Alternative psychotherapies: Conceptual elucidation and epidemiological framework

This article elucidates and defines alternative psychotherapies, as well as describes the variables that explain why some professional psychologists are prone to endorse these practices. First, the novel concept of “complementary and alternative psychotherapies” (CAP) is defined within the framework of the established hierarchy of clinical evidence. Second, we report a literature review to aid understanding of the main variables explaining why some clinicians prefer CAP. We review rejection of scientific reasoning, misconceptions about human nature, and pragmatic limitations of evidence-based practice

Revised and short versions of the pseudoscientific belief scale

This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Fasce, A, Avendaño, D, Adrián‐Ventura, J. Revised and short versions of the pseudoscientific belief scale. Appl Cognit Psychol. 2021; 1– 5, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3811. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.In this article, we develop the revised and short versions of the pseudoscientific belief scale through two empirical studies (N = 4154). This revision is motivated by the excessive length of the scale, as well as by consistent observations of poor item loadings across several studies. Exploratory factor analysis in Study 1 revealed 11 dispensable items, resulting in a 19‐item revised form, whereas in Study 2 we constructed a short eight‐item form. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed unidimensional factor structures for both scales, exhibiting excellent psychometric properties in relation to factor structure, item loadings, internal consistency and convergent validity with paranormal beliefs, conspiracy theories and need for uniqueness. Whereas the original scale provides reliable indices, we encourage the use of these improved versions to measure pseudoscientific beliefs in the context of socio‐psychological studies

Do as the Romans do: On the authoritarian roots of pseudoscience

Recent research highlights the implications of group dynamics in the acceptance and promotion of misconceptions, particularly in relation to the identity-protective attitudes that boost polarisation over scientific information. In this study, we successfully test a mediational model between right-wing authoritarianism and pseudoscientific beliefs. First, we carry out a comprehensive literature review on the socio-political background of pseudoscientific beliefs. Second, we conduct two studies (n=1189 and n=1097) to confirm our working hypotheses: H1 – intercorrelation between pseudoscientific beliefs, authoritarianism and three axioms (reward for application, religiosity and fate control); H2 – authoritarianism and social axioms fully explain rightists’ proneness to pseudoscience; and H3 – the association between pseudoscience and authoritarianism is partially mediated by social axioms. Finally, we discuss our results in relation to their external validity regarding paranormal and conspiracy beliefs, as well as to their implications for group polarisation and science communication

Who Seeks Alternative Psychotherapies? Domain-Specific Predictors and Latent Profiles

Techniques presented as psychotherapies without evidence for effective treatment constitute a long-standing and under-researched issue within clinical psychology. We report on an exploratory study using a cross-sectional sample (N = 538) to find predictors and profiles of use of complementary and alternative psychotherapies (CAP). Five well-established constructs were assessed: help-seeking preferences, psychiatric scepticism, mental health literacy, psychological mindedness, and psychotherapy expectancy. Religiosity, help-seeking, distrust in mental health care, interest in psychological phenomena, expectations of relationship with the psychotherapist, and belief in the effectiveness of alternative psychotherapies positively predicted use of CAP. Parallel analyses of evidence-based psychotherapies and alternative medicine revealed that some of these predictors are specific to CAP. Latent profile analysis identified three profiles among users of alternative psychotherapies, conceptualized as religious, unmotivated, and analytical. We discuss our results in relation to these profiles, suggesting various implications and lines of research

Diferencias anatómicas asociadas a la sensibilidad al castigo y a la recompensa: un estudio de morfometría basada en el vóxel

