Specific Pavlovian-instrumental transfer: relationship with instrumental reward probabilities

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Similar Roles for Recovery Capital but not Stress in Women and Men Recovering from Gambling Disorder

Background: Understanding gender-related differences is important in recovery processes. Previous studies have investigated gender-related differences in factors associated with gambling disorder (GD), but none to date have considered both positive and negative resources related to recovery. Using a recovery capital (RC) framework that considers multiple resources available during recovery, this study examined gender-related similarities and differences in associations between positive resources (RC, spirituality) and negative experiences and states (stressful life events, depression, and anxiety) and GD symptom improvement. Method: One hundred and forty individuals with lifetime GD (101 men) were assessed using DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for GD (past-year and lifetime prior to past-year), the Brief Assessment of RC, the Intrinsic Spirituality Scale, the Stressful Life-events Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 for depression. Multiple linear regression and Bayesian statistical analyses were conducted. Results: RC was positively and significantly associated with GD symptom improvement in women and men. Stressful life events were negatively associated with GD symptom improvement only in men. Conclusions: RC is an important positive resource for men and women recovering from GD and should be considered in treating both women and men. Understanding specific RC factors across gender groups and stressors, particularly in men, may aid in developing improved interventions for GD

Acceptability of the transitional wearable companion “+me” in typical children: a pilot study

This work presents the results of the first experimentation of +me-the first prototype of Transitional Wearable Companion–run on 15 typically developed (TD) children with ages between 8 and 34 months. +me is an interactive device that looks like a teddy bear that can be worn around the neck, has touch sensors, can emit appealing lights and sounds, and has input-output contingencies that can be regulated with a tablet via Bluetooth. The participants were engaged in social play activities involving both the device and an adult experimenter. +me was designed with the objective of exploiting its intrinsic allure as an attractive toy to stimulate social interactions (e.g., eye contact, turn taking, imitation, social smiles), an aspect potentially helpful in the therapy of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). The main purpose of this preliminary study is to evaluate the general acceptability of the toy by TD children, observing the elicited behaviors in preparation for future experiments involving children with ASD and other PDD. First observations, based on video recording and scoring, show that +me stimulates good social engagement in TD children, especially when their age is higher than 24 months

The relationship between specific Pavlovian instrumental transfer and instrumental reward probability

Goal-directed behavior is influenced by environmental cues: in particular, cues associated with a reward can bias action choice toward actions directed to that same reward. This effect is studied experimentally as specific Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (specific PIT). We have investigated the hypothesis that cues associated to an outcome elicit specific PIT by rising the estimates of reward probability of actions associated to that same outcome. In other words, cues reduce the uncertainty on the efficacy of instrumental actions. We used a human PIT experimental paradigm to test the effects of two different instrumental contingencies: one group of participants had a 33% chance of being rewarded for each button press, while another had a 100% chance. The group trained with 33% reward probability showed a stronger PIT effect than the 100% group, in line with the hypothesis that Pavlovian cues linked to an outcome work by reducing the uncertainty of receiving it. The 100% group also showed a significant specific PIT effect, highlighting additional factors that could contribute to specific PIT beyond the instrumental training contingency. We hypothesize that the uncertainty about reward delivery due to testing in extinction might be one of these factors. These results add knowledge on how goal-directed behavior is influenced by the presence of environmental cues associated with a reward: such influence depends on the probability that we have to reach a reward, namely when there is less chance of getting a reward we are more influenced by cues associated with it, and vice versa

A test of the pathway model of problematic smartphone use.

