scholarly journals Using Three Indirect Measures to Assess the Role of Sexuality-Related Associations and Interpretations for Women’s Sexual Desire: An Internet-Based Experimental Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Zahler ◽  
Milena Meyers ◽  
Marcella L. Woud ◽  
Simon E. Blackwell ◽  
Jürgen Margraf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Desire ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
Indirect Measures ◽  
Single Target ◽  
Scenario Task

AbstractTheoretical models emphasize the role of both automatic appraisals (i.e., associations) and conscious appraisals (i.e., interpretations) for sexual desire. Studies on sexuality-related appraisals have not combined self-report measures and experimental paradigms in order to compare the relevance of associations or interpretations. The aim of this study was to assess the relative contribution of both associations and interpretations to the explanation of low sexual desire in women. Toward this goal, indirect measures assessing associations (via a Single Target Implicit Association Test [STIAT]) and interpretations (via a Scrambled Sentences Test [SST] and a scenario task) were administered in a sample of 263 women (Mage = 27.90, SD 8.27) with varying levels of sexual desire and different sexual orientations (exclusively heterosexual women: 54.6%). Negative sexuality-related interpretations as assessed with two variants of the SST as well as the scenario task added to the explanation of lower sexual desire in women. Negative associations as measured with the STIAT were predictive of lower sexual desire only in women who did not indicate an exclusively heterosexual orientation. In this study, sexuality-related interpretations were more relevant to women’s sexual desire than automatic associations. Future studies should assess the causal mechanism underlying sexuality-related interpretations (e.g., by evaluating whether these can be changed via cognitive bias modification techniques or psychological treatments).

scholarly journals Using three indirect measures to assess the role of sexuality-related associations and interpretations for women’s sexual desire: An Internet-based experimental study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Zahler ◽  
Milena Meyers ◽  
Marcella Woud ◽  
Simon Edward Blackwell ◽  
Jürgen Margraf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Desire ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Sexual Distress ◽  
Indirect Measures ◽  
Single Target ◽  
Relevant Variables ◽  
Scenario Task

Theoretical models of sexual desire emphasize the role of cognitive processes. Empirical results, however, are mostly based on self-report measures. This study used three indirect measures to assess sexuality-related associations (via a Single Target Implicit Association Test; STIAT), and sexuality-related interpretations (via a Scrambled Sentences Task, SST; and a scenario task) in 263 women (Mage = 27.90, SD = 8.27) with varying levels of sexual desire. Correlational analyses revealed that the STIAT did not correlate with sexual desire, whereas the SST and the scenario task were significantly associated with sexual desire. Further, the SST and the scenario task, but not the STIAT, explained additional variance in sexual desire above other relevant variables (i.e., age, depressive symptoms, and sexual distress measured via self-report). To conclude, indirect measures can provide additional and unique information on sexuality-related associations and interpretations above self-report measures. Specifically, we found evidence for the predictive validity of the newly established SST, and can further validate the scenario task. Future studies should assess the causal mechanism underlying sexuality-related interpretations, e.g., by evaluating whether these can be changed via cognitive bias modification techniques or psychological treatments.

scholarly journals Forgiveness in the Modulation of Responsibility in a Sample of Italian Adolescents with a Tendency towards Conduct or Obsessive–Compulsive Problems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1333
Author(s):  
Carlo Buonanno ◽  
Enrico Iuliano ◽  
Giuseppe Grossi ◽  
Francesco Mancini ◽  
Emiliana Stendardo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Conduct Disorders ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Mediated Effects ◽  
Self Forgiveness ◽  
Italian Adolescents

Although obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and the conduct disorders (CD) express a contrasting symptomatology, they could represent different answers to a common matrix about morality. In the literature, some theoretical models describe people with OCD as individuals who experience high levels of responsibility and guilt. On the other hand, adolescents with a CD are described as if they do not feel guilty at all or consider anti-social purposes as more important than existing moral purposes. The aims of this study were to investigate the role of forgiveness in responsibility and guilt levels and to test whether this putative relation was influenced by tendencies towards obsessive–compulsive problems (OCP) or conduct problems (CP). In total, 231 adolescents aged between 16 and 18 years were self-assessed using a Youth Self-Report, Child Responsibility Attitudes Questionnaire, Heartland Forgiveness Scale, and Test Of Self-Conscious Affect. The results show that self-forgiveness predicted responsibility levels, while guilt was predicted by self-forgiveness and situation-forgiveness. Moreover, mediation analyses revealed that the effects of OCP on responsibility and guilt were mediated by self-forgiveness and situation-forgiveness. Regarding CP, no mediated effects were found. In conclusion, lower proneness to forgive increases responsibility and guilt, and this is particularly evident in subjects with higher levels of OCP.

