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Cet article se penche sur les différentes conceptualisations et opérationnalisations de la compassion (pour soi et pour les autres), incluant les instruments de mesure et il souligne la nécessité d'élaborer une définition consensuelle de la compassion. À la lumière des appuis théoriques et empiriques actuelles, cet article soutient que la compassion implique des processus d'ordre affectif, cognitif, comportemental et interpersonnel. Dans des articles précédents publiés aux Annales Médico-Psychologiques (Khoury, Dionne, et Grégoire, 2019 ; Khoury, Grégoire, et Dionne, 2020), nous avons conceptualisé la pleine conscience comme étant à la fois « incarnée » et « interpersonnelle ». Prenant appui sur des études neurologiques et neurophysiologiques, cet article étend à la compassion ces deux dimensions essentielles qui sont également propres à la pleine conscience. Cette nouvelle façon de concevoir la compassion ouvre sur des perspectives nouvelles en recherche, notamment dans l'évaluation et la mesure de la compassion et a des implications dans le domaine des approches axées sur la compassion pour soi. The aim of this paper is to review current conceptualizations, assessment measures, and operationalizations of compassion (towards self and others) in order to propose a new theoretically grounded, empirically driven, unified notion of compassion towards self and others. In previous papers published in the Annales Médico-Psychologiques (Khoury, Dionne, & Grégoire, 2019; Khoury, Grégoire, & Dionne, 2020), we conceptualized mindfulness as being both "embodied" and "embedded" in the interpersonal and social context. Drawing on psychological, neurological, and neurophysiological evidence, this article extends these two essential dimensions (embodied and embedded/interpersonal) to compassion for self and others. In order to investigate the current conceptualizations, measurements, operationalizations of compassion towards self and others, we conducted a thorough qualitative review of theoretical and empirical papers pertaining to compassion from both Eastern Buddhist traditions and Western-based approaches. We put a particular emphasis on neurological and neurophysiological evidence. Different Buddhist and Western conceptualizations of compassion towards self and others are presented, critically reviewed, compared, and discussed and common affective, cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal components are drawn from these diverse conceptualizations. In addition, assessment measures of compassion towards self and others are presented along with their psychometric qualities and limitations. Multiple compassion-based interventions and programs are also presented and discussed. The role of the body in compassion towards self and others and more specifically the bidirectional mind-body connection is highlighted through the analysis of clinical, behavioral, and neuroscientific research findings. Empirical findings supporting the embodiment of compassion are thoroughly presented and linked to the proposed conceptualization of compassion towards self and others. Finally, we discuss the implications of the new conceptualization of compassion towards self and others as well as the limitations of this conceptualization and future research directions. Theoretical and empirical findings suggest that compassion has both top-down (cognitive) and bottom-up (emotional, somatosensory) dimensions and more precisely can be an integration (convergence) of both dimensions. In addition, the physical body seems to be central in the etiology, development, and expression of compassion. Moreover, neurophysiological evidence suggests that compassion can be behaviorally reinforced. Taken together, this suggests that compassion can be viewed as embodied and can be operationalized as a cognitive, emotional, and behavioral skill/ability that involves both self and others, therefore is embedded in the interpersonal/social context. Similar to mindfulness, compassion can therefore, be considered and integrated state of mind involving emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. Mindfulness and compassion might also share neurophysiological commonalities, through the integration of top-down and bottom-up processes and the activation of specific vagal pathways as was proposed by the Polyvagal Theory. However, more research is warranted to delineate commonalities and differences between these two contemplative practices. The new notion of embodied and embedded compassion integrates different conceptualizations of compassion by grounding compassion in common affective, cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal processes across different conceptualizations. This notion has important implications in conceptualizing and measuring compassion and in devising and validating new compassion-based interventions. Therefore, this notion should be taken in consideration in conducting future research on compassion towards self and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale (GPIUS2) was developed to operationalize the theoretical cognitive-behavioral model of GPIU. The aims of the study were to examine the theoretical model of GPIU, analyze the psychometric properties of the GPIUS2 among Polish adolescents, study measurement invariance