Influence of emotional intelligence on performance in an emotionally Laden Cognitive Task: an ERP Study.

A higher level of emotional intelligence (EI), understood as a greater ability to perceive, use, understand, and manage emotions, is associated with an increase in performance on emotionally laden cognitive tasks. The main objective of this research was to study the neural basis underlying the execution of an emotional cognitive control task (GoNogo) as a function of ability EI. Forty-four participants were divided into two groups depending on EI level (High EI vs. Low EI). The participants’ task consisted of an emotional face GoNogo task, in which happy, fear and neutral facial expressions were the go and no go stimulus. Results showed a larger N170 and smaller N2 amplitude for the low EI group than for the high EI one. Greater levels of cognitive control were associated to participants with high EI. Our findings show the importance of studying emotion and cognition interaction to explain our behavior and performance. This work was partially supported by the project Innovation and Development Agency of Andalusia, Spain (SEJ-07325) to Pablo Fernández-Berrocal. Alberto Megías is supported by a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral fellowship from the Spanish MINECO (FJCI-2015-25600).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Emotional intelligence and hot and cool working memory capacity

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive, use, understand and manage our emotions and the emotions of others. EI, measured through performance-based ability models, seems to favour performance on hot tasks. The aim of the present study is to analyse the relationship between EI, measured through its three main models, and performance on a hot (emotional) and cool (non-emotional) working memory task. 203 undergraduate students of psychology took part in the experiment. They completed an EI test for each of its three main models (performance-based ability model, self-report ability model and self-report mixed model) and a hot and cool working memory task. We found a better performance for higher EI participants, measured through the performance-based ability model instrument (but not with self-report instruments), in the hot working memory task. This result was obtained for the managing branch of the EI instrument. Similar evidence was not found when using the cool working memory task. Our study takes a step forward in the conceptualization of the EI construct within the domain of cognitive processes. They show that, at least when using hot stimuli, the managing branch of the performance-based ability model of EI is a better determinant measure for the working memory capacity than the self-report models.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Are psychopaths emotionally intelligent?

Psychopathy is a serious personality disorder, characterized by proneness to low anxiety, egocentricity, failure to form close emotional bonds, superficial charm and dishonesty, that has very negative consequences for society as aggression, delinquency and even crime. Therefore, its control and treatment are of great importance. Psychopathy has been related to important emotional deficits as such as a lack of impulse, low empathy and deficits in moral expressions. These findings have led to a growing interest in exploring if psychopathic traits are associated with emotional intelligence (EI) or to the ability to perceive, use, understand, and regulate emotions in one’s self and others. However, the literature exploring this association has revealed conflicting results. The aim of the present study was to provide a reliable estimate of the relationship between psychopathy traits and EI (measured as performance-based ability) through meta-analysis. A quantitative and systematic review of the literature using Scopus, Medline, Pubmed, and PsicINFO and for both Spanish and English studies that included measures of EI and psychopathy, showed a total of 13 studies meeting inclusion criteria with a combined sample of 2401 participants. The meta-analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between both constructs, showing that higher psychopathic trait scores are related to lower EI levels. We propose several future research lines to clarify possible gaps and ambiguities in the current literature and a set of interesting clinical implications for the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of psychopathy by including EI factors in traditional models of psychopathy.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Recycling of construction and demolition waste generated by building infrastructure for the production of glassy materials

The use of waste materials generated by construction and demolition industry to yield valuable glassy materials, i.e. enamel for glazed ceramic tiles and cellular glasses is presented in this study. Both types of materials are produced by one-step treatment at moderate temperatures after simple waste chemical composition adjust. The enamels are manufactured directly from the initial waste powder by melting, while the expanded materials result from mixing of the vitreous material obtained after waste vitrification with an adequate foaming agent and posterior thermal treatment. Through the manuscript the feasibility of one step production of second generation profit materials is discussed in order to help achieving sustainable development and environmental protectio

The mediating role of negative affect on the relationship between emotional intelligence abilities and aggressive behavior levels

The aim of the present research aimed to study the mechanisms underlying the relationship between aggressive behaviour and individual levels of ability emotional intelligence (EI). We particularly focused on the mediator role of negative affect explaining this relationship. Three hundred and ninety-five participants took part in the study. Participants were assessed on ability EI (by the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test), aggression (Buss-Perry Aggression questionnaire), and negative affect (the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule). Path analyses were used to explore which branches of the ability EI are directly related to the four aggression dimensions (physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger and hostility) and indirectly related via negative affect. The results revealed a negative relationship between ability EI and aggression, but this relationship was a function of multiple factors such as the performance level in each of the ability EI branches, the type of aggression studied, the mediator effect of NA, and gender. The emotional managing branch showed a direct effect on aggression, specifically this branch was directly related to physical, verbal, and hostility aggression. Moreover, the emotional perception branch was indirectly related to the four aggression dimensions (physical, verbal, anger, and hostility) through negative affect acting as mediator. The direction of these relationships was always negative, that is, greater ability EI was associated with lower levels of aggression, highlighting the strength of the association with physical aggression. Finally, results also showed interesting gender differences. Women possess greater EI abilities, higher levels of negative affect, less aggressive behaviour, and a lower relationship between negative affect and aggression compared with men. This research offers a better understanding of the psychological processes explaining aggression.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Loneliness, ageism, and mental health: The buffering role of resilience in seniors