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been described as a growing public health issue. In the current study, we aimed to provide a unique and comprehensive test of the pathway model of PSU. This model posits three distinct developmental pathways leading to PSU: (1) the excessive reassurance pathway, (2) the impulsive pathway and (3) the extraversion pathway. Undergraduate students (n = 795, 69.8% female, mean age = 23.80 years, sd = 3.02) completed online self-report measures of PSU (addictive use, antisocial use and dangerous use) and the psychological features (personality traits and psychopathological symptoms) underlying the three pathways. Bayesian analyses revealed that addictive use is mainly driven by the excessive reassurance pathway and the impulsive pathway, for which candidate etiopathological factors include heightened negative urgency, a hyperactive behavioural inhibition system and symptoms of social anxiety. Dangerous and antisocial use are mainly driven by the impulsive pathway and the extraversion pathway, for which candidate etiopathological factors include specific impulsivity components (lack of premeditation and sensation seeking) and primary psychopathy (inclination to lie, lack of remorse, callousness and manipulativeness). The present study constitutes the first comprehensive test of the pathway model of PSU. We provide robust and original results regarding the psychological dimensions associated with each of the postulated pathways of PSU, which should be taken into account when considering regulation of smartphone use or tailoring prevention protocols to reduce problematic usage patterns

Heterogeneity of smartphone impact on everyday life and its relationship with personality and psychopathology: A latent profile analysis

Background The relationships between problematic smartphone use and psychological factors have been extensively investigated. However, previous studies generally used variable-centered approaches, which hinder an examination of the heterogeneity of smartphone impact on everyday life. Objective In the present study, we capitalized on latent profile analysis to identify various classes of smartphone owners based on the impact associated with smartphone use (e.g., unregulated usage, preference for smartphone-mediated social relationships) and to compare these classes in terms of established psychological risk factors for problematic smartphone use. Method We surveyed 934 young adults with validated psychometric questionnaires to assess the impact of smartphones, psychopathological symptoms, self-esteem and impulsivity traits. Results Smartphone users fall into four latent profiles: users with low smartphone impact, users with average smartphone impact, problematic smartphone users, and users favoring online interactions. Individuals distributed in the problematic smartphone user profile were characterized by heightened psychopathological symptoms (stress, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive tendencies) and impulsivity traits. Moreover, users who preferred online interactions exhibited the highest symptoms of social anxiety and the lowest levels of self-esteem. Conclusions These findings further demonstrate the multidimensionality and heterogeneity of the impact of smartphone use, calling for tailored prevention and intervention strategies

Problematic use of the internet and social networking sites: a psycho-physiological perspective

