Faculty Opinions recommendation of The mellow years?: neural basis of improving emotional stability over age.

Abstract. In the study, the neural basis of emotional reactivity was investigated. Reactivity was operationalized as the impact of emotional pictures on the self-reported ongoing affective state. It was used to divide the subjects into high- and low-responders groups. Independent sources of brain activity were identified, localized with the DIPFIT method, and clustered across subjects to analyse the visual evoked potentials to affective pictures. Four of the identified clusters revealed effects of reactivity. The earliest two started about 120 ms from the stimulus onset and were located in the occipital lobe and the right temporoparietal junction. Another two with a latency of 200 ms were found in the orbitofrontal and the right dorsolateral cortices. Additionally, differences in pre-stimulus alpha level over the visual cortex were observed between the groups. The attentional modulation of perceptual processes is proposed as an early source of emotional reactivity, which forms an automatic mechanism of affective control. The role of top-down processes in affective appraisal and, finally, the experience of ongoing emotional states is also discussed.

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Daily Experiences of Commuting Strain and Self-Control at Work and at Home

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000256 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 125-134

Author(s):

Bettina S. Wiese ◽

Olivia Chaillié ◽

Ruth Noppeney ◽

Anna M. Stertz

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Control ◽

Negative Emotions ◽

Emotional Stability ◽

Self Control ◽

Diary Data ◽

Daily Experiences ◽

At Home

Abstract. The study investigates how commuting strain affects daily self-control capacities at work and at home. Irritability (i.e., increased readiness to express negative emotions when facing frustration) and concentration (i.e., a cognitive control capacity that relies on attention) were used as indicators of (impaired) self-control. Based on 5-day diary data from N = 185 train commuters, we found that on days with a strenuous ride from home to work, commuters indicated higher irritability and lower concentration capacity at work. On days with higher strain during the work-to-home ride, commuters reported to be more irritable back home. Moreover, commuters with low emotional stability turned out to be more affected by commuting strain but only if considering self-control impairment at home.

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Is Retest Bias Biased?

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000149 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 45-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jason G. Randall ◽

Anton J. Villado ◽

Christina U. Zimmer

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Emotional Stability ◽

Adverse Impact ◽

Mental Ability ◽

Ability Test ◽

General Mental Ability ◽

Psychological Mechanisms

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to test for race and sex differences in general mental ability (GMA) retest performance and to identify the psychological mechanisms underlying these differences. An initial and retest administration of a GMA assessment separated by a six-week span was completed by 318 participants. Contrary to our predictions, we found that race, sex, and emotional stability failed to moderate GMA retest performance. However, GMA assessed via another ability test and conscientiousness both partially explained retest performance. Additionally, we found that retesting may reduce adverse impact ratios by lowering the hiring threshold. Ultimately, our findings reinforce the need for organizations to consider race, sex, ability, and personality when implementing retesting procedures.

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