Evolution of impulsivity levels in relation to early cannabis use in violent patients in the early phase of psychosis

Background Prevention of violent behaviors (VB) in the early phase of psychosis (EPP) is a real challenge. Impulsivity was shown to be strongly related to VB, and different evolutions of impulsivity were noticed along treatments. One possible variable involved in the relationship between VB and the evolution of impulsivity is cannabis use (CU). The high prevalence of CU in EPP and its relationship with VB led us to investigate: 1/the impact of CU and 2/the impact of early CU on the evolution of impulsivity levels during a 3-year program, in violent and non-violent EPP patients. Methods 178 non-violent and 62 violent patients (VPs) were followed-up over a 3 year period. Age of onset of CU was assessed at program entry and impulsivity was assessed seven times during the program. The evolution of impulsivity level during the program, as a function of the violent and non-violent groups of patients and CU precocity were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models. Results Over the treatment period, impulsivity level did not evolve as a function of the interaction between group and CU (coef. = 0.02, p = 0.425). However, when including precocity of CU, impulsivity was shown to increase significantly only in VPs who start consuming before 15 years of age (coef. = 0.06, p = 0.008). Conclusion The precocity of CU in VPs seems to be a key variable of the negative evolution of impulsivity during follow-up and should be closely monitored in EPP patients entering care since they have a higher risk of showing VB

La capture attentionnelle et le phénomène du "stare-in-the-crowd effect"

Lorsque nous nous baladons dans les rues d’une grande ville, nous croisons une multitude de personnes. Ces personnes vont regarder à leur gauche, d’autres à leur droite, d’autres vont regarder le ciel et certaines vont nous regarder dans les yeux. Nous appellerons cette orientation du regard, le regard direct. Ce stimulus indique qu’une personne a son attention qui est portée sur nous. Le regard direct peut avoir comme signification, une intention menaçante, un sentiment d’attraction ou une volonté d’interaction. Dans ce contexte, il est préférable pour l’espèce humaine de pouvoir détecter ce stimulus le plus rapidement possible. Dans ce travail, nous allons ainsi discuter de la rapidité de sa détection dans un contexte de recherche visuelle. Nous allons, précisément, nous intéresser aux différents paradigmes ayant été utilisés pour l’étudier et les modifier pour voir quels sont les effets sur la détection du regard direct

Prime visibility and prime warning as moderators of affect primes' effect on effort mobilization

The present thesis investigated the role of prime awareness as a moderator of affect priming in the context of effort mobilization. Based on the Implicit-Affect-Primes-Effort model (Gendolla, 2012), which make predictions about implicit affect primes' effect on mental effort, I investigated the role of prime visibility and prime warning as potential boundary conditions of affective influences on effort-related cardiovascular response. To do this, four experiments are reported. Cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate were recorded to assess effort-related cardiovascular response. Additionally, to monitor performance, we assessed reaction times and response accuracy

Fear and Anger Prime Effects on Cognitive Performance: The Role of Prime Visibility

Based on the Implicit-Affect-Primes-Effort (IAPE) model (Gendolla, 2012, 2015), the present experiment investigated the role of prime visibility as a moderator of fear and anger primes’ effect on cognitive performance. Previous research has revealed inconsistent effects. Participants worked on a d2 mental concentration task with integrated pictures of fearful vs. angry faces, which were presented either masked (25 ms) or clearly visible (775 ms). Cognitive performance was assessed in terms of response accuracy and reaction times. Prime visibility significantly moderated the affect primes’ effect on response accuracy: When the primes were visible, fear expressions resulted in significantly lower response accuracy than anger primes. The opposite pattern occurred when the affect primes were masked. Additionally, visible primes led to slower responses in general, suggesting controlled prime processing. The observed performance effects corroborate recent findings on physiological measures of resource mobilization in the context of the IAPE model. Highlights Participants were presented with masked (25 ms) vs. clearly visible (775 ms) primes of anger or fear during a mental concentration task. The visibility of the primes significantly moderated the effect of affect primes on response accuracy. When the primes were visible, fear primes resulted in significantly lower response accuracy than anger primes. The opposite pattern occurred when the affect primes were masked. The performance results corroborate recent physiological findings related to the IAPE model.</p

Prime visibility moderates implicit anger and sadness effects on effort-related cardiac response

