Attention training through gaze-contingent feedback: effects on reappraisal and negative emotions

Reappraisal is central to emotion regulation but its mechanisms are unclear. This study tested the theoretical prediction that emotional attention bias is linked to reappraisal of negative emotion-eliciting stimuli and subsequent emotional responding using a novel attentional control training. Thirty-six undergraduates were randomly assigned to either the control or the attention training condition and were provided with different task instructions while they performed an interpretation task. Whereas control participants freely created interpretations, participants in the training condition were instructed to allocate attention toward positive words to efficiently create positive interpretations (i.e., recruiting attentional control) while they were provided with gaze-contingent feedback on their viewing behavior. Transfer to attention bias and reappraisal success was evaluated using a dot-probe task and an emotion regulation task which were administered before and after the training. The training condition was effective at increasing attentional control and resulted in beneficial effects on the transfer tasks. Analyses supported a serial indirect effect with larger attentional control acquisition in the training condition leading to negative attention bias reduction, in turn predicting greater reappraisal success which reduced negative emotions. Our results indicate that attentional mechanisms influence the use of reappraisal strategies and its impact on negative emotions. The novel attention training highlights the importance of tailored feedback to train attentional control. The findings provide an important step toward personalized delivery of attention training

Older adults' attentional deployment : differential gaze patterns for different negative mood states

Background and objectives: Older adults are characterized by an attentional preference for positive over negative information. Since this positivity effect is considered to be an emotion regulation strategy, it should be more pronounced when emotion regulation is needed. In contrast to previous studies that focused on the effects of sad mood on attention, we used a stressor to activate emotion regulation and evaluate the effects of different types of mood state changes. Moreover, we evaluated mood effects on attentional processes using a paradigm that allows disentangling between different attentional engagement and disengagement processes. Methods: Sixty older adults were randomly assigned to receive a stressor or a control task. Before and after this manipulation, mood state levels (happy, sad, nervous, calm) were assessed. Next, attentional processing of happy, sad, and angry faces was investigated using an eye-tracking paradigm in which participants had to either engage their attention towards or disengage their attention away from emotional stimuli. Results: Changes in different mood state levels were associated with different attentional disengagement strategies. As expected, older adults who increased in sad mood level showed a larger positivity effect as evidenced by a longer time to disengage attention from happy faces. However, older adults who received the tension induction and who decreased in calm mood level were characterized by longer times to disengage attention from sad faces. Limitations: The stressor was only partially effective as it led to changes in calm mood, but not in nervous mood. Conclusions: These results suggest that older adults may deploy a positivity effect in attention (i.e., longer times to disengage from positive information) in order to regulate sad mood, but that this effect may be hampered during the confrontation with stressors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Depression-related difficulties disengaging from negative faces are associated with sustained attention to negative feedback during social evaluation and predict stress recovery

The present study aimed to clarify: 1) the presence of depression-related attention bias related to a social stressor, 2) its association with depression-related attention biases as measured under standard conditions, and 3) their association with impaired stress recovery in depression. A sample of 39 participants reporting a broad range of depression levels completed a standard eye-tracking paradigm in which they had to engage/disengage their gaze with/from emotional faces. Participants then underwent a stress induction (i.e., giving a speech), in which their eye movements to false emotional feedback were measured, and stress reactivity and recovery were assessed. Depression level was associated with longer times to engage/disengage attention with/from negative faces under standard conditions and with sustained attention to negative feedback during the speech. These depression-related biases were associated and mediated the association between depression level and self-reported stress recovery, predicting lower recovery from stress after giving the speech

Attachment-related attention bias plays a causal role in trust in maternal support

The current study was designed to test whether children's ability to flexibly shift their attention (from their mother during distress to peers during exploration and vice versa) causally increases children's trust in the mother's support. We trained attention flexibility using a gaze-contingent music reward design. A total of 85 children (9-13 years of age; 46% boys) were randomly assigned to this training or a comparable yoked control condition. Attentional preferences were measured via eye tracking. Before and after the manipulation, we measured self-reported trust. Results showed that the training condition increased children's attention flexibility. Training-related increased attentional focus on the mother during distress was linked with increased trust. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Life is… great! : emotional attention during instructed and uninstructed ambiguity resolution in relation to depressive symptoms