across gender and method of data collection (offline vs. online). The sample comprised of 1,621 participants (52% men, Mage = 20.3). Some participants completed an online version of the GPIUS2 (n = 707, 73% men, M = 17.9), and others filled in a pencil and paper version (n = 914, 35% men, M = 22.1). Reliability was assessed (Cronbach's α; McDonald's ω). The factor structure and nomological, convergent, and discriminant validity were tested. The findings of this study supported the reliability and the factor structure of the GPIUS2. The factor similarity in Polish sample and the original US sample was high (Tucker's congruence coefficients were range: .99-1.00). The structural relationships between the constructs of the model, convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed. The strong measurement invariance of the model across gender and method of data collection was confirmed. The Polish version of the GPIUS2 is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used for Polish adolescent samples. The scale showed measurement invariance across gender and method of data collection. Furthermore, the results support the cognitive-behavioral model of problematic Internet use in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following paper aimed to adapt and validate the Farsi version of the Believability of Anxious Feelings and Thoughts Questionnaire (BAFT), which measures cognitive fusion/defusion, one of the six components in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The authors assessed the psychometric properties of the BAFT in a sample of undergraduate students. Exploratory Factor Analysis supported a three-factor structure with 16 items. The results from a Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed the goodness of fit of the model. The test also demonstrated a good level of internal consistency and incremental validity. Overall, the results show that the Farsi version of BAFT is a consistent and valid scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The NIH Toolbox for Neurological and Behavioral Function assessment battery contains measures in the domains of cognitive function, motor function, sensory function, and emotional health. It was designed for use in epidemiological and clinical trials health-related research. Design: This paper describes the first phase of instrument development for the stress and self-efficacy subdomain of emotional health. Based on an extensive literature review and expert consultation, 127 measures were initially considered for inclusion in this subdomain, including measures of stress, self-efficacy, emotion regulation, and coping. Results: Several measures, including emotion regulation and measures of coping strategies, did not meet criteria that were a priori established for inclusion. Psychometric properties of the remaining candidate measures were evaluated using data from five independent samples (combined N = 3175). Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses indicated the Perceived Stress Scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale each assessed single dimensions. Conclusions: Based on their psychometric performance, these two instruments were selected for inclusion and subsequent national norming for the NIH Toolbox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion reactivity and emotion regulation are salient constructs in theories of emotion and emotion disorders; however, little is known about the convergent and discriminant validity of instruments used to measure them. The current paper examines the validity of four emotion-regulation and three emotion-reactivity instruments (with a total of 27 subscales) across three independent samples of university students (total N = 715). Eight subscales from a coping instrument were also examined. Confirmatory factor analysis failed to show the expected patterns of convergent and discriminant validity; however, exploratory factor analysis revealed three different factors, reflecting out-of-control negative emotion, emotion awareness and expression, and cognitive strategies for emotion regulation. Results have implications for both basic emotions research and clinical science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to clarify how positive and negative emotions are related to the common attitude-change effect in cognitive dissonance research. Drawing on appraisal theories of emotion, and emotion-regulation research, we predicted that negative emotions would be inversely related to attitude change, whereas positive emotions would be positively related to attitude change in the induced compliance paradigm. In two studies, participants (N = 44; N = 106) wrote a counter-attitudinal essay under the perception of high choice, and were later asked to state their emotions in relation to writing this essay, as well as to state their attitude. Results confirmed the predictions, even when controlling for baseline emotions. These findings untangled a previously unresolved issue in dissonance research, which in turn shows how important emotion theories are for the understanding of cognitive dissonance processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing theory of mind (ToM) with reliable and valid measures is important, as ToM plays a significant role in children’s social and cognitive functioning. With this in