scholarly journals Evidence for the Embodiment of the automatic approach bias

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Solzbacher ◽  
Artur Czeszumski ◽  
Sven Walter ◽  
Peter König
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Drug Addiction ◽  
The Body ◽  
Button Press ◽  
Approach And Avoidance ◽  
Approach Avoidance ◽  
Positive Stimuli ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Negative Stimuli

Tendencies of approach and avoidance seem to be a universal characteristic of humans. Specifically, individuals are faster in avoiding than in approaching negative stimuli and they are faster in approaching than in avoiding positive stimuli. The existence of this automatic approach/avoidance bias has been demonstrated in many studies. Furthermore, this bias is thought to play a key role in psychological disorders like drug addiction and phobias. However, its mechanisms are far from clear. Theories of embodied cognition postulate, that the nature of gestures play a key role in this process.To shed light on the role of the involved gesture we employed a 2x2 factorial design with two types of stimuli. Participants had either to approach positive and avoid negative stimuli (congruent conditions) or to avoid positive stimuli and approach negative stimuli (incongruent conditions). Further, they responded either with a joystick or a button press on a response pad. Participants reacted faster in congruent conditions, i.e., avoiding negative stimuli and approaching positive stimuli, then in incongruent conditions. This replicates the known approach and avoidance bias. However, directly analyzing the button press condition participants revealed no reaction time advantage for congruent trials compared to incongruent trials. In contrast, in the joystick condition participants were significantly faster performing congruent reactions than incongruent reactions. This interaction, a significant reaction time advantage, when the response is enacted by moving a joystick towards or away from the body gives evidence that approach-avoidance tendencies have a crucial bodily component.

scholarly journals What Role Does the Prefrontal Cortex Play in the Processing of Negative and Positive Stimuli in Adolescent Depression?

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siyabend Kaya ◽  
Ciara McCabe
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Adolescent Depression ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Small Sample Sizes ◽  
Positive Stimuli ◽  
Larger Sample ◽  
Negative Stimuli

This perspective describes the contribution of the prefrontal cortex to the symptoms of depression in adolescents and specifically the processing of positive and negative information. We also discuss how the prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity and connectivity during tasks and at rest might be a biomarker for risk for depression onset in adolescents. We include some of our recent work examining not only the anticipation and consummation of positive and negative stimuli, but also effort to gain positive and avoid negative stimuli in adolescents with depression. We find, using region of interest analyses, that the PFC is blunted in those with depression compared to controls across the different phases but in a larger sample the PFC is blunted in the anticipatory phase of the study only. Taken together, in adolescents with depression there is evidence for dysfunctional PFC activity across different studies and tasks. However, the data are limited with small sample sizes and inconsistent findings. Larger longitudinal studies with more detailed assessments of symptoms across the spectrum are needed to further evaluate the role of the PFC in adolescent depression.

scholarly journals The Enigmatic Reissner’s Fiber and the Origin of Chordates

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Aboitiz ◽  
Juan F. Montiel
Keyword(s):  
Vertebral Column ◽  
The Body ◽  
Reissner's Fiber ◽  
Reissner’S Fiber ◽  
Clinical Observations ◽  
Neural Canal ◽  
History Of ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Origin Of Chordates

Reissner’s fiber (RF) is a secreted filament that floats in the neural canal of chordates. Since its discovery in 1860, there has been no agreement on its primary function, and its strong conservation across chordate species has remained a mystery for comparative neuroanatomists. Several findings, including the chemical composition and the phylogenetic history of RF, clinical observations associating RF with the development of the neural canal, and more recent studies suggesting that RF is needed to develop a straight vertebral column, may shed light on the functions of this structure across chordates. In this article, we will briefly review the evidence mentioned above to suggest a role of RF in the origin of fundamental innovations of the chordate body plan, especially the elongation of the neural tube and maintenance of the body axis. We will also mention the relevance of RF for medical conditions like hydrocephalus, scoliosis of the vertebral spine and possibly regeneration of the spinal cord.

scholarly journals Neural systems underlying approach and avoidance in anxiety disorders

2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-531 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Approach And Avoidance ◽  
Cognition And Emotion ◽  
Avoidance Behaviors ◽  
Approach Avoidance

Approach-avoidance conflict is an important psychological concept that has been used extensively to better understand cognition and emotion. This review focuses on neural systems involved in approach, avoidance, and conflict decision making, and how these systems overlap with implicated neural substrates of anxiety disorders. In particular, the role of amygdala, insula, ventral striatal, and prefrontal regions are discussed with respect to approach and avoidance behaviors. Three specific hypotheses underlying the dysfunction in anxiety disorders are proposed, including: (i) over-representation of avoidance valuation related to limbic overactivation; (ii) under- or over-representation of approach valuation related to attenuated or exaggerated striatal activation respectively; and (iii) insufficient integration and arbitration of approach and avoidance valuations related to attenuated orbitofrontal cortex activation. These dysfunctions can be examined experimentally using versions of existing decision-making paradigms, but may also require new translational and innovative approaches to probe approach-avoidance conflict and related neural systems in anxiety disorders.