scholarly journals Understanding with Theoretical Models

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petri Ylikoski ◽  
N. Emrah Aydinonat
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Central Claim

This paper discusses the epistemic import of highly abstract and simplified theoretical models using Thomas Schelling’s checkerboard model as an example. We argue that the epistemic contribution of theoretical models can be better understood in the context of a cluster of models relevant to the explanatory task at hand. The central claim of the paper is that theoretical models make better sense in the context of the menu of possible explanations. In order to justify this claim, we introduce a distinction between causal scenarios and causal mechanism schemes. These conceptual tools help us to articulate the basis for modelers’ intuitive confidence that their models make an important epistemic contribution. By focusing on the role of the menu of possible explanations in the evaluation of explanatory hypotheses, it is possible to understand how a causal mechanism scheme can improve our explanatory understanding even in cases where it does not describe the actual cause of a particular phenomenon.

The Role of Distress Disclosure Tendencies in the Experience and Expression of Laboratory-Induced Sadness

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey H. Kahn ◽  
Daniel W. Cox ◽  
A. Myfanwy Bakker ◽  
Julia I. O’Loughlin ◽  
Agnieszka M. Kotlarczyk
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Laboratory Research ◽  
Emotion Words ◽  
Distress Disclosure ◽  
Computerized Text Analysis

Abstract. The benefits of talking with others about unpleasant emotions have been thoroughly investigated, but individual differences in distress disclosure tendencies have not been adequately integrated within theoretical models of emotion. The purpose of this laboratory research was to determine whether distress disclosure tendencies stem from differences in emotional reactivity or differences in emotion regulation. After completing measures of distress disclosure tendencies, social desirability, and positive and negative affect, 84 participants (74% women) were video recorded while viewing a sadness-inducing film clip. Participants completed post-film measures of affect and were then interviewed about their reactions to the film; these interviews were audio recorded for later coding and computerized text analysis. Distress disclosure tendencies were not predictive of the subjective experience of emotion, but they were positively related to facial expressions of sadness and happiness. Distress disclosure tendencies also predicted judges’ ratings of the verbal disclosure of emotion during the interview, but self-reported disclosure and use of positive and negative emotion words were not associated with distress disclosure tendencies. The authors present implications of this research for integrating individual differences in distress disclosure with models of emotion.

Exploring the role of identity fusion and group identification in predicting parochialism amongst Indonesian Islamic groups

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Michael Kavanagh ◽  
Susilo Wibisono ◽  
Rohan Kapitány ◽  
Whinda Yustisia ◽  
Idhamsyah Eka Putra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Group Identification ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Identity Fusion ◽  
Beliefs And Practice ◽  
Fusion Theory

Indonesia is the most populous Islamic country and as such is host to a diverse range of Islamic beliefs and practices. Here we examine how the diversity of beliefs and practices among Indonesian Muslims relates to group bonding and parochialism. In particular, we examine the predictive power of two distinct types of group alignment, group identification and identity fusion, among individuals from three Sunni politico-religious groups - a fundamentalist group (PKS), a moderate group (NU), and a control sample of politically unaffiliated citizens. Fundamentalists were more fused to targets than moderates or citizens, but contrary to fusion theory, we found across all groups, that group identification (not fusion) better predicted parochialism, including willingness to carry out extreme pro-group actions. We discuss how religious beliefs and practice impact parochial attitudes, as well as the implications for theoretical models linking fusion to extreme behaviour.

A Developmental Perspective on the Genetic Basis of Alcohol Use Disorder

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa M. Trucco ◽  
Gabriel L. Schlomer ◽  
Brian M. Hicks
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorder ◽  
Developmental Perspective ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Intermediate Phenotypes ◽  
Problematic Alcohol ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Problematic Alcohol Use

Approximately 48–66% of the variation in alcohol use disorders is heritable. This chapter provides an overview of the genetic influences that contribute to alcohol use disorder within a developmental perspective. Namely, risk for problematic alcohol use is framed as a function of age-related changes in the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors and an end state of developmental processes. This chapter discusses the role of development in the association between genes and the environment on risk for alcohol use disorder. Designs used to identify genetic factors relevant to problematic alcohol use are discussed. Studies examining developmental pathways to alcohol use disorder with a focus on endophenotypes and intermediate phenotypes are reviewed. Finally, areas for further investigation are offered.