mind, a thorough analysis of the Theory of Mind scale and the Faux Pas Recognition Test was conducted. Over 750 school-age (M age = 7.7) children with disabilities (mild intellectual disability, hearing impairment) and without disabilities took part in our study. The psychometric properties of measures in these groups of children were checked, using confirmatory item factor analysis, reliability, and validity analyses. Thanks to groups’ invariance it was possible to compare mean results of children in the groups. Both measures showed well-fitted models with acceptable goodness of fit as well as scalar and strict invariance. An IRT analysis showed significant differences in the difficulty of the tasks in all groups, but the same order of passing tasks in comparison to other studies, conducted in Western countries, has been observed. Our results showed that the tasks were the easiest for children without disabilities, and most difficult for children with mild intellectual disability. We obtained significant and positive correlations between ToM and social skills and language abilities. The findings are discussed in relation to results from other studies in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of visual perception has largely been completed without regard to the influence that an individual’s emotional status may have on their performance in visual tasks. However, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that mood may affect not only creative abilities and interpersonal skills but also the capacity to perform low-level cognitive tasks. Here, we sought to determine whether rudimentary visual search processes are similarly affected by emotion. Specifically, we examined whether an individual’s perceived happiness level affects their ability to detect a target in noise. To do so, we employed pop-out and serial visual search paradigms, implemented using a novel smartphone application that allowed search times and self-rated levels of happiness to be recorded throughout each twenty-four-hour period for two weeks. This experience sampling protocol circumvented the need to alter mood artificially with laboratory-based induction methods. Using our smartphone application, we were able to replicate the classic visual search findings, whereby pop-out search times remained largely unaffected by the number of distractors whereas serial search times increased with increasing number of distractors. While pop-out search times were unaffected by happiness level, serial search times with the maximum numbers of distractors (n = 30) were significantly faster for high happiness levels than low happiness levels (p = 0.02). Our results demonstrate the utility of smartphone applications in assessing ecologically valid measures of human visual performance. We discuss the significance of our findings for the assessment of basic visual functions using search time measures, and for our ability to search effectively for targets in real world settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether structural and process characteristics of memory assessment services (MASs) are associated with outcomes (changes in patients' health-related quality of life (HRQL), carers' HRQL and carers' burden) over the first 6 months following the first appointment.Methods: Data from 785 patients referred to 69 MASs and 511 of their lay carers, collected at the first appointment and 6 months later. Data on MAS characteristics were collected using a questionnaire at baseline. We used multilevel linear regression models to explore the associations of patients' HRQL and carers' outcomes with structural and process characteristics of MASs. Analyses were conducted on the full sample of patients and carers, and separately on those patients diagnosed with dementia.Results: None of the structural (skill mix, workload, volume, provision of clinical assessments and provision of psychosocial support) or process (waiting time, length and number of appointments, anti-dementia drug use and psychosocial interventions use) characteristics included in the analyses were associated with patients' or carers' outcomes at 6 months, apart from the presence of allied health professionals (AHPs), which was associated with a DEMQOL score 2.7 points higher. When only those with a diagnosis of dementia were considered, the association with presence of AHPs was no longer observed.Conclusions: Apart from involving AHPs, alterations to the way MASs are structured or function appear unlikely to improve their effectiveness in improving patients' and carers' HRQL. It is possible that the characteristics of MASs may influence patients' and carers' experience, but this was not studied. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare genetic disorder caused by a defect in the metabolism of phenylalanine (PHE) resulting in elevated blood and brain PHE levels, and leading to cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial problems. The phenylketonuria - quality of life (PKU-QOL) questionnaire was the first self-administered disease-specific instrument developed to assess the impact of PKU and its treatment on the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of patients and their caregivers. Available in four versions (child, adolescent, adult and parent), the PKU-QOL was simultaneously developed and validated in seven countries [i.e., France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom (UK)]. The objectives of our study were to develop and linguistically validate the PKU-QOL questionnaire for use in the United States (US).Methods: The UK versions served as a basis for the development of the US English PKU-QOL questionnaire. The linguistic validation process consisted of 4 steps: 1) adaptation of the UK versions into US English by a translator native of US English and living in the US; 2) a clinician review; 3) cognitive interviews with patients and caregivers to test the appropriateness, understandability and clarity of the US translations; and 4) two proof-readings.Results: The adaptation from UK to US English revealed the usual syntactic and idiomatic differences between the two languages, such as differences in: 1) Spelling, e.g., "dietician" (UK) vs. "dietitian" (US), or "mum" (UK) vs. "mom" (US); 2) Syntax or punctuation; and 3) Words/expressions use, e.g., "holidays" (UK) vs. "vacation" (US), or "biscuits" (UK) vs. "crackers" (US). The major issue was cultural, and consisted of using a different terminology to describe PKU treatment throughout the questionnaires. The clinician, with the patients and the caregivers, during the interviews suggested to replace "supplement and amino-acid mixture" or "supplements" with "medical formula." This wording was later changed to "medical food" to be consistent with the terminology used in current US published guidelines.Conclusions: The translation of the UK English PKU-QOL questionnaire into US English did not raise critical semantic and cultural issues. The PKU-QOL will be valuable for US healthcare providers in individualizing treatment and managing patients with PKU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the prevention and resolution of conflicts in social contexts, an important step is to understand how different emotions and empathic traits are linked to punishment behaviors. Unfortunately, few paradigms exist to study these phenomena. Here, we developed the Inequality Game (IG) as an economic and verbal interaction paradigm in which participants are faced with an “unfair other” as opposed to a “fair other” and subsequently have the opportunity to engage in a range of social behaviors. These social behaviors include cooperative or competitive economic choices and nice or derogatory verbal behavior toward the unfair and fair other. Participants could thus engage in punishment or forgiveness behavior toward the unfair other as well as in cooperative or aggressive behavior toward the fair other. We validated the IG through multimodal measures comprising the assessment of personality traits, emotions (by means of facial expressions and self-reports), arousal (by means of skin conductance responses), physical effort (force exertion), and behavioral reactions. Second, we examined the influence of emotions and empathy-related traits on punishment behavior. With regard to emotions, we observed a positive relation between malicious joy and punishment behavior. This result highlights the role of reward-related mechanisms in favoring punishment behavior. In addition, different empathic traits had opposing effects on antisocial behavior. Whereas personal distress predicted aggressive verbal behavior, perspective taking and empathic concern predicted a reduction in punishment behavior. Empathic traits also modulated emotional experience and person evaluations, such that perspective taking was related to more positive affect (less frowning and more smiling) and a more favorable evaluation of the unfair other. The current data validate the IG, reveal that malicious joy is positively related to punishment behavior, and show that different types of empathic traits can have opposing effects on antisocial behavior as well as on related emotions and person evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to validate a Chinese’s adaption of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for children (CERQ-Ck). This self-report instrument evaluates nine cognitive emotion regulation strategies that can be used by children after experiencing a negative life event. The CERQ-Ck was evaluated in a sample of 1403 elementary students between the ages of 9 and 11 by using cluster sampling. All the item-correlation coefficients for CERQ-Ck were above 0.30. The internal consistencies of the nine factors suggested moderate reliability (0.66 to 0.73). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated that the current version had the same structure as the original instrument (Tucker–Lewis index = 0.912, comparative fit index = 0.922, root mean square error of approximation = 0.032, standardized root mean square residual = 0.044). A second-order factor and a third-order factor structure were also found. Test–retest correlations (0.53 to 0.70, ps < 0.01) over a period of 1 month, which ranged from acceptable to moderately strong were obtained from a random and stratified subsample of elementary students (N = 76). In addition, we analyzed convergent validity in relation to CERQ-Ck and the Chinese version of the Children’s Depression Inventory model dimensions with a subsample of 1083 elementary students. Multiple-group CFA confirmed the measurement invariance for both the male and female groups (ΔCFI < 0.01, ΔRMSEA < 0.015). Overall, results