Attention and interpretation biases are closely involved in depression-related processing of emotional material. However, it is unclear whether attention and interpretation biases reflect a processing tendency (i.e., driven by schemas or prior learning) or an ability-related process (i.e., dependent on attentional control). This study tested how depressive symptom severity, attention bias, and interpretation bias are related under tendency versus ability processing conditions. Fifty-two participants completed two versions of the scrambled sentences test (to measure interpretation bias) while eye movements were recorded (to measure attention bias) in separate experimental sessions. To assess tendency and ability processes, participants were instructed to unscramble the sentences by reporting the first sentence that comes to mind (tendency version; session 1) and to unscramble the sentences in a fixed, positive manner (ability version; session 2). Results showed that depressive symptom severity was correlated with attention bias under both tendency and ability conditions. Analyses showed that attention bias (i.e., the fixation time spent on positive versus negative words) acted as an intervening variable in the relation between depressive symptoms and interpretation bias only during ability processes. These findings suggest that depression-linked biases in attention reflect both processing tendencies and ability-related processes in attentional control, with attentional control as a relevant mechanism in the subsequent interpretation of emotional material. Implications for cognitive theories and cognitive training methods are discussed.Depto. de Personalidad, Evaluación y Psicología ClínicaFac. de PsicologíaTRUEpu

Cryptoanalysis of a key exchange protocol based on a congruence-simple semiring action

We show that a previously introduced key exchange based on a congruence-simple semiring action is not secure by providing an attack that reveals the shared key from the distributed public information for any of such semiring

Mind the social feedback : effects of tDCS applied to the left DLPFC on psychophysiological responses during the anticipation and reception of social evaluations

The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) is implicated in anticipatory (i.e. during anticipation of emotional stimuli) and online (i.e. during confrontation with emotional stimuli) emotion regulatory processes. However, research that investigates the causal role of the lDLPFC in these processes is lacking. In this study, 74 participants received active or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the lDLPFC. Participants were told strangers evaluated them. These (rigged) social evaluations were presented, and in 50% of the trials, participants could anticipate the valence (positive or negative) of the upcoming social feedback. Pupil dilation (a marker of cognitive resource allocation) and skin conductance responses (a marker of arousal) were measured. The results indicate that active (compared to sham) tDCS reduced arousal during the confrontation with anticipated feedback but only marginally during the confrontation with unanticipated feedback. When participants were given the opportunity to anticipate the social feedback, tDCS reduced arousal, irrespective of whether one was anticipating or being confronted with the anticipated feedback. Moreover, tDCS reduced cognitive resource allocation during anticipation, which was associated with resource allocation increases during the subsequent confrontation. Altogether, results suggest that the lDLPFC is causally implicated in the interplay between anticipatory and online emotion regulatory processes

Associations between Social Support Dimensions and Resilience Factors and Pathways of Influence in Depression and Anxiety Rates in Young adults

Emerging adulthood is an important developmental period, associated to mental health risk. Resilience research points to both social and personal protective factors against development of psychopathology, but there is paucity with their comprehensive study in young adults. This study provides and initial integrative approach to model multiple dimensions of perceived social support (i.e., from family, friends, significant others) and personal factor of trait resilience (i.e., coping and persistence during stress, tolerance to negative affect, positive appraisals, trust) and their hypothesized contributions to reducing depression and anxiety rates. The study was conducted with a sample of 500 Spanish emerging adults (18 to 29 years old). Regression analyses and multiple mediation models were performed to test our hypotheses. Results showed that social support from family was the dimension with the highest strength relating individual differences in resilience. Furthermore, analyses supported a differential mediating role of specific resilience factors (coping and persistence during stress, tolerance to negative affect, positive appraisals, trust) in partially accounting for the association between higher social support from family and lower depression and anxiety levels in young adults. These results may inform new programs of mental health during emerging adulthood via the promotion of different sources of social support and their related resilience pathways contributing to low emotional symptomatology at this stage of development

An online assessment to evaluate the role of cognitive biases and emotion regulation strategies for mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020: Structural equation modeling study

