linguistic proficiency. Compelling evidence indicates that genetic, dietary, and metabolic factors influence the trajectory of cognitive decline in this patient cohort. In addition to the widely recognized influence of the Mediterranean diet on cognitive function, numerous studies have delved into the potential impact of diverse phytochemicals on cognitive deterioration. Many of these compounds are renowned for their inflammation reducer or free-radical scavenger properties, coupled with their commendable acceptability and defense profiles. Phytochemicals sourced from medicinal plants play an essential role in upholding the intricate chemical equilibrium of the brain by modulating receptors linked to crucial inhibitory neurotransmitters. Across the annals of historical medicinal traditions, a multitude of plants have been cataloged for their efficacy in mitigating cognitive disorders. This study presents a concise examination of distinct medicinal herbs, highlighting their neuroprotective phytochemical components such as fatty acids, phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, terpenes, and beyond. The principal objective of this inquiry is to meticulously inspect and provide discernment into the extant evidence concerning phytochemicals exhibiting clinically demonstrable effects on cognitive decline.
PubMed: 38879771
DOI: 10.2174/0118715249315826240603075900 -
Comprehensive Psychiatry Aug 2024The link between trauma exposure and psychotic disorders is well-established. Further, specific types of trauma may be associated with specific psychotic symptoms....
BACKGROUND
The link between trauma exposure and psychotic disorders is well-established. Further, specific types of trauma may be associated with specific psychotic symptoms. Network analysis is an approach that can advance our understanding of the associations across trauma types and psychotic symptoms.
METHODS
We conducted a network analysis with data from 16,628 adult participants (mean age [standard deviation] = 36.3 years [11.5]; 55.8% males) with psychotic disorders in East Africa recruited between 2018 and 2023. We used the Life Events Checklist and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview to determine whether specific trauma types experienced over the life course and specific psychotic symptoms were connected. We used an Ising model to estimate the network connections and bridge centrality statistics to identify nodes that may influence trauma types and psychotic symptoms.
RESULTS
The trauma type "exposure to a war zone" had the highest bridge strength, betweenness, and closeness. The psychotic symptom "odd or unusual beliefs" had the second highest bridge strength. Exposure to a war zone was directly connected to visual hallucinations, odd or unusual beliefs, passivity phenomena, and disorganized speech. Odd or unusual beliefs were directly connected to transportation accidents, physical assault, war, and witnessing sudden accidental death.
CONCLUSION
Specific trauma types and psychotic symptoms may interact bidirectionally. Screening for psychotic symptoms in patients with war-related trauma and evaluating lifetime trauma in patients with odd or unusual beliefs in clinical care may be considered points of intervention to limit stimulating additional psychotic symptoms and trauma exposure. This work reaffirms the importance of trauma-informed care for patients with psychotic disorders.
Topics: Humans; Psychotic Disorders; Adult; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Africa, Eastern; Psychological Trauma; Hallucinations
PubMed: 38876004
DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152504