Affect in science communication: A data-driven analysis of TED talks

Science communication is changing. It is increasingly directed not only at peers but at the public in general. Accordingly, understanding the circumstances under which audience members engage with scientific content is crucial to improving science communication. In this article, we investigate the role of affect on audience engagement with a modern form of science communication: TED talks. We examined how affect valence---a net positive or negative affect---and density---the proportion of affective words---are associated with a talk's popularity---reflecting views and likes---and polarity---reflecting dislikes and comments. We found that the valence of TED talks was associated with both popularity and polarity, with positive valence being linked to higher talk popularity and lower talk polarity. Density, on the other hand, was only associated with popularity, with higher affective density being linked to higher popularity---even more so than valence---but not polarity. Moreover, we observed that the association between affect and engagement was partially moderated by talk topic. Specifically, whereas higher density was related to higher popularity across most topics, valence seemed to particularly impact the popularity and polarity of TED talks on social topics, which regularly discuss polarizing issues such as race or political conflicts. We discuss implications of our findings for increasing the effectiveness of science communication.

Regulating the Electron Localization of Metallic Bismuth for Boosting CO2 Electroreduction

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate is economically attractive but improving the reaction selectivity and activity remains challenging. Herein, we introduce boron (B) atoms to modify the local electronic structure of bismuth with positive valence sites for boosting conversion of CO2 into formate with high activity and selectivity in a wide potential window. By combining experimental and computational investigations, our study indicates that B dopant differentiates the proton participations of rate-determining steps in CO2 reduction and in the competing hydrogen evolution. By comparing the experimental observations with the density functional theory, the dominant mechanistic pathway of B promoted formate generation and the B concentration modulated effects on the catalytic property of Bi are unravelled. This comprehensive study offers deep mechanistic insights into the reaction pathway at an atomic and molecular level and provides an effective strategy for the rational design of highly active and selective electrocatalysts for efficient CO2 conversion.

Does eWOM influence entrepreneurial firms’ rate of diffusion of innovation?

Purpose This research aims to investigate the influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on the diffusion rate of innovation in the context of entrepreneurial firms in emerging markets. It examines a comprehensive model for the effect of eWOM dimensions (including Content, Intensity, Positive Valence and Negative Valence) on the diffusion of innovations. Thus, it provides new insights on how entrepreneurial firms can use eWOM as a communication tool to facilitate the diffusion rate of innovations in emerging markets. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was adopted, consisting of 215 responses from Jordan. Data were analysed using Linear regression analysis tools. Findings A significant relationship exists between eWOM dimensions (Content, Intensity, Positive Valence and Negative Valence) and the Diffusion Rate of Innovations. In emerging markets, eWOM content highlights critical information regarding consumers’ sentiments towards new products (including features, price, design), which consumers use in judging innovations. Especially when there is a high volume of eWOM about a new product, consumers are likely to gain reassurances regarding their purchase decisions. Specifically, the valence of eWOM (including reviews, complaints and suggestions) generate adoption/risk-aversion attitudes towards new products. Consequently, entrepreneurial firms must carefully analyse eWOM regarding their products and integrate them into their marketing strategy. 10; Originality/value This research extends the eWOM literature by developing a comprehensive model for the effect of eWOM dimensions on the diffusion of innovations. Additionally, it sheds new light on the effect of eWOM valence on consumers’ attitudes towards innovations. Finally, it provides significant theoretical and managerial implications and future research direction to deepen our understanding of the effect of eWOM on entrepreneurial firms.

Psychedelic Therapy's Transdiagnostic Effects: A Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Perspective

Accumulating clinical evidence shows that psychedelic therapy, by synergistically combining psychopharmacology and psychological support, offers a promising transdiagnostic treatment strategy for a range of disorders with restricted and/or maladaptive habitual patterns of emotion, cognition and behavior, notably, depression (MDD), treatment resistant depression (TRD) and addiction disorders, but perhaps also anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders. Despite the emergent transdiagnostic evidence, the specific clinical dimensions that psychedelics are efficacious for, and associated underlying neurobiological pathways, remain to be well-characterized. To this end, this review focuses on pre-clinical and clinical evidence of the acute and sustained therapeutic potential of psychedelic therapy in the context of a transdiagnostic dimensional systems framework. Focusing on the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) as a template, we will describe the multimodal mechanisms underlying the transdiagnostic therapeutic effects of psychedelic therapy, traversing molecular, cellular and network levels. These levels will be mapped to the RDoC constructs of negative and positive valence systems, arousal regulation, social processing, cognitive and sensorimotor systems. In summarizing this literature and framing it transdiagnostically, we hope we can assist the field in moving toward a mechanistic understanding of how psychedelics work for patients and eventually toward a precise-personalized psychedelic therapy paradigm.

PDSTD - The Portsmouth Dynamic Spontaneous Tears Database

The vast majority of research on human emotional tears has relied on posed and static stimulus materials. In this paper, we introduce the Portsmouth Dynamic Spontaneous Tears Database (PDSTD), a free resource comprising video recordings of 24 female encoders depicting a balanced representation of sadness stimuli with and without tears. Encoders watched a neutral film and a self-selected sad film and reported their emotional experience for 9 emotions. Extending this initial validation, we obtained norming data from an independent sample of naïve observers (N = 91, 45 females) who watched videos of the encoders during three time phases (neutral, pre-sadness, sadness), yielding a total of 72 validated recordings. Observers rated the expressions during each phase on 7 discrete emotions, negative and positive valence, arousal, and genuineness. All data were analyzed by means of general linear mixed modelling (GLMM) to account for sources of random variance. Our results confirm the successful elicitation of sadness, and demonstrate the presence of a tear effect, i.e., a substantial increase in perceived sadness for spontaneous dynamic weeping. To our knowledge, the PDSTD is the first database of spontaneously elicited dynamic tears and sadness that is openly available to researchers. The stimuli can be accessed free of charge via OSF from https://osf.io/uyjeg/?view_only=24474ec8d75949ccb9a8243651db0abf.

Caregiving Appraisals and Emotional Valence: Buffering Effect of Activity Participation

Caregiving activities often lead to positive and negative appraisal for caregivers. Caregivers may limit social participation due to caregiving activities. Changes in level of activity participation could have profound consequences for caregiver’s valence. However, little is known about how activity participation could moderate the association between these caregiving appraisals and emotional valence. Data came from the National Study of Caregiving (Round 1 and 2), a nationally representative study of caregivers. Referencing Lawton’s two-factor model (1990), we examined both the level and changes in activity restriction interacting with positive and negative caregiving appraisals to predict both valence across two waves. Consistent with two factor models, findings revealed level and changes in activity restriction moderated the relationship between caregiving appraisal and outcomes for both valences. These findings highlight the role of activity restriction as a target to reduce negative valence and improve positive valence for caregivers.

Intergenerational Contact Experiences and Their Relation to Ageism as a Multidimensional Construct

Research on intergroup contact suggests that negative contact experiences affect cognitive representations such as stereotypes more strongly than positive contact experiences. To comprehensively examine the full effect of intergroup contact, the valence of the contact experience as well as the affective and cognitive dimensions of prejudice should be assessed. In ageism research, previous studies typically focused only on contact of positive valence and were limited to the perspectives of younger individuals on older adults. Primary objective of this study is to examine both positive and negative contact frequency and their relation to affective and cognitive dimensions of ageism from the perspectives of younger adults between the age of 18 and 25 (study 1) and older adults between the age of 60 and 92 (study 2). Consistent with previous research on intergroup contact, our results confirm that both types of contact were similarly predictive of affective facets of prejudice. However, only in study 2 that assessed older adults’ agreement with contemporary stereotypes about young men and women, negative compared to positive contact frequency proved to be a stronger predictor of the cognitive dimension of ageism. Our findings emphasize the importance of focusing on all dimensions of prejudice and highlight the need to consider the perspectives of young and old in ageism research.

Trajectory of emotion dysregulation in positive and negative affect across childhood predicts adolescent emotion dysregulation and overall functioning

Emotion dysregulation is cross-diagnostic and impairing. Most research has focused on dysregulated expressions of negative affect, often measured as irritability, which is associated with multiple forms of psychopathology and predicts negative outcomes. However, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) include both negative and positive valence systems. Emerging evidence suggests that dysregulated expressions of positive affect, or excitability, in early childhood predict later psychopathology and impairment above and beyond irritability. Typically, irritability declines from early through middle childhood; however, the developmental trajectory of excitability is unknown. The impact of excitability across childhood on later emotion dysregulation is also yet unknown. In a well-characterized, longitudinal sample of 129 children studied from ages 3 to 5.11 years through 14 to 19 years, enriched for early depression and disruptive symptoms, we assessed the trajectory of irritability and excitability using multilevel modeling and how components of these trajectories impact later emotion dysregulation. While irritability declines across childhood, excitability remains remarkably stable both within and across the group. Overall levels of excitability (excitability intercept) predict later emotion dysregulation as measured by parent and self-report and predict decreased functional magnetic resonance imaging activity in cognitive emotion regulation regions during an emotion regulation task. Irritability was not related to any dysregulation outcome above and beyond excitability.

Nx4 Reduced Susceptibility to Distraction in an Attention Modulation Task

Background: Stress adversely affects the attentional focus, the active concentration on stimuli, and increases susceptibility to distraction. To experimentally explore the susceptibility to distraction, the Attention Modulation by Salience Task (AMST) is a validated paradigm measuring reaction times (RT) for processing auditory information while presenting task-irrelevant visual distractors of high or low salience. We extended the AMST by an emotional dimension of distractors and an EEG-based evaluation. We then investigated the effect of the stress-relieving medication Neurexan (Nx4) on the participants' susceptibility to distraction.Methods: Data from a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial (NEURIM study; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02602275) were exploratively reanalyzed post-hoc. In this trial, 39 participants received a single dose of placebo or Nx4 immediately before the AMST. Participants had to discriminate two different tone modulations (ascending or descending) while simultaneously perceiving task-irrelevant pictures of different salience (high or low) or valence (negative or positive) as distractors. Using EEG recordings, RT and the event-related potential (ERP) components N1, N2, and N3 were analyzed as markers for susceptibility to distraction.Results: In the placebo condition, we could replicate the previously reported task effects of salient distractors with longer RT for high salient distractors on the behavioral level. On the electrophysiological level, we observed significantly increased amplitudes of the N2 and N3 ERP components for positive emotional pictures. In terms of drug effect, we found evidence that Nx4 reduced distractibility by emotional distractors. The effect was shown by significantly reduced amplitudes of N2 and N3 ERP components and reduced RT for the positive valence domain under Nx4 compared to placebo. The Nx4 effects on RT and ERP components also showed a significant correlation.Conclusion: Emotional distractors in addition to the previously used salience distractors and the EEG based evaluation of ERPs valuably complement the AMST. Salient distractors were affecting attentional processes earlier, while valent distractors show modulatory effects later. Our results suggest that Nx4 has beneficial effects on attention by inhibiting the effect of task-irrelevant information and reducing susceptibility to emotionally distracting stimuli. The observation of a beneficial impact of Nx4 on attention regulation is supportive of Nx4's claim as a stress-relieving medication.

Investigating the relationship between background luminance and self-reported valence of auditory stimuli

The present study investigates the effect of background luminance on the self-reported valence ratings of auditory stimuli, as suggested by some earlier work. A secondary aim was to better characterise the effect of auditory valence on pupillary responses, on which the literature is inconsistent. Participants were randomly presented with sounds of different valence categories (negative, neutral, and positive) obtained from the IADS-E database. At the same time, the background luminance of the computer screen (in blue hue) was manipulated across three levels (i.e., low, medium, and high), with pupillometry confirming the expected strong effect of luminance on pupil size. Participants were asked to rate the valence of the presented sound under these different luminance levels. On a behavioural level, we found trend-level evidence for a small effect of background luminance on the self-reported valence rating, with generally more positive ratings as background luminance increases. Turning to valence effects on pupil size, irrespective of background luminance, interestingly, we observed that pupils were smallest in the positive valence and the largest in negative valence condition, with neutral sounds in between. In sum, the present findings therefore provide some evidence concerning the relationship between luminance perception (and hence pupil size) and self-reported valence of auditory stimuli, indicating a possible cross-modal interaction of auditory valence processing with completely task-irrelevant visual background luminance. The present experiment furthermore contributes new data on the relationship between valence and pupil size for auditory stimuli.