Research-teaching linkages: enhancing graduate attributes. Arts, humanities and social sciences

This publication represents one output of the Quality Enhancement Theme of Research-Teaching Linkages: enhancing graduate attributes. Sections 2-5 relate primarily to the project outcomes of use to educational developers and arts, humanities and social sciences academics looking for approaches to enhance their practice. Section 5 comprises in-depth case studies. Section 6 is an introductory discussion of the evidence from the interviews undertaken by the team. Section 7 explores project conclusions and recommendations for the future

The effect of self-referential expectation on emotional face processing

The role of self-relevance has been somewhat neglected in static face processing paradigms but may be important in understanding how emotional faces impact on attention, cognition and affect. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of self-relevant primes on processing emotional composite faces. Sentence primes created an expectation of the emotion of the face before sad, happy, neutral or composite face photos were viewed. Eye movements were recorded and subsequent responses measured the cognitive and affective impact of the emotion expressed. Results indicated that primes did not guide attention, but impacted on judgments of valence intensity and self-esteem ratings. Negative self-relevant primes led to the most negative self-esteem ratings, although the effect of the prime was qualified by salient facial features. Self-relevant expectations about the emotion of a face and subsequent attention to a face that is congruent with these expectations strengthened the affective impact of viewing the face

The role of self-relevance, attention and online interpretation of social cues in social anxiety

Cognitive behavioural models of social anxiety (i.e. Clark & Wells, 1995; Rapee & Heimberg, 1997) conflict in their predictions regarding attention to facial expressions/gestures. Clark and Wells predict that anxiety is maintained in a social situation by decreased attention towards social cues, precipitated by increased self-focused attention. This results in missed opportunities for positive reinforcement from approving audience responses. Rapee and Heimberg argue that attention is split between imagining ones' own performance and scanning the audience for signs of social disapproval. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to investigate the role of self-relevance and attention in emotional cue processing. Studies 1-3 investigated cognitive processes in face perception using static face paradigms. The results of an eye tracking composite face task (Study 1) indicated that emotion categorisation occurred rapidly and independently of context. However the effect of viewing an emotional face on the observer involved higher cognitive processes such as prior expectations and self-relevance. In an online composite face categorisation task (Study 2) socially anxious individuals reported that they focused less on angry eyes when categorising a threatening face than less socially anxious participants. Furthermore, in an eye tracking antisaccade task (Study 3), socially anxious participants processed emotional faces with greater attentional control than neutral faces. Taken together these studies suggest that processing differences may account for attentional biases in socially anxious individuals but attention appears to be independent of context in static face paradigms. In studies 4 and 5, processing efficiency was investigated using dynamic video clips. When the social threat was moderate in an emotion categorisation task 19 (Study 4), socially anxious individuals processed social cues more efficiently and interpreted ambiguous social cues more negatively than less anxious individuals, however, efficiency was slowed when the threat was heightened during a live speech eye tracking task (Study 5). Despite increased attention to emotional compared to neutral faces as the task progressed, no evidence was found for group differences in attention to social cues. However, there were group differences in awareness of social cues and socially anxious participants demonstrated lower self-confidence post-task. This suggests that biased interpretations of social cues in performance situations may not depend on biased attentional processes.Cognitive behavioural models of social anxiety (i.e. Clark & Wells, 1995; Rapee & Heimberg, 1997) conflict in their predictions regarding attention to facial expressions/gestures. Clark and Wells predict that anxiety is maintained in a social situation by decreased attention towards social cues, precipitated by increased self-focused attention. This results in missed opportunities for positive reinforcement from approving audience responses. Rapee and Heimberg argue that attention is split between imagining ones' own performance and scanning the audience for signs of social disapproval. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to investigate the role of self-relevance and attention in emotional cue processing. Studies 1-3 investigated cognitive processes in face perception using static face paradigms. The results of an eye tracking composite face task (Study 1) indicated that emotion categorisation occurred rapidly and independently of context. However the effect of viewing an emotional face on the observer involved higher cognitive processes such as prior expectations and self-relevance. In an online composite face categorisation task (Study 2) socially anxious individuals reported that they focused less on angry eyes when categorising a threatening face than less socially anxious participants. Furthermore, in an eye tracking antisaccade task (Study 3), socially anxious participants processed emotional faces with greater attentional control than neutral faces. Taken together these studies suggest that processing differences may account for attentional biases in socially anxious individuals but attention appears to be independent of context in static face paradigms. In studies 4 and 5, processing efficiency was investigated using dynamic video clips. When the social threat was moderate in an emotion categorisation task 19 (Study 4), socially anxious individuals processed social cues more efficiently and interpreted ambiguous social cues more negatively than less anxious individuals, however, efficiency was slowed when the threat was heightened during a live speech eye tracking task (Study 5). Despite increased attention to emotional compared to neutral faces as the task progressed, no evidence was found for group differences in attention to social cues. However, there were group differences in awareness of social cues and socially anxious participants demonstrated lower self-confidence post-task. This suggests that biased interpretations of social cues in performance situations may not depend on biased attentional processes

Socio-cognitive load and social anxiety in an emotional anti-saccade task:Social anxiety and inhibition

The anti-saccade task has been used to measure attentional control related to general anxiety but less so with social anxiety specifically. Previous research has not been conclusive in suggesting that social anxiety may lead to difficulties in inhibiting faces. It is possible that static face paradigms do not convey a sufficient social threat to elicit an inhibitory response in socially anxious individuals. The aim of the current study was twofold. We investigated the effect of social anxiety on performance in an anti-saccade task with neutral or emotional faces preceded either by a social stressor (Experiment 1), or valenced sentence primes designed to increase the social salience of the task (Experiment 2). Our results indicated that latencies were significantly longer for happy than angry faces. Additionally, and surprisingly, high anxious participants made more erroneous anti-saccades to neutral than angry and happy faces, whilst the low anxious groups exhibited a trend in the opposite direction. Results are consistent with a general approach-avoidance response for positive and threatening social information. However increased socio-cognitive load may alter attentional control with high anxious individuals avoiding emotional faces, but finding it more difficult to inhibit ambiguous faces. The effects of social sentence primes on attention appear to be subtle but suggest that the anti-saccade task will only elicit socially relevant responses where the paradigm is more ecologically valid