scholarly journals Classic Prescription, Kai-Xin-San, Ameliorates Alzheimer’s Disease as an Effective Multitarget Treatment: From Neurotransmitter to Protein Signaling Pathway

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sirui Guo ◽  
Jiahong Wang ◽  
Huarong Xu ◽  
Weiwei Rong ◽  
Cheng Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Pc12 Cells ◽  
Protein Signaling ◽  
Pi3k Inhibitor Ly294002 ◽  
Single Target ◽  
Biological Methods ◽  
Cognition Impairment ◽  
First Time

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a widespread neurodegenerative disease caused by complicated disease-causing factors. Unsatisfactorily, curative effects of approved anti-AD drugs were not good enough due to their actions on single-target, which led to desperate requirements for more effective drug therapies involved in multiple pathomechanisms of AD. The anti-AD effect with multiple action targets of Kai-Xin-San (KXS), a classic prescription initially recorded in Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang and applied in the treatment of dementia for thousands of years, was deciphered with modern biological methods in our study. Aβ25-35 and D-gal-induced AD rats and Aβ25-35-induced PC12 cells were applied to establish AD models. KXS could significantly improve cognition impairment by decreasing neurotransmitter loss and enhancing the expression of PI3K/Akt. For the first time, KXS was confirmed to improve the expression of PI3K/Akt by neurotransmitter 5-HT. Thereinto, PI3K/Akt could further inhibit Tau hyperphosphorylation as well as the apoptosis induced by oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Moreover, all above-mentioned effects were verified and blocked by PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, in Aβ25-35-induced PC12 cells, suggesting the precise regulative role of KXS in the PI3K/Akt pathway. The utilization and mechanism elaboration of KXS have been proposed and dissected in the combination of animal, molecular, and protein strategies. Our results demonstrated that KXS could ameliorate AD by regulating neurotransmitter and PI3K/Akt signal pathway as an effective multitarget treatment so that the potential value of this classic prescription could be explored from a novel perspective.

scholarly journals Powerful Effects of Diagnostic Information on Automatic and Self-Reported Evaluation: The Moderating Role of Memory Recall

2021 ◽  
pp. 014616722110072
Author(s):  
Pieter Van Dessel ◽  
Jeremy Cone ◽  
Anne Gast
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Information ◽  
Memory Recall ◽  
Negative Behavior ◽  
Indirect Measures ◽  
Affect Misattribution Procedure ◽  
Elaborative Rehearsal ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Moderating Role

We sometimes learn about certain behaviors of others that we consider diagnostic of their character (e.g., that they did immoral things). Recent research has shown that such information trumps the impact of other (less diagnostic) information both on self-reported evaluations and on more automatic evaluations as probed with indirect measures such as the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP). We examined whether facilitating memory recall of alternative information moderates the impact of diagnostic information on evaluation. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants learned one diagnostic positive and one diagnostic negative behavior of two unfamiliar people. Presenting a cue semantically related to this information during evaluation influenced AMP scores but not self-reported liking scores. Experiments 3 and 4 showed that elaborative rehearsal of low diagnostic information eliminated diagnosticity effects on AMP scores and reduced them on self-reported liking scores. These findings help elucidate the role of memory recall and diagnosticity in evaluation.

An experimental approach to communal coping

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752199246
Author(s):  
Melissa Zajdel ◽  
Vicki S. Helgeson
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Communal Coping ◽  
Observational Measures ◽  
Relationship Outcomes ◽  
The Individual

Communal coping has been linked to better psychological and physical health across a variety of stressful contexts. However, there has been no experimental work causally linking communal coping to relationship and health outcomes. In addition, research has emphasized the collaboration over the shared appraisal component of communal coping. The present study sought to isolate the role of appraisal by manipulating whether dyads viewed a stressor as shared or individual. Friend dyads (n = 64 dyads; 128 participants) were randomly assigned to view a stressor as either a shared or an individual problem, but both groups were allowed to work together. Across self-report and observational measures dyads reported more collaboration and support, better relationship outcomes, and more positive mood after the stressor in the shared than the individual appraisal group. This is the first laboratory evidence to establish causal links of communal coping—specifically shared appraisal—to positive relationship and health outcomes.

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