Introducción: La teoría de la sensibilidad al refuerzo (tsr) propone el sistema de activación conductual (sac) como el sistema motivacional encargado de dirigir la con- ducta hacia la obtención de estímulos apetitivos. A nivel neurobiológico, este sistema se ha relacionado con el circuito cerebral de la recompensa. Así mismo, se ha pro- puesto el rasgo de personalidad de sensibilidad a la recompensa (sr) como modulador de la actividad del sac. En el presente trabajo estudiamos la relación entre la actividad del sac, medida por medio del cuestionario spsrq, y el volumen de sustancia gris en áreas de recompensa. Métodos: Realizamos un análisis de morfometría basada en el vóxel (vbm) en una muestra de 216 hombres e investigamos la asociación entre los valores de volumen obtenidos y las puntuaciones en la escala sr del spsrq mediante un análisis de regresión. El procesado y análisis de las imágenes se realizó mediante spm8. Resultados: A nivel cortical, los análisis de vbm mostraron una correlación ne- gativa entre las puntuaciones de la escala sr y el volumen de sustancia gris en el córtex prefrontal lateral, la ínsula y el lóbulo temporal superior. A nivel subcortical, ob- servamos una reducción en el volumen del estriado (núcleo caudado). Conclusiones: Nuestros resultados apoyan investigaciones previas y aportan nuevas evidencias acerca de las diferencias anatómicas en áreas relacionadas con el control inhibitorio y la toma de decisiones en participantes con un sac sobreactivado.Introduction: The Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (rst) proposes the Behavioral Activation System (bas) as the motivational system responsible for direct behavior toward appetitive stimuli. Neurobiologically, this system has been related to the brain reward circuitry. Additionally, the personality trait of Sensitivity to Reward (sr) has been proposed as modulator of bas activity. In this work, we studied the relationship between the bas activity, as measured by the spsrq questionnaire, and the gray matter volume in reward-related areas. Methods: We carried out a voxel-based morphometry analysis in a sample of 216 male participants and we investigated the association between the data volume obtained and the sr scale scores by means of a regression analysis. Image processing and statistical analyses were carried out using spm8. Results: At the cortical level, vbm analysis showed a negative correlation between sr scores and the gray matter volume in the lateral prefrontal cortex, the insula, and the superior temporal lobe. Subcortically, we found a reduction in the striatum volume (caudate nucleus). Conclusion: Our results support previous studies and provide new evidence about anatomical differences in brain areas related to inhibitory control and decision-making in participants with an overactive bas

Linking personality and brain anatomy: a structural MRI approach to Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory

Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) proposes a widely used taxonomy of human personality linked to individual differences at both behavioral and neuropsychological levels that describe a predisposition to psychopathology. However, the body of RST research was based on animal findings, and little is known about their anatomical correspondence in humans. Here we set out to investigate MRI structural correlates (i.e. voxel-based morphometry) of the main personality dimensions proposed by the RST in a group of 400 healthy young adults who completed the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ). Sensitivity to punishment scores correlated positively with the gray matter volume in the amygdala, whereas sensitivity to reward scores correlated negatively with the volume in the left lateral and medial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, a negative relationship was found between the striatal volume and the reward sensitivity trait, but only for male participants. The present results support the neuropsychological basis of the RST by linking punishment and reward sensitivity to anatomical differences in limbic and frontostriatal regions, respectively. These results are interpreted based on previous literature related to externalizing and internalizing disorders, and they highlight the possible role of SPSRQ as a measure of proneness to these disorders

Opening or closing eyes at rest modulates the functional connectivity of V1 with default and salience networks

Current evidence suggests that volitional opening or closing of the eyes modulates brain activity and connectivity. However, how the eye state influences the functional connectivity of the primary visual cortex has been poorly investigated. Using the same scanner, fMRI data from two groups of participants similar in age, sex and educational level were acquired. One group (n = 105) performed a resting state with eyes closed, and the other group (n = 63) performed a resting state with eyes open. Seed-based voxel-wise functional connectivity whole-brain analyses were performed to study differences in the connectivity of the primary visual cortex. This region showed higher connectivity with the default mode and sensorimotor networks in the eyes closed group, but higher connectivity with the salience network in the eyes open group. All these findings were replicated using an open source shared dataset. These results suggest that opening or closing the eyes may set brain functional connectivity in an interoceptive or exteroceptive state

Reward network connectivity “at rest” is associated with reward sensitivity in healthy adults: A resting-state fMRI study

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-019-00688-1.The behavioral approach system (BAS), based on reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST), is a neurobehavioral system responsible for detecting and promoting motivated behaviors towards appetitive stimuli. Anatomically, the frontostriatal system has been proposed as the core of the BAS, mainly the ventral tegmental area and the ventral striatum and their dopaminergic connections with medial prefrontal structures. The RST also proposes the personality trait of reward sensitivity as a measurable construct of stable individual differences in BAS activity. However, the relationship between this trait and brain connectivity “at rest” has been poorly studied, mainly because previous investigations have focused on studying brain activity under reward-related contingency paradigms. Here, we analyzed the influence of reward sensitivity on the resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) between BAS-related areas by correlating the BOLD time series with the scores on the Sensitivity to Reward (SR) scale in a sample of 89 healthy young adults. Rs-FC between regions of interest were all significant. Results also revealed a positive association between SR scores and the rs-FC between the VTA and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and between the latter structure and the anterior cingulate cortex. These results suggest that reward sensitivity could be associated with different resting-state activity in the mesocortical pathway

