Approach-avoidance responses to infant facial expressions in nulliparous women: Associations with early experience and mood induction

AbstractEarly neglect or maltreatment has been associated with changes in children's processing of emotional facial expressions, including a hypersensitivity to the emotion of anger. This may facilitate the avoidance of danger in a maltreating environment. However, few studies have examined whether experiences of early life stress (ELS) are associated with atypical avoidance responses towards emotional facial expressions, or whether the effects of ELS can be observed in adult participants. The present study therefore examined the effects of ELS on adults’ approach-avoidance tendencies towards angry, happy, and neutral facial expressions. Surprisingly, higher levels of ELS were associated with reduced avoidance of angry facial expressions among individuals with no evidence of mental illness. In contrast, there was no evidence of a relationship between ELS and avoidance of angry facial expressions among individuals with experience of mental illness. These novel findings suggest that ELS-related changes in social cognition can be observed years after the ELS itself occurred.

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Approach‐avoidance responses and categorical perception of ambiguous facial expressions

International Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1002/ijop.12803 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shinnosuke Ikeda

Keyword(s):

Facial Expressions ◽

Categorical Perception ◽

Approach Avoidance ◽

Avoidance Responses

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Exploring an Emotional Basis of Cognitive Control in the Flanker Task

10.31234/osf.io/nkjy6 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Motonori Yamaguchi ◽

Jack Dylan Moore ◽

Sarah Hendry ◽

Felicity Wolohan

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Control ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Mood Induction ◽

Flanker Task ◽

Emotional Stimuli ◽

Emotional Facial Expressions ◽

Flanker Effect ◽

Sequential Modulation ◽

Emotional Basis ◽

Negative Stimuli

The emotional basis of cognitive control has been investigated in the flanker task with various procedures and materials across different studies. The present study examined the issue with the same flanker task but with different types of emotional stimuli and design. In seven experiments, the flanker effect and its sequential modulation according to the preceding trial type were assessed. Experiments 1 and 2 used affective pictures and emotional facial expressions as emotional stimuli, and positive and negative stimuli were intermixed. There was little evidence that emotional stimuli influenced cognitive control. Experiments 3 and 4 used the same affective pictures and facial expressions, but positive and negative stimuli were separated between different participant groups. Emotional stimuli reduced the flanker effect as well as its sequential modulation regardless of valence. Experiments 5 and 6 used affective pictures but manipulated arousal and valence of stimuli orthogonally The results did not replicate the reduced flanker effect or sequential modulation by valence, nor did they show consistent effects of arousal. Experiment 7 used a mood induction technique and showed that sequential modulation was positively correlated with valence rating (the higher the more positive) but was negatively correlated with arousal rating. These results are inconsistent with several previous findings and are difficult to reconcile within a single theoretical framework, confirming an elusive nature of the emotional basis of cognitive control in the flanker task.

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Higher affective congruency in the approach-avoidance task is associated with insular deactivation to dynamic facial expressions

Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107734 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 151 ◽

pp. 107734

Author(s):

Katia M. Harlé ◽

Alan N. Simmons ◽

Jessica Bomyea ◽

Andrea D. Spadoni ◽

Charles T. Taylor

Keyword(s):

Facial Expressions ◽

Avoidance Task ◽

Dynamic Facial Expressions ◽

Approach Avoidance

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Pleasure and arousal in the marketplace: Interpersonal differences in approach-avoidance responses

Marketing Letters ◽

10.1007/bf00435297 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 139-147 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Nancy M. Ridgway ◽

Scott A. Dawson ◽

Peter H. Bloch

Keyword(s):

Approach Avoidance ◽

Avoidance Responses

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Emotion induction in young and old persons on watching movie segments: Facial expressions reflect subjective ratings

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253378 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0253378

Author(s):

Svenja Zempelin ◽

Karolina Sejunaite ◽

Claudia Lanza ◽

Matthias W. Riepe

Keyword(s):

Facial Expression ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Mood Induction ◽

Objective Assessment ◽

Subjective Assessment ◽

Mood States ◽

Automated System ◽

Personality Factors ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Mood Change

Film clips are established to induce or intensify mood states in young persons. Fewer studies address induction of mood states in old persons. Analysis of facial expression provides an opportunity to substantiate subjective mood states with a psychophysiological variable. We investigated healthy young (YA; n = 29; age 24.4 ± 2.3) and old (OA; n = 28; age 69.2 ± 7.4) participants. Subjects were exposed to film segments validated in young adults to induce four basic emotions (anger, disgust, happiness, sadness). We analyzed subjective mood states with a 7-step Likert scale and facial expressions with an automated system for analysis of facial expressions (FaceReader™ 7.0, Noldus Information Technology b.v.) for both the four target emotions as well as concomitant emotions. Mood expressivity was analysed with the Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire (BEQ) and the Short Suggestibility Scale (SSS). Subjective mood intensified in all target emotions in the whole group and both YA and OA subgroups. Facial expressions of mood intensified in the whole group for all target emotions except sadness. Induction of happiness was associated with a decrease of sadness in both subjective and objective assessment. Induction of sadness was observed with subjective assessment and accompanied by a decrease of happiness in both subjective and objective assessment. Regression analysis demonstrated pre-exposure facial expressions and personality factors (BEQ, SSS) to be associated with the intensity of facial expression on mood induction. We conclude that mood induction is successful regardless of age. Analysis of facial expressions complement self-assessment of mood and may serve as a means of objectification of mood change. The concordance between self-assessment of mood change and facial expression is modulated by personality factors.

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