Introduction: Ageism and loneliness are two relevant public health phenomena because of their negative impact on the senior’s mental health. With the increase in average life expectancy, these tend to co-occur, which may increase the psychological distress (PD) of seniors. Resilience has been shown to be an important protective factor of seniors mental health, although its potential buffering role of public health risk factors with cumulative impact on mental health, such as loneliness and ageism, needs to be more studied. Aim: To assess the potential mediator role of resilience between the effects of ageism and loneliness on PD in seniors. Methods: A sample of 349 Portuguese seniors aged 60 years and over was collected through an online survey and during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Seniors completed the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), the Short-Form of UCLA Loneliness Scale (USL-6), the Ambivalent Ageism Scale (AAS) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). A mediation analysis model was developed with resilience as a mediating variable. Results: There were moderate to high levels of PD and moderate levels of ageism, loneliness and resilience. Resilience fully mediated the effect of ageism on PD and partially mediated the effect of loneliness on PD. Conclusions: Resilience was an important protective factor of mental health against the effects of ageism, and partially protected mental health from the effects of loneliness among seniors. It is suggested that resilience be considered as a factor to be integrated in future intervention programs for mental health. The practical applicability of this study is discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antecipação de cenários de mudança com metodologia prospectiva: teoria e estudos empíricos

Enquadrada nos Future Studies, a prospectiva é uma abordagem interdisciplinar em pleno crescimento teórico e metodológico e de aplicação crescente nos tempos actuais, marcados por elevada incerteza e risco e necessidade de políticas públicas de medidas de gestão estratégia, que estuda as mudanças passadas e presentes e procura desenvolver a capacidade de antecipação de «futuros possíveis» e mobilizar os actores para a acção colectiva. Nesta medida, a prospectiva de «terceira geração» apresenta um enorme potencial para intervenções orientadas para o planeamento estratégico e participado da mudança sociocultural, em territórios e organizações. Iniciamos este texto com uma abordagem não exaustiva sobre os fundamentos teóricos e epistemológicos, as vantagens, a utilidade e os limites da prospectiva no planeamento da mudança. No último tópico, em jeito de revisão sistemática, apresentamos uma súmula de investigações realizadas na última década na universidade de pertença dos autores que recorreram à metodologia prospectiva, nomeadamente a métodos da Escola Francesa de Prospectiva

Bullying in old age: A qualitative study on older adults’ perceptions about being bullied

Significant demographic changes and a growing aging population increasingly emphasize the importance of assessing phenomena of violence against older adults, who constitute a vulnerable population. Therefore, bullying in old age is a poorly studied phenomena, but of growing importance. This study aims to analyze the perspectives of bullying in old age, using qualitative research at a cross-national level. We interviewed 173 older participants aged 65–91 years. Participants were Portuguese and English and lived in the community. Participants were subjected to semi-structured interviews. All the interviews went through a process of content analysis. Sample recruitment occurred through initial telephone contact, followed by a request to participate. Outcomes of content analysis produced seven themes, all of them associated with bullying experiences such as compromised learning capacity, loss of sense of agency and decision-making, asexuality, less attractive appearance, less social skills, gender discrimination, and less financial resources. Portuguese older adults felt mostly bullied for their loss of sense of agency and decision-making, less attractive appearance, less social skills, and less financial resources, while English participants mostly felt bullied for their compromised learning capacity, gender discrimination, and asexuality. The themes identified as being the most prominent in bullying are valuable guidelines for social policies and interventions toward bullying among older adults. Considering the scarcity of studies on bullying in older adults, this study is relevant for understanding the experience of older adults in relation to being bullied and for implementing psychosocial intervention programs including bullying situations that affect community-dwelling older adults.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mental health and sexual stigma on LGB senior: A systematic scoping review

Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTN/

Examining Dark Triad traits in relation to well-being and cognitive-emotional regulation strategies

The Dark Triad (DT) construct -Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy- has usually been correlated with maladaptive strategies of emotion regulation. These strategies have shown a negative relationship with the components of well-being: affective well-being (AWB), and cognitive well-being (CWB). The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between DT traits and the emotional regulation strategies (adaptive and maladaptive strategies) and its influence in well-being. For this objective, 678 participants (Mage= 35.03; 53.1% women) were assessed in these variables through the Short Dark Triad (SD-3), the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-36), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWB). Our findings revelated that Machiavellianism was indirectly and negatively associated to CWB through the effect of maladaptive strategies and AWB, and indirectly and positively related to CWB through the effect of adaptive strategies and AWB. Narcissism was indirectly positively related to CWB through the effect of adaptive strategies and AWB. Finally, psychopathy was indirectly negatively related to CWB through the effect of adaptive strategies and AWB. These findings may be a good tool for the development and implementation of better prevention and treatment programs aimed at decreasing the negative consequences suffered by individuals with high DT scores.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech