Emotion regulation strategies and psychosocial well-being in adolescence

To study whether and how emotion regulation strategies are associated with adolescents' well-being, 633 Italian adolescents completed a survey that measured, using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ; Gross & John, 2003), the strategies of cognitive reappraisal (CR) and expressive suppression (ES), and their relationship with several well-being measures. Factor analysis and reliability results confirmed the validity of ERQ to assess adolescents' regulation strategies. Correlation and regression results showed that a greater reliance on CR was positively associated with better well-being outcomes for most indicators, especially Life satisfaction, Social support perception and Positive affect; greater preference for ES conversely was associated with lower well-being level for all indicators, including Psychological health, Emotional loneliness, and Negative affect. Neither gender nor age differences were observed for CR nor ES; CR and ES were positively correlated with each other. Both analysis of variance and regression results showed gender to be a significant factor for well being indicators (e.g., males' higher Positive affect and Life satisfaction than females'), whereas age was associated with differences in Psychological health only, with 16-year olds reporting the lowest health, and 14-year olds the highest. The findings overall show that adolescents' well-being is related to preferred emotion regulation strategies, mirroring associations found in the adult population. The study results also suggest the need to further explore this relationship in adolescence

TRIZ as Seen through the DIMAI Creative Thinking Model

Abstract The aim of this paper is to show that TRIZ is not an isolated theory, but a set of tools that can be interpreted in the light of general theoretical models for creativity. In fact, the numerous tools and strategies that TRIZ formulates can be seen as specific instances of the DIMAI model for the creative thinking process, which takes into account environmental, personality, and cognitive factors and postulates five principal states: Drive, Information, Movement, Assessment and Implementation. Letting "strategy" be defined as a sequence of activation of states, components or sub-processes that includes implementation as a final step, we show how TRIZ offers a systematic organization of strategies for the disciplined and aware use of the complex interactions between the cognitive, individual and emotional elements hypothesized into the DIMAI model. The interpretation of TRIZ through the DIMAI model is not only interesting from a theoretical point of view, but it adds an awareness layer which can help both the scientist and the practitioner in dealing systematically and homogeneously with the multiple variables and elements involved in the creative and innovative act, thus enhancing the overall effectiveness

Un nuovo approccio metodologico per l’indagine della modificazione del riflesso di trasalimento (startle) nei primi mesi di vita

The startle reflex is an innate defensive reaction (Lang, 1995; Yeomans, Li, Scott, & Frankland, 2002), delegate to the instantaneous reaction following an unexpected and intense stimulus. The startle widely satisfies the requirements essential to be used as a research tool, since it is modified by the experience, it is easily and universally elicitable (Landis & Hunt, 1939), and its physical and temporal characteristics are well known and highly controllable (Costa & Ricci Bitti, 1998; Davis, Hitchcock, & Rosen, 1987). Yet, despite the importance of the study of this reflex in various research fields (from the study of motivational, emotional and attentive phenomena, to the investigation of neurological, neurophysiological and neuropsychological diseases; Balaban, 1996; Lang, 1995; Richards, 1998; Prechtl & Beintema, 1964), the startle modification is still relatively unexplored in early infancy. This lack in developmental psychological research is mainly due to two problems: the difficulty to identify and develop new methodologies suitable to explore the startle modification in early infancy; the intrusiveness and invasiveness of the commonly used measurement methodology, that is the eyeblink electromyography. Two experimental studies are presented in this dissertation. They were designed to explore the startle modification by using a new non-invasive methodology (AIMMSS) and a new experimental paradigm based on the use of infants facial expressions. In particular, the main indexes of positive (smile) and negative (distress) facial expressions were analysed using the most known anatomically based systems to coding the infants’ facial behaviour (Baby FACS, Oster, in press; AFFEX, Izard, Dougherty, & Hembree, 1983; MAX, Izard, 1979). The first study (N = 12) was aimed at analysing the affective modulation of the startle response elicited during the 5-month-old infants’ spontaneous exhibition of positive facial expressions (smile) and negative facial expressions (distress). The data obtained induce to hypothesize that the facial expressions act like a sort of motivational priming able to diversify, depending on their negative (distress) or positive (smile) nature, the intensity of the startle response elicited immediately after their exhibition. The second study (N = 26) was designed to analyse the modulatory influences exerted on the startle response by both the attentive state and the emotional state displayed by 3- and 5-month-old infants. The main result highlights that a synergy between the attentive and emotional systems cause the phenomenon of the affective modulation of the startle response

Creativity in the Advertisement Domain: The Role of Experience on Creative Achievement

The creativity of an advertisement campaign is one of the most relevant predictors of its success. Past research has highlighted the relevance of domain-specific experience in enhancing creativity, but the results are controversial. We explored the role of work experience, in terms of number of years spent in the advertisement domain, in various forms of creativity expressed within this specific working domain. We hypothesized a mediator role of experience in the relationship between the individual\u2019s creative potential, as measured through a series of divergent thinking tasks, and creative achievement in the advertisement domain. Moreover, considering the importance of personality in creative achievement, we also explored the influence of the openness-to-experience on advertisers\u2019 creative achievement. A range of measures assessing creative achievement, openness, and divergent thinking abilities in terms of fluency and originality were administered to a group of professionals in the advertisement domain. The results demonstrate a crucial role for experience in the connection between originality and creative achievement. Moreover, our findings extend previous studies by showing that fluency and openness are significant predictors of creative achievement in the advertisement environment. These results emphasize the importance of canalizing the advertiser\u2019s divergent thinking abilities through appropriate routes provided by working experience, raising important implications for future explorations of domain-specific creative achievement within an individual differences framework. Final indications for future developments are provided, with a special emphasis on the replication of these findings in various work domains and in various cultural contexts