indicate that CERQ-Ck has similar psychometric properties to the original instrument as well as with adequate reliability and validity to investigate the nine cognitive emotion regulation strategies during late childhood developmental periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychometric characteristics of the Postconcussion Symptom Inventory (PCSI) were examined in both concussed (n = 633) and uninjured (n = 1,273) 5 to 18 year olds. Parent- and self-report forms were created with developmentally appropriate wording and content. Factor analyses identified physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep factors; that did not load strongly or discriminate between groups were eliminated. Internal consistency was strong for the total scales (α = 0.8–0.9). Test–retest reliability for the self-report forms was moderate to strong (intraclass coeffecients, ICCs = 0.65–0.89). Parent and self-report concordance was moderate (r = .44–.65), underscoring the importance of both perspectives. Convergent validity with another symptom measure was good (r = .8). Classification analyses indicated greater discriminability from parent report, but caveats to this are presented. With strong psychometric characteristics, the four versions of the PCSI capture important postconcussion symptoms and can be utilized to track recovery from pediatric concussion and guide treatment recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Cognitive disturbances in depression are pernicious and so contribute strongly to the burden of the disorder. Cognitive function has been traditionally studied by challenging subjects with modality-specific psychometric tasks and analysing performance using standard analysis of variance. Whilst informative, such an approach may miss deeper perceptual and inferential mechanisms that potentially unify apparently divergent emotional and cognitive deficits. Here, we sought to elucidate basic psychophysical processes underlying the detection of emotionally salient signals across individuals with melancholic and non-melancholic depression. Methods Sixty participants completed an Affective Go/No-Go (AGN) task across negative, positive and neutral target stimuli blocks. We employed hierarchical Bayesian signal detection theory (SDT) to model psychometric performance across three equal groups of those with melancholic depression, those with a non-melancholic depression and healthy controls. This approach estimated likely response profiles (bias) and perceptual sensitivity (discriminability). Differences in the means of these measures speak to differences in the emotional signal detection between individuals across the groups, while differences in the variance reflect the heterogeneity of the groups themselves. Results Melancholic participants showed significantly decreased sensitivity to positive emotional stimuli compared to those in the non-melancholic group, and also had a significantly lower discriminability than healthy controls during the detection of neutral signals. The melancholic group also showed significantly higher variability in bias to both positive and negative emotionally salient material. Conclusions Disturbances of emotional signal detection in melancholic depression appear dependent on emotional context, being biased during the detection of positive stimuli, consistent with a noisier representation of neutral stimuli. The greater heterogeneity of the bias across the melancholic group is consistent with a more labile disorder (i.e. variable across the day). Future work will aim to understand how these findings reflect specific individual differences (e.g. prior cognitive biases) and clarify whether such biases change dynamically during cognitive tasks as internal models of the sensorium are refined and updated in response to experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although most people can identify facial expressions of emotions well, they still differ in this ability. According to embodied simulation theories understanding emotions of others is fostered by involuntarily mimicking the perceived expressions, causing a “reactivation” of the corresponding mental state. Some studies suggest automatic facial mimicry during expression viewing; however, findings on the relationship between mimicry and emotion perception abilities are equivocal. The present study investigated individual differences in emotion perception and its relationship to facial muscle responses - recorded with electromyogram (EMG) - in response to emotional facial expressions. N° = °269 participants completed multiple tasks measuring face and emotion perception. EMG recordings were taken from a subsample (N° = °110) in an independent emotion classification task of short videos displaying six emotions. Confirmatory factor analyses of the m. corrugator supercilii in response to angry, happy, sad, and neutral expressions showed that individual differences in corrugator activity can be separated into a general response to all faces and an emotion-related response. Structural equation modeling revealed a substantial relationship between the emotion-related response and emotion perception ability, providing evidence for the role of facial muscle activation in emotion perception from an individual differences perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]