Background: Extant research supports causal roles of cognitive biases in stress regulation under experimental conditions. However, their contribution to psychological adjustment in the face of ecological major stressors has been largely unstudied. Objective: We developed a novel online method for the ecological examination of attention and interpretation biases during major stress (ie, the COVID-19 lockdown in March/April 2020) and tested their relations with the use of emotion regulation strategies (ie, reappraisal and rumination) to account for individual differences in psychological adjustment to major COVID-19–related stressors (ie, low depression and anxiety, and high well-being and resilience). Methods: Participants completed an online protocol evaluating the psychological impact of COVID-19–related stressors and the use of emotion regulation strategies in response to them, during the initial weeks of the lockdown of March/April 2020. They also completed a new online cognitive task designed to remotely assess attention and interpretation biases for negative information. The psychometric properties of the online cognitive bias assessments were very good, supporting their feasibility for ecological evaluation. Results: Structural equation models showed that negative interpretation bias was a direct predictor of worst psychological adjustment (higher depression and anxiety, and lower well-being and resilience; χ29=7.57; root mean square error of approximation=0.000). Further, rumination mediated the influence of interpretation bias in anxiety (P=.045; 95% CI 0.03-3.25) and resilience (P=.001; 95% CI −6.34 to −1.65), whereas reappraisal acted as a mediator of the influence of both attention (P=.047; 95% CI −38.71 to −0.16) and interpretation biases (P=.04; 95% CI −5.25 to −0.12) in well-being. Conclusions: This research highlights the relevance of individual processes of attention and interpretation during periods of adversity and identifies modifiable protective factors that can be targeted through online interventions

“La legitimidad de la Consulta Popular para anular los contratos de concesión minera otorgados por la Agencia Nacional de Minería (ANM)”