Editorial: New trends in emotional intelligence: conceptualization, understanding, and assessment

Over the years, significant strides have been made in refining the conceptualization and measurement of Emotional Intelligence (EI) (e.g., Brackett and Mayer, 2003; Joseph and Newman, 2010; Andrei et al., 2016; O’Connor et al., 2019). Researchers have developed various tools and methods to assess both ability EI and trait EI, providing valuable insights into individuals’ emotional capabilities and tendencies. These advancements have helped distinguish different aspects of EI, understand its underlying mechanisms, and identify realworld implications (Martins et al., 2010; Perera and DiGiacomo, 2013; Miao et al., 2017; MacCann et al., 2020). However, the field of EI is ever evolving, and new perspectives continue to emerge. The current Research Topic identifies emerging trends in EI research that draw from various approaches. More specifically, the work of D’Amico and Geraci and Maddocks addresses the conceptualization of EI, Gottfredson and Becker examine factors that may influence emotionally intelligent skills, and Gillioz et al. explore the assessment of EI

Individual differences and creative ideation: neuromodulatory signatures of mindset and response inhibition

This study addresses the modulatory role of individual mindset in explaining the relationship between response inhibition (RI) and divergent thinking (DT) using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Forty undergraduate students (22 male and 18 female), aged between 18 and 23 years (average age = 19 years, SD = 1.48), were recruited. Participants received either anodal tDCS of the right IFG coupled with cathodal tDCS of the left IFG (R + L−; N = 19) or the opposite coupling (R−L+; N = 21). We tested DT performance using the alternative uses task (AUT), measuring participants’ fluency, originality, and flexibility in the response production, as well as participants’ mindsets. Furthermore, we applied a go-no-go task to examine the role of RI before and after stimulating the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) using tDCS. The results showed that the mindset levels acted as moderators on stimulation conditions and enhanced RI on AUT fluency and flexibility but not originality. Intriguingly, growth mindsets have opposite moderating effects on the change in DT, resulting from the tDCS stimulation of the left and the right IFG, with reduced fluency but enhanced flexibility. Our findings imply that understanding neural modulatory signatures of ideational processes with tDCS strongly benefits from evaluating cognitive status and control functions

\u201cGive, but Give until It Hurts\u201d: The Modulatory Role of Trait Emotional Intelligence on the Motivation to Help

Two studies investigated the effect of trait Emotional Intelligence (trait EI) on people\u2019s moti- vation to help. In Study 1, we developed a new computer-based paradigm that tested partic- ipants\u2019 motivation to help by measuring their performance on a task in which they could gain a hypothetical amount of money to help children in need. Crucially, we manipulated partici- pants\u2019 perceived efficacy by informing them that they had been either able to save the chil- dren (positive feedback) or unable to save the children (negative feedback). We measured trait EI using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire\u2013Short Form (TEIQue-SF) and assessed participants\u2019 affective reactions during the experiment using the PANAS-X. Results showed that high and low trait EI participants performed differently after the presen- tation of feedback on their ineffectiveness in helping others in need. Both groups showed increasing negative affective states during the experiment when the feedback was negative; however, high trait EI participants better managed their affective reactions, modulating the impact of their emotions on performance and maintaining a high level of motivation to help. In Study 2, we used a similar computerized task and tested a control situation to explore the effect of trait EI on participants\u2019 behavior when facing failure or success in a scenario unre- lated to helping others in need. No effect of feedback emerged on participants\u2019 emotional states in the second study. Taken together our results show that trait EI influences the impact of success and failure on behavior only in affect-rich situation like those in which people are asked to help others in need

The Dynamic Interplay of Affective, Cognitive and Contextual Resources on Children’s Creative Potential: The Modulatory Role of Trait Emotional Intelligence

In the present work we explored in two separate studies the modulatory role of trait emotional intelligence (EI) over the effect exerted on children’s creative potential by two other key elements defining creativity, namely cognitive resources (here explored through basic executive functions, Study 1) and contextual-environmental factors (that is, teachers’ implicit conceptions of the factors influencing children’s creativity, Study 2). Confirming previous research, executive functions (particularly interference control and working memory) emerged as main predictors of children’s creative performance; however, their positive effect arose especially when associated with a high trait EI level. In the same vein, teachers’ implicit conception about children’s creative potential and about their efficacy in teaching creativity emerged to exert a facilitatory effect on children’ creative potential. This effect occurred particularly when associated with low trait EI levels, affecting differently girls and boys. Trait EI emerged from these studies as an important individual resource to consider in order to understand the potential benefit of other (cognitive and contextual-environmental) resources on children’s creative potential. The implications on the role of trait EI as a constitutional element of children’s creativity, capable of promoting the expression of their creative potential, are discussed

Emotions: The Spinal Cord of the Creative Thinking Process

In reviewing the huge effort made by the psychological research in defining the main components of the creative process and of the creative potential, rarely we encounter models and theoretical frameworks considering emotional reactions as main determinants of the creative process, except of the widely and broadly defined concepts of motivation and mood. Emotional phenomena are usually intended as strong (intrinsic or extrinsic) forces able to influence the creative thinking process, and in particular the cognitive processes sustaining idea generation. In this chapter, we maintain that emotional phenomena are not simple influencers of creative thinking, but that they are the spinal cord of the creative process. In considering emotions the core of the process, we sustain that emotional reactions are the conditio sine qua non by which the creative thinking process can occur, or, in different words, the necessary (although not sufficient) determinant of the process. On the basis of the above, taking into account different theoretical approaches to the study of emotions and adopting a dynamical systems framework, we intend to explain the role of emotions in the dynamic emergence of the creative thinking process