Search

Abstract Irritability has gained recognition as a clinically significant trait in youth and adults that when persistent and severe, predicts poor outcomes throughout life. However, its definition, measurement, and relationship to similar constructs remain poorly understood. In a community sample of adults (N = 458; 19–74 years; M = 40.5), we sought to identify a unitary irritability factor from independently constructed self-reported measures of irritability distinct from the related constructs of aggression, depression, and anxiety, and whether it was associated with face emotion identification deficits and hostile interpretation biases previously established in clinical pediatric samples. The three measures of irritability generated a common factor characterized by a rapid, angry response to provocation. This irritability factor had unique associations with tendencies to judge ambiguous stimuli as reflecting hostility, but not with face emotion identification performance. These findings clarify the nature of irritability and its associations with neurocognitive phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine how adolescents view artificial intelligence (AI) and its development and create a tool to measure cynical hostility towards AI. Previous studies showed people have mixed feelings about AI, yet interest in AI and its development grows. As AI is central to technological progress, creating a tool that measures the attitude towards it is necessary. Six hundred and fifty-nine high school students took part in the study. The results showed that Cynical Hostility Towards AI Scale (CHTAIS) is a valid and reliable measure and that cynical hostility towards AI is a separate construct from cynical hostility towards humans. The results showed that people are more distrustful of AI when it is perceived as more hostile and less governed by emotions. Cynical hostility towards AI may be a valuable construct, meriting further investigation and theoretical considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The value-based account of desired emotions proposed that values were related to desired emotions. However, it is unclear that whether the associations are applicable to adolescents. In study 1, adolescents rated their self-transcendence and self-enhancement values and corresponding desired emotions. In study 2, adolescents were divided into two groups based on the scores of the two values, and the two groups completed the image-selection task. The results showed that (1) the self-transcendence values could positively predict desired socially engaging emotions (e.g., empathy and love), but the self-enhancement values could not predict desired socially disengaging emotions (e.g., anger and hostility); and (2) adolescents in self-transcending group chose to view more social-engaging and neutral images than that of adolescents in self-enhancement group. This study provides more evidences for the value-based account of desired emotions among adolescents, and implications of these results are discussed. • The value-based account of desired emotions was applicable to adolescents partially. • The self-transcendence values positively predict desired socially engaging emotions. • Adolescents in self-transcending group prefer social-engaging and neutral images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: High levels of trait hostility are associated with wide-ranging interpersonal deficits and heightened physiological response to social stressors. These deficits may be attributable in part to individual differences in the perception of social cues. The present study evaluated the ability to recognize facial emotion among 48 high hostile (HH) and 48 low hostile (LH) smokers and whether experimentally-manipulated acute nicotine deprivation moderated relations between hostility and facial emotion recognition. A computer program presented series of pictures of faces that morphed from a neutral emotion into increasing intensities of happiness, sadness, fear, or anger, and participants were asked to identify the emotion displayed as quickly as possible. Results indicated that HH smokers, relative to LH smokers, required a significantly greater intensity of emotion expression to recognize happiness. No differences were found for other emotions across HH and LH individuals, nor did nicotine deprivation moderate relations between hostility and emotion recognition. This is the first study to show that HH individuals are slower to recognize happy facial expressions and that this occurs regardless of recent tobacco abstinence. Difficulty recognizing happiness in others may impact the degree to which HH individuals are able to identify social approach signals and to receive social reinforcement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Research on correlates of aggressive behavior has examined a wide variety of variables (Collins & Bell, 1997; Dahlen, Martin, Ragan, & Kuhlman, 2004; Joireman, Anderson, & Strathman, 2003). Recently, researchers have attempted to parse the construct of rumination into subcomponents focusing on particular types of affective experiences. Anger rumination, in particular, has been the subject of increased attention (Sukhodolsky, Golub, & Cromwell, 2001). Theoretical accounts suggest that people believe aggressive behavior improves mood, so if anger rumination intensifies anger, such cognitive styles may predispose individuals to aggressive behavior. In this study, we sought to examine the role of anger rumination in trait physical aggression, trait verbal aggression, hostility, and anger. We predicted that global anger rumination scores would predict trait physical and verbal aggression, hostility, and anger scores even when controlling for an extensive list of covariates. Results indicated that anger rumination significantly predicts physical and verbal aggression and hostility, but not anger. These findings imply that anger rumination plays an important role in physical and verbal aggression as well as hostility. Limitations include the use of self-report measures and cross-sectional data as well as a non-clinical sample. Implications include the potential utility in assessing anger rumination in aggressive clients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study was designed to assess the physiological impact of processing neutral, positive, and negative emotional stimuli among a group of low- and high-hostile individuals. Advances were made by (1) measuring both reactivity and recovery to mood induction and (2) using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to more specifically quantify sympathovagal (Low Frequency divided by High Frequency power, or LF/HF, within the HRV power spectrum) and parasympathetic arousal (Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia; RSA) at the myocardium. In the present study, men and women were equally divided into low- (N=30) and high-hostile (N=30) groups based on their scores on the Cook–Medley Hostility Scale. Electrocardiogram data were collected before, during, and after being given the negative, positive, or neutral version of the Affective Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AAVL). Results indicate that high-hostiles had reduced parasympathetic activity relative to low-hostiles, as measured by RSA. Moreover, relative to low-hostiles, high-hostile participants evidenced reduced sympathovagal reactivity and recovery to the negative AAVL. Results are discussed in terms of their potential value in understanding risk factors for coronary heart disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]