In the framework of the theoretical debate on whether it is appropriate to consider Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and problematic Social Networking sites use as addictive behaviors, the main aim of this work was to build on and extend previous findings about the psycho-physiological mechanisms underlying these problematic behaviors. In the first study, self-report instruments in a cross-sectional design highlighted a pattern of symptoms related to anxiety/mood disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in PIU. Interestingly, only hoarding and obsessing symptoms predicted the condition of problematic vs. non-problematic Internet use, suggesting an altered mechanism shared by OCD and PIU that may lie at the basis of PIU development. In the second study, the relationship between autonomic reactivity during a stressful task and craving was investigated in PIU. We found lower resting heart rate variability (HRV) before the stressful task in individuals with PIU vs. non-PIU. Moreover, after the stressful task, lower HRV in PIU was related to higher craving for Internet use, suggesting that, in PIU, reduced autonomic flexibility is a stable condition that is related to reduced capacity for self-regulating craving. In the third study, inhibitory processes and their relationship with HRV were assessed in PIU by an emotional Go/Nogo task. Lower performance accuracy among problematic- than non-problematic users was found. Moreover, only among problematic Internet users lower HRV predicted less efficient task performance upon the presentation of unpleasant stimuli, suggesting reduced HRV to be a potential indicator of defective inhibitory control in PIU. As for the fourth study, the cognitive-behavioral model of generalized PIU in the context of Problematic Facebook Use (PFU) was tested. The main result showed that using Facebook for mood regulation has a greater impact than preference for online social interaction on negative outcomes of PFU, suggesting that using Facebook to regulate mood is a core component of PFU. Cue-reactivity and response inhibition in the presence of Facebook-related and affective stimuli in individuals with vs. without PFU were also investigated. In the fifth study, the Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded during the passive viewing of Facebook-related, pleasant, unpleasant and neutral pictures. The results did not provide evidence for cue-reactivity to Facebook-related cues in problematic users. Rather, Facebook-related cues elicited larger ERP positivity than neutral, and comparable to unpleasant stimuli, in all Facebook users. Interestingly though, only in problematic users the ERP positivity elicited by Facebook-related cues was inversely related to subjective arousal, suggesting that negative reinforcement processes might characterize PFU as a behavioral addiction. Moreover, similarly to drug addiction, in which enhanced and sustained reward reactivity would increase the likelihood of risky behavior, we found long-lasting larger ERP positivity to pleasant than unpleasant pictures only in problematic Facebook users. In the sixth study, we investigated whether individuals with vs. without PFU show greater difficulties in inhibiting motor responses during an emotional Go/Nogo task. Overall, our findings suggest that problematic users are characterized by under-engagement of response inhibition processes in the context of natural reward- and Facebook-related stimuli, as indexed by reduced overall accuracy and Nogo-P3 amplitude to Facebook-related, pleasant and neutral stimuli than to unpleasant stimuli. Overall, the findings of these studies seem to suggest that PIU and PFU share similar affective and cognitive processes with addictive behaviors. In order to overcome some methodological problems, identifying core symptomatology and reliable diagnostic criteria of PIU has become a priority.In the framework of the theoretical debate on whether it is appropriate to consider Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and problematic Social Networking sites use as addictive behaviors, the main aim of this work was to build on and extend previous findings about the psycho-physiological mechanisms underlying these problematic behaviors. In the first study, self-report instruments in a cross-sectional design highlighted a pattern of symptoms related to anxiety/mood disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in PIU. Interestingly, only hoarding and obsessing symptoms predicted the condition of problematic vs. non-problematic Internet use, suggesting an altered mechanism shared by OCD and PIU that may lie at the basis of PIU development. In the second study, the relationship between autonomic reactivity during a stressful task and craving was investigated in PIU. We found lower resting heart rate variability (HRV) before the stressful task in individuals with PIU vs. non-PIU. Moreover, after the stressful task, lower HRV in PIU was related to higher craving for Internet use, suggesting that, in PIU, reduced autonomic flexibility is a stable condition that is related to reduced capacity for self-regulating craving. In the third study, inhibitory processes and their relationship with HRV were assessed in PIU by an emotional Go/Nogo task. Lower performance accuracy among problematic- than non-problematic users was found. Moreover, only among problematic Internet users lower HRV predicted less efficient task performance upon the presentation of unpleasant stimuli, suggesting reduced HRV to be a potential indicator of defective inhibitory control in PIU. As for the fourth study, the cognitive-behavioral model of generalized PIU in the context of Problematic Facebook Use (PFU) was tested. The main result showed that using Facebook for mood regulation has a greater impact than preference for online social interaction on negative outcomes of PFU, suggesting that using Facebook to regulate mood is a core component of PFU. Cue-reactivity and response inhibition in the presence of Facebook-related and affective stimuli in individuals with vs. without PFU were also investigated. In the fifth study, the Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded during the passive viewing of Facebook-related, pleasant, unpleasant and neutral pictures. The results did not provide evidence for cue-reactivity to Facebook-related cues in problematic users. Rather, Facebook-related cues elicited larger ERP positivity than neutral, and comparable to unpleasant stimuli, in all Facebook users. Interestingly though, only in problematic users the ERP positivity elicited by Facebook-related cues was inversely related to subjective arousal, suggesting that negative reinforcement processes might characterize PFU as a behavioral addiction. Moreover, similarly to drug addiction, in which enhanced and sustained reward reactivity would increase the likelihood of risky behavior, we found long-lasting larger ERP positivity to pleasant than unpleasant pictures only in problematic Facebook users. In the sixth study, we investigated whether individuals with vs. without PFU show greater difficulties in inhibiting motor responses during an emotional Go/Nogo task. Overall, our findings suggest that problematic users are characterized by under-engagement of response inhibition processes in the context of natural reward- and Facebook-related stimuli, as indexed by reduced overall accuracy and Nogo-P3 amplitude to Facebook-related, pleasant and neutral stimuli than to unpleasant stimuli. Overall, the findings of these studies seem to suggest that PIU and PFU share similar affective and cognitive processes with addictive behaviors. In order to overcome some methodological problems, identifying core symptomatology and reliable diagnostic criteria of PIU has become a priority