Based on the Implicit-Affect-Primes-Effort (IAPE) model (Gendolla, 2012, 2015), an experiment investigated the effect of affect primes’ visibility on effort mobilization during cognitive processing. Participants worked on a short-term memory task with integrated sadness vs. anger primes that were presented suboptimally (briefly and masked) vs. optimally (long and visible). Effort was assessed as cardiovascular response, especially cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP). To monitor performance, we assessed response accuracy and reaction times. In accordance with the IAPE model, PEP reactivity was stronger in the sadness-prime condition than in the anger-prime condition—but only when the primes were suboptimally presented. Effects on response accuracy revealed a corresponding pattern. The results suggest that prime visibility is a boundary condition of anger and sadness primes’ effect on effort mobilization

Prime warning moderates implicit affect primes’ effect on effort-related cardiac response in men

Based on the Implicit-Affect-Primes-Effort model (Gendolla, 2012, 2015), we tested whether warning individuals about the occurrence of affect primes during a cognitive task moderates the primes’ effect on effort-related cardiac response. Participants worked on a challenging mental arithmetic task with integrated masked affect primes—very briefly flashed pictures of facial sadness vs. happiness expressions. Additionally, half of the participants were warned about the primes’ appearance and their possible effect on experienced task demand; the other half of the participants was not informed about the primes. Reactivity of cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) was stronger in the happiness-prime than in the sadness-prime condition, but only when the participants were not warned about the primes’ presence. This effect was further moderated by gender and only significant among men. Heart rate (HR) responses showed a largely corresponding effect. The results suggest that prime-warning is a boundary condition of implicit affects’ effect on effort mobilization—and that this effect applies especially to men

Early and late Cortical responses to directly gazing faces are task-dependent

Gender categorisation of human faces is facilitated when gaze is directed toward the observer (i.e., a direct gaze), compared to situations where gaze is averted or the eyes are closed (Macrae, Hood, Milne, Rowe, &amp; Mason, 2002). However, the temporal dynamics underlying this phenomenon remain to some extent unknown. Here, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to assess the neural correlates of this effect, focusing on the event-related potential (ERP) components known to be sensitive to gaze perception, i.e., P1, N170, and P3b. We first replicated the seminal findings of Macrae et al. (Experiment 1) regarding facilitated gender discrimination, and subsequently measured the underlying neural responses. Our data revealed an early preferential processing of direct gaze as compared to averted gaze and closed eyes at the P1, which reverberated at the P3b (Experiment 2). Critically, using the same material, we failed to reproduce these effects when gender categorisation was not required (Experiment 3). Taken together, our data confirm that direct gaze enhances both early and late cortical responses to face processing, although this effect appears to be task-dependent

Framorando_Gendolla_Fear_Anger_Primes_Visibility

AbstractData and data coding of the four experiments reported in: David Framorando & Guido H. E. Gendolla Fear and Anger Prime Effects on Cognitive Performance: The Role of Prime Visibilit

The Effect of Negative Implicit Affect, Prime Visibility, and Gender on Effort-Related Cardiac Response

Objectives: Based on the Implicit-Affect-Primes-Affect (IAPE) model (Gendolla, 2012, 2015), we investigated the effect of affect primes’ visibility on effort-related cardiac response. Methods: Participants worked on a cognitive “parity task” with integrated pictures of sad vs. angry faces that were briefly flashed (25 ms) vs. clearly visible (780 ms). We recorded cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) to assess effort mobilization. Results: As expected, PEP reactivity in the sadness-prime condition was stronger than in the anger-prime condition when the primes were briefly flashed, while the opposite pattern occurred when the affect primes were clearly visible. However, these effects only occurred for men, but not for women, as indicated by a significant prime x prime visibility x gender interaction. Conclusions: These findings provide new evidence for the role of prime visibility as a moderator of automatic effort mobilization—and suggest that this moderator effect applies especially to men

Early and late cortical responses to directly gazing faces are task dependent

Gender categorisation of human faces is facilitated when gaze is directed toward the observer (i.e., a direct gaze), compared with situations where gaze is averted or the eyes are closed (Macrae, Hood, Milne, Rowe, & Mason, Psychological Science, 13(5), 460-464, 2002). However, the temporal dynamics underlying this phenomenon remain to some extent unknown. Here, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to assess the neural correlates of this effect, focusing on the event-related potential (ERP) components known to be sensitive to gaze perception (i.e., P1, N170, and P3b). We first replicated the seminal findings of Macrae et al. (2002, Experiment 1) regarding facilitated gender discrimination, and subsequently measured the underlying neural responses. Our data revealed an early preferential processing of direct gaze as compared with averted gaze and closed eyes at the P1, which reverberated at the P3b (Experiment 2). Critically, using the same material, we failed to reproduce these effects when gender categorisation was not required (Experiment 3). Taken together, our data confirm that direct gaze enhances the early P1, as well as later cortical responses to face processing, although the effect appears to be task dependent