scholarly journals “Encores me frissonne et tremble le coeur dedans sa capsule”: Rabelais’s Anatomy of Emotion and the Soul

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-58
Author(s):  
Emmanuelle Lacore-Martin
Keyword(s):  
Human Body ◽  
Natural Philosophy ◽  
Ancient Philosophy ◽  
The Body ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Animal Spirits ◽  
Philosophie Naturelle ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Shed Light

This article examines the role of anatomical references in the representation of emotion and argues that they constitute textual markers of the Rabelaisian view of the relationship between the body and the soul, and the nature of the soul itself. By analyzing the ancient models of natural philosophy and medicine on which Rabelais draws—Galen, in particular—and by contextualizing Rabelais’s thinking within contemporary debates on the faculties of the soul, the article aims to shed light on his representation of the intersection between material and immaterial processes within the human body. Instead of trying to reconcile potentially contradictory aspects of these ancient models with the Christian faith, Rabelais’s prose is informed by an intuitive understanding of ancient philosophy. His exploitation of the Galenic concept of the animal spirits gives us invaluable insights into the influence of materialist representations of the soul on Rabelais’s thinking. Cet article étudie le rôle des références anatomiques dans la représentation rabelaisienne de l’émotion et propose d’y voir les marqueurs textuels de la façon dont Rabelais conçoit les rapports entre l’âme et le corps, et la nature de l’âme elle-même. En analysant les modèles anciens de la philosophie naturelle et de la médecine — Galien en particulier — dont Rabelais s’inspire et en situant sa pensée dans le contexte des débats contemporains sur les facultés de l’âme, l’article vise à éclairer la façon dont Rabelais représente l’intersection à l’intérieur du corps humain des processus matériels et immatériels. Sans chercher à réconcilier avec la foi chrétienne certains aspects de ces anciens modèles qui peuvent être en contradiction avec elle, la prose rabelaisienne porte la marque d’une compréhension intuitive de la philosophie ancienne. En particulier, l’exploitation de la conception galénique des esprits animaux donne de précieux aperçus concernant l’influence des représentations matérialistes de l’âme sur la pensée de Rabelais.

scholarly journals Ageing and the body: one African perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 815-835 ◽  
Author(s):  
ENGUERRAN MACIA ◽  
FATOU B. DIAL ◽  
JOANN M. MONTEPARE ◽  
FATOUMATA HANE ◽  
PRISCILLA DUBOZ
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Double Standard ◽  
The Body ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Adult Men ◽  
Strongly Connected ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Shed Light

ABSTRACTHow do non-Western societies envisage the relationship between the body and ageing? The present work aimed to shed light on this question by exploring how adult men and women of different ages living in Dakar, Senegal, view their bodies. A quantitative methodology was selected, and this study was carried out on a sample of 1,000 dwellers of the Senegalese capital, aged 20 and older. This sample was constructed using the quota method in order to strive for representativeness. Results indicate that appearance was highly important for Senegalese women and men, and for younger and older adults alike. As in Western cultures, beauty and youth were strongly connected. The large majority of Senegalese women and men were satisfied with their looks across the lifespan. However, older women were slightly less satisfied, consistent with the double standard hypothesis. Little discrepancy was found between felt age and chronological age throughout the entire lifecourse, arguing against an ageless self hypothesis in this African population. The mask of ageing hypothesis was also rejected, as men's and women's identification with their body did not diminish significantly across age. These observations from an African perspective call for greater attention to the ageing process in non-Western societies in order to challenge hypotheses developed in Western societies and understand more broadly the role of culture.

Positive and Negative Stimuli in Relation to Tennis Players' Reaction Time

2000 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 236-240
Author(s):  
Tim P. Mead ◽  
John N. Drowatzky ◽  
Lisa Hardin-Crosby
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Tennis Ball ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Negative Thought ◽  
Analogue Study ◽  
Accessory Stimulus ◽  
Positive Stimuli ◽  
Negative Stimuli

Research has indicated that negative and positive thoughts may affect sport performance. The purpose of this analogue study was to assess whether negative and positive stimuli influenced tennis performance similar to positive and negative thought. The reaction time (RT) of 40 competitive tennis players was measured during a timed response to a tennis ball rotating in a topspin, sidespin, or backspin direction on the computer screen. Immediately prior to the ball presentation, a phrase (accessory stimulus) was presented visually or aurally. The accessory stimulus provided either positive (e.g., ‘nice shot’) or negative information (e.g., ‘bad shot’) followed by the subject's name. Analysis showed a main effect only for the type of spin. The slowest RT occurred when responding to a tennis ball rotating in a backspin direction. A significant interaction was found for the sensory modality (audition vs vision) and polarity (positive vs negative) of the accessory stimulus. RT to negative stimuli was slowest when the accessory stimulus was presented aurally. The quickest RT to positive stimuli occurred when the accessory stimulus was presented aurally. These results indicated that negative and positive stimuli, when presented aurally, affected performance as positive and negative thoughts measured in other studies. Not measured was whether negative and positive stimuli actually produce the negative and positive thoughts, respectively, that have been reported to affect performance.