Modeling Problematic Facebook Use: Highlighting the role of mood regulation and preference for online social interaction.

A validated theoretical model of Problematic Facebook Use (PFU) is currently lacking in the literature. The cognitive-behavioral model of generalized Problematic Internet Use (PIU) proposed by Caplan (2010) may provide a conceptual basis for understanding the problematic use of Social Networking Sites. The present study aimed at contributing to the discussion on the conceptualization of PFU by testing the feasibility of the model of generalized PIU in the context of PFU. The Italian version of the Problematic Facebook Use Scale (PFUS; including five subscales, i.e., preference for online social interaction - POSI, mood regulation, cognitive preoccupation, compulsive use, and negative outcomes) was administered to 815 young Italian adults. A Structural Equation Modeling analysis was used to test the theoretical model. POSI resulted to be a positive predictor of Facebook use for mood regulation and of deficient self-regulation; using Facebook for mood regulation was a positive predictor of deficient self-regulation; and deficient self-regulation was a positive predictor of negative outcomes of Facebook use. Of note, difficulties in self-regulating Facebook use was related more strongly to using Facebook for mood regulation than to preference for online social interaction. Similarly, using Facebook for mood regulation appears to have a greater impact than preference for online social interaction on negative outcomes of PFU. The obtained results support the feasibility of the model of generalized PIU in the context of PFU and suggest that mood regulation abilities may be a potential target for prevention and treatment of PFU

Motivated attention to stimuli related to social networking sites: A cue-reactivity study

It has been argued that similar to addictive behaviors, problematic Social Network sites use (PSNSU) is characterized by sensitized reward processing and cue-reactivity. However, no study to our knowledge has yet investigated cue-reactivity in PSNSU. The present study aims at investigating cue-reactivity to Social Network sites (i.e., Facebook)-related visual cues in individuals identified as problematic vs. non-problematic Facebook users by the Problematic Facebook Use Scale

CUE-REACTIVITY TO AFFECTIVE AND SOCIAL MEDIA STIMULI: ASSESSING MOTIVATED ATTENTION IN PROBLEMATIC USERS

Descriptors: Cue-reactivity, Event-related Potentials, Addictive BehaviorsSimilar to addictive behaviors, Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) seems to be characterized by sensitized reward processing and cue- reactivity. However, mechanisms related to cue-reactivity in PSMU re-main to be clarified. We investigated cue-reactivity to Facebook cues in individuals identified as problematic vs. non-problematic Facebook users by the Problematic Facebook Use Scale. The Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded during the viewing of Facebook-related, pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral pictures in 27 problematic and 26 non-problematic users. Craving for Facebook usage was collected using a Likert scale. The results showed that despite problematic users were more likely to endorse higher craving than non-problematic ones, Facebook cues elicited larger ERP positivity (400–600 ms) than neutral, and comparable to unpleasant stimuli, in all users. Only in problematic users we found larger positiv-ity (600–800 ms) to pleasant than unpleasant cues, and higher craving to be related with lower later positivity (800–1,000 ms) to pleasant and unpleasant cues. Regardless of whether Facebook usage is problematic, Facebook cues seem to be motivationally relevant stimuli that capture attentional resources in the earlier stages of “motivated” attentional al-location. Moreover, our results suggest that in higher-craving problematic users, reduced late emotional processing would be the result of defective emotion regulation processes that allow craving states to capture more motivational resources at the expense of other emotional state