Motor imagery practice and feedback effects on functional connectivity

– Objective: the use of motor imagery (MI) in motor rehabilitation protocols has been increasingly investigated as a potential technique for enhancing traditional treatments, yielding better clinical outcomes. However, since MI performance can be challenging, practice is usually required. This demands appropriate training, actively engaging the MI-related brain areas, consequently enabling the user to properly benefit from it. The role of feedback is central for MI practice. Yet, assessing which underlying neural changes are feedback-specific or purely due to MI practice is still a challenging effort, mainly due to the difficulty in isolating their contributions. In this work, we aimed to assess functional connectivity (FC) changes following MI practice that are either extrinsic or specific to feedback. Approach: to achieve this, we investigated FC, using graph theory, in electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, during MI performance and at resting-state (rs), respectively. Thirty healthy subjects were divided into three groups, receiving no feedback (control), “false” feedback (sham) or actual neurofeedback (active). Participants underwent 12 to 13 hands-MI EEG sessions and pre- and post-MI training fMRI exams. Main results: following MI practice, control participants presented significant increases in degree and in eigenvector centrality for occipital nodes at rs-fMRI scans, whereas sham-feedback produced similar effects, but to a lesser extent. Therefore, MI practice, by itself, seems to stimulate visual information processing mechanisms that become apparent during basal brain activity. Additionally, only the active group displayed decreases in inter-subject FC patterns, both during MI performance and at rs-fMRI. Significance: hence, actual neurofeedback impacted FC by disrupting common inter-subject patterns, suggesting that subject-specific neural plasticity mechanisms become important. Future studies should consider this when designing experimental NFBT protocols and analyses.

Success and Failure Effect on Self-Efficacy and Performance: An Experimental Study

There is much correlational research singing praises for the validity and importance of self-efficacy. As well most people believe that optimistic view of one’s capabilities would lead to higher performance. Some experimental research has cast doubt over the pervasive assumption that higher self-efficacy leads to higher performance. Specifically Control theory as opposed to the widespread Social Cognitive theory, argues that lower self-efficacy should result in higher performance. In this study we aimed to better understand the link between self-efficacy and performance, through both within and between individual comparison and to test whether a change in self-efficacy would lead to change in performance. To do this we carried out a single blind randomized between group experiment, where self-efficacy was manipulated with false feedback. The results showed that indeed self-efficacy shows a positive correlation with performance. Nevertheless, after the false feedback the positive and negative feedback groups did not differ in their performance on the second trial. In addition, the initial self-efficacy was significantly higher than any of the later self-efficacy measurements and higher than the actual performance on both occasions, but all the other self-efficacy measurements where not different from the actual performance scores. From the results it seems that self-efficacy is more of an ability to predict one’s performance rather than a belief in one’s capabilities. Since the randomization allowed to assume that both group’s capabilities are the same, a decrease in self-efficacy did not affect performance. It could be that the overall positive correlation of self-efficacy and performance found in most correlational research is due to the confounding of actual capabilities. Actual capabilities being the cause of higher self-efficacy and higher performance. At least this seems to be true for simple fine motor tasks.

Social Comparison Information Influences Intentions to Reduce Single-Use Plastic Water Bottle Consumption

Single-use plastic consumption is at an all-time high and threatens environmental and human health. College campuses in particular serve as a hub for single-use plastics due to their convenience for students on the go. The present research tests whether social comparison information can influence self-perceptions of single-use plastic consumption and motivate behavior change within the college campus environment. In a controlled experiment, we measured college students' existing plastic water bottle usage and gave them false feedback about their behaviors and relative standing to their classmates: participants in comparison conditions learned they were either above or below average in their plastic water bottle sustainability behaviors. Results indicated that (relative to a no-comparison control), being above average at water bottle sustainability led students to be more satisfied with their sustainability efforts. However, either kind of comparison information (i.e., being above or below average) led to greater behavioral intentions to reduce single-use plastic water bottle consumption in the future. This study highlights how comparison information can be used to motivate sustainable behavior change with regards to single-use plastics.

How the Discrepancy Between Prior Expectations and New Information Influences Expectation Updating in Depression—The Greater, the Better?

Previous research on expectation updating in relation to psychopathology used to treat expectation-confirming information and expectation-disconfirming information as binary concepts. Here, we varied the extent to which new information deviates from prior expectations and examined its influence on expectation adjustment in both a false-feedback task (Study 1; N = 379) and a social-interaction task (Study 2; N = 292). Unlike traditional learning models, we hypothesized a tipping point in which the discrepancy between expectation and outcome becomes so large that new information is perceived as lacking credibility, thus entailing little updating of expectations. Consistent with the hypothesized tipping point, new information was deemed most valid if it was moderately positive. Moreover, descriptively, expectation update was largest for moderate expectation violations, but this effect was small (Study 2) or even nonsignificant (Study 1). The findings question the assumption of traditional learning models that the larger the prediction error, the larger the update.

Evaluating experimental methods to manipulate authentic vs. hubristic pride: Four pilot studies

**This is an abstract accepted for the presentation at the Society for Affective Science 2021 virtual conference in April. Data collection is still ongoing.** Inducing different types of pride is an experimental challenge. Four studies varied whether participants felt authentic or hubristic pride, two using an autobiographical recall task and two using a false-feedback paradigm. Ratings of authentic pride did not vary as a function of the type of emotion induction, though ratings of hubristic pride items did. Other evidence demonstrated that socially desirable responding depressed self-ratings of hubristic pride.

How the positivity of new information influences belief updating in depression - The more, the better?

Aberrant belief updating has been linked to psychopathology, e.g., depressive symptoms. While previous research used to treat belief-confirming vs. -disconfirming information as binary concepts, the present research varied the extent to which new information deviates from prior beliefs and examined its influence on belief updating. In a false feedback task (Study 1; N = 379) and a social interaction task (Study 2; N = 292), participants received slightly positive, moderately positive or extremely positive information in relation to their prior beliefs. In both studies, new information was deemed most reliable if it was moderately positive. Yet, differences in the positivity of new information had only small effects on belief updating. In Study 1, depressive symptoms were related to difficulties in generalizing positive new learning experiences. The findings suggest that, contrary to traditional learning models, the larger the differences between prior beliefs and new information, the more beliefs are not updated.

Cognitive Control and the Implicit Association Test: A Replication of Siegel, Dougherty, and Huber (2012)

The implicit association test (IAT) is widely used to measure evaluative associations towards groups or the self but is influenced by other traits. Siegel, Dougherty, and Huber (2012, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology) found that manipulating cognitive control via false feedback (Study 3) changed the degree to which the IAT was related to cognitive control versus evaluative associations. We conducted two replications of this study and a mini meta-analysis. Null-hypothesis tests, meta-analysis, and a small telescope approach demonstrated weak to no support for the original hypotheses. We conclude that the original findings are unreliable and that both the original study and our replications do not provide evidence that manipulating cognitive control affects IAT scores.