Personality and emotions in social interactions – the PESI project

In this paper, we introduce the PESI project for investigating the interpersonal dynamics of Personality and Emotions in Social Interactions. The final sample in this preregistered study consisted of 436 participants (218 dyads) who were on average 31.2 years old (SD = 14.0, Range: 16–75). The study consisted of three parts and used a multimethod assessment: In Part 1, participants filled out online self-reports of personality. In Part 2, participants interacted in dyads at zero acquaintance in the laboratory and filled out self- and partner-reports of various states. During the interactions, video and audio tracks were recorded simultaneously, allowing later video analyses of every participant. In Part 3, participants provided self-reports via a follow-up online questionnaire. Our aim is to encourage researchers to use the present ideas, open materials, and data to be inspired to conduct future research

Rationale and study design of a trial to assess rTMS add-on value for the amelioration of negative symptoms of schizophrenia (RADOVAN)

Background Schizophrenia is a severe and often difficult to treat psychiatric illness. In many patients, negative symptoms dominate the clinical picture. Meta-analysis has suggested moderate, but significant effects of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) on these symptoms. For treatment of depression a much shorter protocol - intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) - has shown to be non-inferior to conventional high-frequency rTMS. This randomized, sham-controlled, rater-blinded clinical trial assesses the effects of conventional HF-rTMS as well as of iTBS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in comparison with sham. Methods The study will be conducted at two psychiatric university hospitals in Germany and at two in the Czech Republic. Assuming an effect size of 0.64 to be detected with a power of 80%, the calculated sample size is 90 patients. Primary outcome will be the difference in the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) score between each active arm and the sham arm at end of treatment. In addition, the trial investigates effects on depressive symptoms, cognitive performance and cigarette smoking. Recording magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) data will serve to assess whether treatment success can be predicted by neural markers and is related to specific neurobiological changes. Discussion This is a clinical trial directly comparing 10 Hz-rTMS and iTBS in a sham-controlled manner in treating negative symptoms of schizophrenia. If successful, this would present an interesting treatment option for a chronic and severe condition that can be applied at most psychiatric hospitals and only takes up a few minutes per day. Trial registration number This trial has been registered at clinicaltrials.gov , Identifier: NCT04318977. Data dissemination Results from the trial shall be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at meetings and conferences

One, Two, Three, Sit Next to Me: Personality and Physical Distance

Previous research indicates that personality is associated with interpersonal attraction. The present research aims to extend the current literature on personality and interpersonal attraction by using objective behavioral measures recorded in real social interactions. In the current study, 468 participants (M=31.2, SD=14.0) interacted in same-sex dyads at zero acquaintance. At the end of the session, participants were asked to take a seat on a sofa. Analyses revealed that physical distance (defined for each person as how far they sat from their end of the sofa) was significantly associated with perceptions of interpersonal attraction to the interaction partner. Using Actor-Partner-Interdependence Models, we then analyzed the effects of self- and other-reported Big Five traits on physical proximity. Results showed that self-reports of agreeableness and other- judged agreeableness, extraversion, and openness were significantly associated with physical proximity. The present findings highlight the influence of personality on behavioral outcomes of interpersonal attraction

Personality and Emotions in Social Interactions - The PESI Project

In this paper, we introduce the PESI project for investigating the interpersonal dynamics of Personality and Emotions in Social Interactions. The final sample in this preregistered study consisted of 436 participants (218 dyads) who were on average 31.2 years old (SD = 14.0, Range: 16-75). The study consisted of three parts and used a multimethod assessment: In Part 1, participants filled out online self-reports of personality. In Part 2, participants interacted in dyads at zero acquaintance in the laboratory and filled out self- and partner-reports of various states. During the interactions, video and audio tracks were recorded simultaneously, allowing later video analyses of every participant. In Part 3, participants provided self-reports via a follow-up online questionnaire. Our aim is to encourage researchers to use the present ideas, open materials, and data to be inspired to conduct future research