Approach and avoidance during routine behavior and during surprise in a non-evaluative task: Surprise matters and so does the valence of the surprising event

Copyright © 2018 Schützwohl. The hypothesis that emotions influence our behavior via emotional action tendencies is at the core of many emotion theories. According to a strong version of this hypothesis, these emotional action tendencies are immediate, automatic (unintentional), stimulusbased and directly linked with specific muscle movements. Recent evidence, however, provides little empirical support for this strong version during routine behavior, especially when the task does not require the evaluation of the stimuli. The present study tested the prediction that surprise interrupts routine behavior and triggers a threat avoidance response. In the presence of a threat-related stimulus, avoidance responses are relatively rapid, and approach responses impeded, even when the interrupted routine behavior is guided by a non-evaluative task goal. In contrast, approach and avoidance responses are predicted to be unaffected in the presence of a pleasant surprising stimulus. To test these predictions, in each trial the participants had to execute an approach or withdrawal movement depending on the location of a target stimulus. In the critical trial, either a picture of a pleasant or a threat-related animal was presented as target. Supporting the predictions, the initiation times for these movements were shorter in response to a threat-relevant than a pleasant surprising stimulus. Additionally, in the presence of a threat-related surprising stimulus, withdrawal movements were made faster than approach movements even though the participants performed a non-evaluative task. Implications and limitations of the present study are discussed

Competitor derogation in romantic jealousy and friendship rivalry

The present study tested whether different psychological mechanisms are defending threats to romantic relationships and close same-sex friendships. Depending on condition, the participants first read a scenario that introduced a competitor threatening either a romantic relationship or a close same-sex friendship. Subsequently, the participants rated the competitor with respect to twelve characteristics. Four each of these characteristics referred to dimensions particularly relevant for female romantic, male romantic and friendship competitor derogation. Ratings were made on scales allowing for a derogatory, neutral or favourable portrayal of the competitor. The results showed competitor derogation in the romantic but not in the friendship condition across all characteristics. Overall, men more than women in the romantic condition tended to provide more derogatory competitor ratings. Limitations of the present study and suggestions for future research are discussed

Negative and positive childhood experiences across developmental periods in psychiatric patients with different diagnoses – an explorative study

BACKGROUND: A high frequency of childhood abuse has often been reported in adult psychiatric patients. The present survey explores the relationship between psychiatric diagnoses and positive and negative life events during childhood and adulthood in psychiatric samples. METHODS: A total of 192 patients with diagnoses of alcohol-related disorders (n = 45), schizophrenic disorders (n = 52), affective disorders (n = 54), and personality disorders (n = 41) completed a 42-item self-rating scale (Traumatic Antecedents Questionnaire, TAQ). The TAQ assesses personal positive experiences (competence and safety) and negative experiences (neglect, separation, secrets, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, trauma witnessing, other traumas, and alcohol and drugs abuse) during four developmental periods, beginning from early childhood to adulthood. Patients were recruited from four Psychiatric hospitals in Germany, Switzerland, and Romania; 63 subjects without any history of mental illness served as controls. RESULTS: The amount of positive experiences did not differ significantly among groups, except for safety scores that were lower in patients with personality disorders as compared to the other groups. On the other side, negative experiences appeared more frequently in patients than in controls. Emotional neglect and abuse were reported in patients more frequently than physical and sexual abuse, with negative experiences encountered more often in late childhood and adolescence than in early childhood. The patients with alcohol-related and personality disorders reported more negative events than the ones with schizophrenic and affective disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings add evidence to the relationship between retrospectively reported childhood experiences and psychiatric diagnoses, and emphasize the fact that a) emotional neglect and abuse are the most prominent negative experiences, b) adolescence is a more 'sensitive' period for negative experiences as compared to early childhood, and c) a high amount of reported emotional and physical abuse occurs in patients with alcohol-related and personality disorders respectively

Day hospital versus admission for acute psychiatric disorders

Backgroun

Strength of interconnections between schema elements and intensity of the emotion of surprise

Horstmann G, Schutzwohl A. Strength of interconnections between schema elements and intensity of the emotion of surprise. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR EXPERIMENTELLE PSYCHOLOGIE. 1998;45(3):203-217.This study examined the effects of the strength of the connection between elements of an event schema on the surprise reaction elicited by a schema-discrepant event sequence. The strength of the connection between schema elements was manipulated by the probability of an event in an event sequence given that a certain sequence had preceded that event. Strong connections between schema elements were expected to result from repeated exposure to an invariant event sequence. Weak connections were expected to result from repeated exposure to a variable event sequence. The results showed that an unexpected deviation from a strong connection led to a longer reaction time delay to a probe stimulus as compared to a deviation from a weak connection. This finding is consistent with the assumption that the modification of a strong connection is more effortful than the modification of a weak connection. Furthermore, there was a tendency towards higher surprise ratings when the unexpected event deviated from a strong connection, indicating that the discrepancy is more severe. A second experiment showed that the schema had changed in response to the first presentation of the schema-discrepant event: A second presentation of the schema-discrepant event was rated as less surprising and led to a shorter reaction time delay as compared to the first presentation. Furthermore, the results indicated that the specific circumstances of the first presentation are taken Into account when the schema is changed

Trauma, cognition and chronic PTSD: A study of former East German political prisoners

The investigation aimed to identify cognitive correlates of chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in former East German political prisoners (PP). The pilot study developed a manual for rating cognitive processing during and after imprisonment. In the main study, blind raters rated semi-structured interviews with 26 PP without PTSD and 26 with chronic PTSD. The groups did not differ in conditions of imprisonment, or sociodemographic variables. The majority of participants with chronic PTSD reported mental defeat during imprisonment whereas those without PTSD retained an autonomous frame of mind and did not give up. Participants with PTSD described to a larger extent than those without PTSD an overall feeling of alienation from other people and a feeling of permanent change for the worse in their personality and life. Participants without PTSD reported a greater oppositional political motivation prior to imprisonment. Mental defeat and alienation classified 90 % of the participants correctly

Treatment Outcomes and Costs at Specialized Centers for the Treatment of PTSD After the War in Former Yugoslavia

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a frequent consequence of war experience, and specialized centers have been established in some war-affected areas to provide treatment. This study assessed treatment costs and outcomes in such centers in former Yugoslavia. Methods: An observational study was conducted in four specialized treatment centers (in Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina). A total of 526 consecutive adult patients with war-related PTSD were assessed at the beginning of treatment, and 463 met inclusion criteria, including a diagnosis of PTSD on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS). For most patients seven years had elapsed between the traumatic experience and treatment at the specialized center. Service costs were also assessed. Outcomes measured at one year were the presence of a PTSD diagnosis and severity of symptoms as indicated by the CAPS score and subjective quality of life as measured by the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life. Results: At 12 months 380 (82%) patients were followed up, and 325 (86%) met criteria for PTSD. Symptoms and quality of life showed overall small but statistically significant improvements. Treatment costs for patients with and without PTSD at 12 months did not significantly differ ((sic)307 and (sic)284, respectively). Conclusions: The recovery rate among patients treated in specialized centers for war-related PTSD several years after the war was poor (14%), and symptom improvements were small. The recovery rate was not linked to service costs. Improving recovery rates might require different treatment methods or different service models. (Psychiatric Services 61:598-604, 2010