Using Three Indirect Measures to Assess the Role of Sexuality-Related Associations and Interpretations for Women’s Sexual Desire: An Internet-Based Experimental Study

Theoretical models emphasize the role of both automatic appraisals (i.e., associations) and conscious appraisals (i.e., interpretations) for sexual desire. Studies on sexuality-related appraisals have not combined self-report measures and experimental paradigms in order to compare the relevance of associations or interpretations. The aim of this study was to assess the relative contribution of both associations and interpretations to the explanation of low sexual desire in women. Toward this goal, indirect measures assessing associations (via a Single Target Implicit Association Test [STIAT]) and interpretations (via a Scrambled Sentences Test [SST] and a scenario task) were administered in a sample of 263 women (Mage = 27.90, SD 8.27) with varying levels of sexual desire and different sexual orientations (exclusively heterosexual women: 54.6%). Negative sexuality-related interpretations as assessed with two variants of the SST as well as the scenario task added to the explanation of lower sexual desire in women. Negative associations as measured with the STIAT were predictive of lower sexual desire only in women who did not indicate an exclusively heterosexual orientation. In this study, sexuality-related interpretations were more relevant to women’s sexual desire than automatic associations. Future studies should assess the causal mechanism underlying sexuality-related interpretations (e.g., by evaluating whether these can be changed via cognitive bias modification techniques or psychological treatments).

The Effects of Modifying Dysfunctional Appraisals in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Using a Form of Cognitive Bias Modification: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial in an Inpatient Setting

Introduction: Dysfunctional appraisals about traumatic events and their sequelae are a key mechanism in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Experimental studies have shown that a computerized cognitive training, cognitive bias modification for appraisals (CBM-APP), can modify dysfunctional appraisals and reduce analogue trauma symptoms amongst healthy and subclinical volunteers. Objective: We aimed to test whether CBM-APP could reduce dysfunctional appraisals related to trauma reactions in PTSD patients, and whether this would lead to improvements in PTSD symptoms. Methods: We compared CBM-APP to sham training in a parallel-arm proof-of-principle double-blind randomized controlled trial amongst 80 PTSD patients admitted to an inpatient clinic. Both arms comprised a training schedule of 8 sessions over a 2-week period and were completed as an adjunct to the standard treatment programme. Results: In intention-to-treat analyses, participants receiving CBM-APP showed a greater reduction in dysfunctional appraisals on a scenario task from pre- to posttraining (primary outcome) assessments, compared to those receiving sham training (d = 1.30, 95% CI 0.82–1.80), with between-group differences also found on the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI; d = 0.85, 95% CI 0.39–1.32) and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5; d = 0.68, 95% CI 0.23–1.14), but not for long-term cortisol concentrations (d = 0.25, 95% CI –0.28 to 0.78). Reductions in dysfunctional appraisals assessed via the scenario task correlated with reductions on the PTCI, PCL-5, and hair cortisol concentrations from pre- to posttraining time points. Conclusions: Results support dysfunctional appraisals as a modifiable cognitive mechanism, and that their proximal modification transfers to downstream PTSD symptoms. These findings could open new avenues for improving present therapeutic approaches.

Using three indirect measures to assess the role of sexuality-related associations and interpretations for women’s sexual desire: An Internet-based experimental study

Theoretical models of sexual desire emphasize the role of cognitive processes. Empirical results, however, are mostly based on self-report measures. This study used three indirect measures to assess sexuality-related associations (via a Single Target Implicit Association Test; STIAT), and sexuality-related interpretations (via a Scrambled Sentences Task, SST; and a scenario task) in 263 women (Mage = 27.90, SD = 8.27) with varying levels of sexual desire. Correlational analyses revealed that the STIAT did not correlate with sexual desire, whereas the SST and the scenario task were significantly associated with sexual desire. Further, the SST and the scenario task, but not the STIAT, explained additional variance in sexual desire above other relevant variables (i.e., age, depressive symptoms, and sexual distress measured via self-report). To conclude, indirect measures can provide additional and unique information on sexuality-related associations and interpretations above self-report measures. Specifically, we found evidence for the predictive validity of the newly established SST, and can further validate the scenario task. Future studies should assess the causal mechanism underlying sexuality-related interpretations, e.g., by evaluating whether these can be changed via cognitive bias modification techniques or psychological treatments.

The relationships among psychopathy, empathy, and aggression

IntroductionThe lack of empathy is often described as one of the core characteristics of psychopaths. However, prior studies on cognitive empathy in psychopaths have led to mixed conclusions, with some indicating that psychopaths have no impairments in cognitive empathy.ObjectivesThis study set out to resolve this inconsistency by distinguishing the two factors that constitute the construct of psychopathy: Factor 1 (e.g., emotional callousness, lack of guilt) and Factor 2 (e.g., irresponsible lifestyle, poor behavioral controls).AimsThe main aim of this study was to examine the differential relationship between these two factors and relevant variables including empathy, aggression, satisfaction with life.MethodsSelf-report questionnaires and two online experiments (facial affect recognition task, emotional scenario task) were administered to 306 undergraduate students to collect data about psychopathy, cognitive/affective empathy, aggression, satisfaction with life.ResultsCorrelation analysis revealed that both Factor 1 and Factor 2 had negative correlations with self-reported measures of cognitive/affective empathy, and only Factor 1 emerged as a significant predictor of both kinds of empathy. Aggression also showed a stronger positive correlation with Factor 1 than with Factor 2, regardless of subtypes (instrumental, reactive, relational, overt aggression). On the other hand, satisfaction with life was more negatively correlated with Factor 2 than Factor 1, and regression analysis revealed that only Factor 2 was a significant predictor.ConclusionsThis study showed Factor 1 is more important than Factor 2 in explaining both empathy and aggression in psychopath, while satisfaction with life is better explained by Factor 2 than by Factor 1.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.