Los bienes básicos colombianos no se sustrajeron a la baja mundial del mercado, la materia prima que produce y exporta Colombia como son el petróleo, el carbón y el níquel, han permanecido en los mismos niveles, mientras que el oro es el único que ha tenido fuertes ganancias. Así, los inversionistas extranjeros se han privilegiado en la minería extractiva con el argumento de que las grandes inversiones en Colombia, el traslado de tecnología de punta y las ganancias recibidas por concepto de regalías se revierten en desarrollo para las regiones en donde se realiza la explotación. Por años, se viene presentando un fenómeno ambiental y social relacionado con los diferentes proyectos de explotación minera, su percepción y aceptación en la sociedad con respecto a la validez y conveniencia de ejecutar los proyectos, que de algún modo se pueden ver afectados los derechos colectivos, así que se despliegan diferentes debates jurídicos y constitucionales entre la administración de los recursos naturales y la explotación económica, la oposición a proteger el medio ambiente, los recursos naturales, su explotación económica y la amenaza al ecosistema representando las secuelas que genera la práctica de extracción minera y energética del subsuelo. De esta forma se enfrenta una problemática jurídica y social, ante la expansión del mundo, su economía progresiva y carente de recursos, sumada a la firma de tratados de libre comercio y el progreso de una legislación permisible para la concesión de proyectos de explotación, exploración y consentimiento de títulos mineros, que metódicamente son concedidos de forma irregular; a lo que se genera la necesidad de acciones y mecanismos de participación ciudadana en búsqueda de la convalidación y legitimidad social de estas iniciativas. Pese a las promesas, la realidad es que en los últimos años se han producido movimientos en contra de las explotaciones mineras. Es así como habitantes de 77 municipios, según cálculos del Gobierno Nacional, tras conocer la deuda social que tienen las empresas mineras para con las 7 comunidades (Lesser, 2017), han optado por decir NO a la explotación de su subsuelo por los daños que esto causa al suelo, las aguas y al aire, además de los desalojos de gran parte de la comunidad. Los contratos de concesión minera son celebrados entre el Estado Colombiano a través de la Agencia Nacional de Minería y un particular, contratos que por sus características, tienen efectos frente a un tercero como las comunidades siendo condenadas a un cambio en su forma tradicional de vida. En muchos casos las comunidades se encuentran sin posibilidad de cultivar la tierra por la utilización del agua con fines industriales o extractivos, sin contar con los daños ambientales hasta tanto no se termine la explotación. Las Consultas Populares se convierten, pues, en la intervención de ese tercero la comunidad- en la ejecución del contrato. Pero ese tercero posee unas características especiales, pues hace parte del pueblo soberano, como lo exhibe el art. 3 de la Carta Política, ejercita el derecho fundamental a la Consulta Popular (CP, 1991, art. 103, Col.) y puede decidir sobre la utilización del suelo en donde habita. No es cualquier tercero, es el pueblo soberano en ejercicio de la soberanía directa; tampoco es una Agencia del Estado. En consecuencia, más que juicios de valor sobre la autonomía privada, como lo señala el profesor Fernando Hinestrosa, es comprobar, si efectivamente si la soberanía reside exclusivamente en el pueblo y se ejerce en forma directa y de él emana el poder público que se ejerce conforme a la Constitución. Como puede observarse, esta propuesta de tesis analiza si las decisiones que toma el constituyente primario, mediante la Consulta Popular, constituyen normas legítimas con capacidad de anular un contrato ya otorgado por la Agencia Nacional Minera. Se relaciona también con la filosofía política al tenerse que estudiar las concepciones del Estado y su finalidad señalados en la 8 Constitución Política (artículo 1º y el Preámbulo), de tal manera que la decisión a tomarse sea acorde con el proyecto constitucional. La tesis se puede convertir en un examen del comportamiento de los poderes públicos –en especial la rama ejecutiva y comprobar si sus actuaciones cumplen o no con la finalidad propuesta en la constitución y si sus decisiones favorecen más intereses particulares y no los de ese pueblo soberano, a quien dicen representar. Es definitivo, entonces, señalar cuáles son los factores reales de poder, como lo señala Ferdinand Lassalle, que hacen efectivo el proyecto colectivo. También es un examen de las concepciones que se tienen de desarrollo, de tecnología, del manejo del medio ambiente; es pues una decisión de fondo que afecta no solo a una comunidad sino a la totalidad de la nación colombiana, máxime si se tiene en cuenta que existen contratos de exploración y explotación en ejecución y solo esperan la decisión sobre la legitimidad de la consulta popular como causal para anular esos contratos. En el desarrollo de la tesis será necesario comprobar si en Colombia se perpetuará el constitucionalismo aparente existente hasta hoy día, y que por muy de avanzada que sea nuestra constitución en el ejercicio de la soberanía del pueblo, el resultado final es siempre inoperante porque quien decide, a fin de cuentas, no es el pueblo sino otros factores reales de poder que distan mucho de mantenerse en la línea donde prevalecen y son superiores los intereses del pueblo. Así, que las sentencias que se dicten tendrán profundos alcances jurídicos con consecuencias económicas y políticas. Así, por ejemplo, si se le concede poder anulable a la Consulta Popular sobre los contratos celebrados por la Agencia Nacional de Minería, esas sentencias cambiaran la concepción económica y política acerca del ejercicio del poder en Colombia; sería tanto como darle efectividad 9 al principio fundamental consagrado en el artículo 3º de la Constitución Política y reconocer con ese fallo que la soberanía sí la ejerce el pueblo soberano en forma directa y tiene ese poder derogatorio que hasta el día de hoy solo aparece en la norma. Por otra parte, salvaguardar, proteger y garantizar de forma constitucional al referirse a las comunidades como sujetos de derecho reconocidos por el Estado, para gozar y disfrutar del ambiente con referencia al carácter dispositivo a decisiones por los entes territoriales y el poder que se tiene al uso y potestad de los recursos naturales no renovables del subsuelo, generando una tensión de carácter político y social al referirse a lo establecido por la Carta Política en su art. 332 señalando que la propiedad del subsuelo esta en cabeza del Estado, esto quiere decir que es toda la comunidad. Contrariamente a lo señalado por la Constitución, el principio de participación ciudadana, el medio ambiente y al interés en general, se han presentado retrocesos con referencia al carácter vinculatorio de la Consulta Popular, a lo señalado por la Sentencia SU-039 de 19971, al considerarlo como un elemento básico que “adquiere la connotación de derecho fundamental, pues se erige en un instrumento que es básico para preservar la integridad étnica, social, económica y cultural de las comunidades”, quiere decir lo anterior que calificó la consulta popular como una herramienta para preservar, además de la tierra, bienes económicos, culturales y sociales.Universidad Libre Colombia - Facultad de Filosofía - Mestría en Filosofía del Derecho y Teoría Jurídic