Science through a tribal lens: A group-based account of polarization over scientific facts

Previous research has confirmed the prominent role of group processes in the promotion and endorsement of disinformation. We report three studies on a psychological framework derived from integrated threat theory—a psychological theory which describes how perceived threat leads to group polarization and prejudice—composed of the following constructs: group belongingness, perceived threat, outgroup derogation, and intergroup anxiety. Our pilot study suggested that need to belong and intergroup anxiety predict antiscientific beliefs (pseudoscientific, paranormal, and conspiracy theories), thus justifying the general applicability of integrated threat theory. Study 1 investigates the transition from weak to strong critical thinking regarding pseudoscientific doctrines. Besides greater outgroup derogation and perceived threats among strong critical thinkers, the model does not perform well in this context. Study 2 focuses on the intergroup conflict around anthropogenic global warming, revealing the strong predictive power of the model. These results are discussed in relation to the distinctive psychological profiles of science acceptance and rejection

Funcionalidad del hipocampo en pacientes prequirúrgicos: evaluación mediante RMf

Introducción: Las intervenciones quirúrgicas en pacientes con lesiones en el lóbulo temporal pueden ocasionar déficits en su memoria episódica. Sin embargo, no existen exploraciones mediante resonancia magnética funcional (RMf) que informen individualmente de la funcionalidad del hipocampo. El objetivo del presente estudio fue mapear la funcionalidad de esta zona cerebral mediante una nueva tarea de recuerdos autobiográficos. Las hipótesis planteadas fueron: 1) la tarea utilizada activará el hipocampo y 2) los recuerdos recientes activarán áreas anteriores del hipocampo y los recuerdos remotos áreas posteriores. Metodología: La muestra estaba formada por 23 pacientes, 18 con epilepsia de lóbulo temporal y 5 con lesiones cerebrales en zonas temporales o frontales. Durante una sesión de RMf se pidió a los participantes que realizaran una tarea de memoria en la que debían recordar hechos autobiográficos (recientes y remotos) previamente acordados. Las imágenes de resonancia resultantes fueron analizadas utilizando el programa SPM12. Resultados: Los resultados mostraron activación del hipocampo en 19 de los 23 participantes, presentando mayores activaciones en áreas anteriores a diversos niveles de significación. Conclusiones: De forma individual, se puede apreciar que la tarea de memoria activa de manera fiable el hipocampo en el 82,6 % de los pacientes, lo que parece confirmar la primera hipótesis. Sin embargo, esta actividad no se produce de manera diferente en función de si se realiza una tarea de memoria reciente o remota, por lo que no se puede confirmar la segunda hipótesis. Esta información es de gran importancia de cara a una futura intervención quirúrgica.Introduction: Surgical operations in patients with lesions in the temporal lobe may cause deficits in their episodic memory. However, there are no functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) protocols that individually inform about the functionality of the hippocampus. The aim of the present study was to map the functionality of this area by using a new autobiographical memory task. The proposed hypotheses were: 1) the autobiographical memory task will activate the hippocampus and 2) recent memories will activate the anterior hippocampus whereas remote memories will activate posterior regions. Method: The sample was formed by 23 patients, 18 with temporal lobe epilepsy and 5 with brain lesions in temporal or frontal regions. During an fMRI session, participants were asked to perform a memory task in which they had to recall previously agreed autobiographical events (recent and remote). The resulting resonance images were analyzed using the SPM12 software. Results: Results revealed hippocampal activation in 19 out of the 23 participants, showing higher activations in anterior areas at different levels of significance. Conclusions: At the individual level, we observed that the memory task consistently activated the hippocampus in the 82.6% of patients, thus confirming the first hypothesis. However, this activity did not differ between recent and remote memory, so the second hypothesis could not be confirmed. This information is of great importance for future surgical operations