scholarly journals I Ought to Put Down That Phone but I Phub Nevertheless: Examining the Predictors of Phubbing Behavior

2019 ◽  
pp. 089443931988236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank M. Schneider ◽  
Selina Hitzfeld
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Injunctive Norms ◽  
Approach And Avoidance ◽  
Fear Of Missing Out ◽  
Worldwide Phenomenon ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Shed Light

Smartphones are ubiquitous and frequently used in copresent interactions. This behavior is often seen as inappropriate and thus has been termed phubbing, compromising the words “phone” and “snubbing.” Although being a worldwide phenomenon, little is known about what predicts phubbing behavior in the first place. Drawing on injunctive norms (i.e., what ought to be done), the study’s aim was to shed light on the relationship between mobile phone norms (MPN) and phubbing behavior. Furthermore, the role of being permanently online and permanently connected (POPC) and fear of missing out (FOMO), reflecting approach and avoidance orientations, respectively, as additional predictors and moderators was investigated. As expected, the findings of an online survey ( N = 278) supported the assumption that MPN were negatively related to phubbing behavior. Moreover, results showed that both FOMO and POPC were significantly positively connected to phubbing behavior but did not play significant moderating roles concerning the norm–phubbing relationship.

scholarly journals Recognition and Approach Responses Toward Threatening Objects

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Genschow ◽  
Arnd Florack ◽  
Michaela Wänke
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Module Theory ◽  
Time Task ◽  
Approach Avoidance ◽  
Positive Stimuli ◽  
Motivational Account ◽  
Avoidance Responses ◽  
Threatening Stimuli ◽  
Negative Stimuli

Previous research suggests that positive stimuli are often approached as well as recognized faster than negative stimuli. We argue that this effect does not hold if negative stimuli are associated with threat. Based on fear module theory ( Öhman & Mineka, 2001 , 2003 ), we argue that individuals recognize threatening stimuli faster than positive stimuli because of a constant monitoring of the environment for threatening objects. Moreover, based on the assumption of a motivational account underlying approach-avoidance responses ( Krieglmeyer & Deutsch, 2010 ), we assume the recognition then directly evokes a careful and slow approach of threatening objects. Applying a response time task that measures approach movement and recognition times within the same task, we found that individuals recognize threatening pictures faster than positive pictures, but approach the threatening pictures slower than the positive pictures.

scholarly journals Approach-Avoidance Decisions Under Threat: The Role of Autonomic Psychophysiological States

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. A. Livermore ◽  
Felix H. Klaassen ◽  
Bob Bramson ◽  
Anneloes M. Hulsman ◽  
Sjoerd W. Meijer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
The Body ◽  
Parasympathetic Activity ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Theoretical Treatment ◽  
Autonomic Changes ◽  
Action Preparation ◽  
Approach Avoidance ◽  
Bodily States

Acutely challenging or threatening situations frequently require approach-avoidance decisions. Acute threat triggers fast autonomic changes that prepare the body to freeze, fight or flee. However, such autonomic changes may also influence subsequent instrumental approach-avoidance decisions. Since defensive bodily states are often not considered in value-based decision-making models, it remains unclear how they influence the decision-making process. Here, we aim to bridge this gap by discussing the existing literature on the potential role of threat-induced bodily states on decision making and provide a new neurocomputational framework explaining how these effects can facilitate or bias approach-avoid decisions under threat. Theoretical accounts have stated that threat-induced parasympathetic activity is involved in information gathering and decision making. Parasympathetic dominance over sympathetic activity is particularly seen during threat-anticipatory freezing, an evolutionarily conserved response to threat demonstrated across species and characterized by immobility and bradycardia. Although this state of freezing has been linked to altered information processing and action preparation, a full theoretical treatment of the interactions with value-based decision making has not yet been achieved. Our neural framework, which we term the Threat State/Value Integration (TSI) Model, will illustrate how threat-induced bodily states may impact valuation of competing incentives at three stages of the decision-making process, namely at threat evaluation, integration of rewards and threats, and action initiation. Additionally, because altered parasympathetic activity and decision biases have been shown in anxious populations, we will end with discussing how biases in this system can lead to characteristic patterns of avoidance seen in anxiety-related disorders, motivating future pre-clinical and clinical research.

A Framework for Navigating Post-Doctoral Career Opportunities for PK-12 Educators Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 281-300
Author(s):  
Valerie Luckey Nelson ◽  
Noran L. Moffett ◽  
Linda Wilson-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Student Behavior ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
The Body ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Shed Light

The field of education is constantly changing, and with the current COVID-19 pandemic, it will undoubtedly change the way education systems operate in the future. This chapter covers several key topics related to navigating post-doctoral career opportunities for PK-12 educators. Educators are in a unique position to contribute to research in the field in which they have a plethora of experiences. With a major focus on student outcomes, there is a critical need to understand factors that directly impact learning such as parent involvement, socio-economic status, technology, and student behavior. Using an ethnographic approach, the authors provide insight into challenges post-doctoral professionals may face in attempts to enhance their professional identity. These narrative accounts shed light on not only the role of mentors but the desire to contribute to the body of research through the development of research agendas.

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