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Philosophers and psychologists sometimes categorize emotions like surprise and curiosity as specifically epistemic. Is there some reasonably unified and interesting class of emotions here? If so, what unifies it? This paper proposes and defends an evaluative account of epistemic emotions: What it is to be an epistemic emotion is to have fittingness conditions that distinctively involve some epistemic evaluation. We argue that this view has significant advantages over alternative proposals and is a promising way to identify a limited and interesting class of emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People vary in the effectiveness with which they can change the way that others feel, yet we know surprisingly little about what drives these individual differences in interpersonal emotion regulation success. This paper provides a framework for describing 'success' in interpersonal emotion regulation and synthesizes extant theory and research regarding how personality and cognitive ability relate to interpersonal emotion regulation success. In doing so, our review brings together work from several related fields to offer an integrative framework to generate and guide future research that aims to understand why some people are proficient at influencing the emotions of others and why some are not, often suffering additional unintended consequences, such as diminished work or relationship success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional states of animals influence their cognitive processes as well as their behavior. Assessing emotional states is important for animal welfare science as well as for many fields of neuroscience, behavior science, and biomedicine. This can be done in different ways, e.g. through assessing animals' physiological states or interpreting their behaviors. This paper focuses on the so-called cognitive judgment bias test, which has gained special attention in the last 2 decades and has become a highly important tool for measuring emotional states in non-human animals. However, less attention has been given to the epistemology of the cognitive judgment bias test and to disentangling the relevance of different steps in the underlying cognitive mechanisms. This paper sheds some light on both the epistemology of the methods and the architecture of the underlying cognitive abilities of the tested animals. Based on this reconstruction, we propose a scheme for classifying and assessing different cognitive abilities involved in cognitive judgment bias tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

In order not to confuse the elderly state with the psychobiological development of the individual – growth, maturity, decadence – this paper aims to recover the difference between the prescribed emotions, seen as proper to the social role of the elderly, and the experience both of the people who have this role, and of those who have to do with them in various capacities (family members, carers). Psychoanalysis has kept away from old age: it would seem that advanced age contracts the space of the symbolic, that the importance of experiences is reduced, and one feels confronted with facts that "finally" acquire the weight of indisputable limits, compared to the which one feels helpless. However, the elderly continue to have an emotional life, whatever their biological and/or cognitive condition and the unconscious does not know time. Rather, it seems important to find ways to interrupt the enactment and think about the collusive set-up of desocialization, loss of identity and social power associated with the elderly state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurocognitive functions play a decisive role in neurodevelopmental disorders affecting the quality of life of individuals with corresponding diagnoses or clinical indications. In addition, the parameter of executives and their subcategories, such as cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibition, as well as the possibility of their optimization through special treatment and training, have been extensively studied in the literature over the past several decades. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a decade's worth of review studies on executive functions and quality of life in developmental spectrum disorders. Given the genetic heterogeneity and polymorphism of the neurodevelopmental disorder profile and the overlap of outcome parameters, the findings of review studies must be more consistent in explaining causal factors and the efficacy of interventions. Nonetheless, innovative therapeutic approaches and their individualization hold promise for bridging this gap, with the aim of enhancing the quality of life for individuals in this diagnostic category and their close relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the challenges of human existence, identifying the major features that sustain man's striving to persist in life (conatus) is very essential in understanding who man is. This paper critically evaluates Aristotelian concept of happiness (eudaimonia) and its conative role in human existence as it ignites newness of interest in Aristotelian theory of happiness as the ultimate end of all human activities. Aristotle's notion of happiness connotes conative experiences; actions that signify movements of some sorts for preservation of life. With regard to self-preservation in existence, Aristotle held the opinion that man has the natural inclination to actualize his potentialities through strong efforts of the will towards the right, and at the same time to create new potentialities to sustain his life. Through the activities of the soul (virtuous acts), man propels himself in a distinctive way towards objects of his desire for survival and flourishing. His concept of emotions as having the affective, cognitive as well as behavioural dimensions revealed that emotions have psychological values and vital functions which serve as survival instinct in man. However, they differ in their aims in that they have both attractive and aversive characteristics such that they move him either to seek or to avoid necessary objects that enhance or harm his existence, respectively. Considering the subjective experiences of pains and pleasures of emotions, they dispose man to virtuous actions towards excellence. However, to sustain man's inner drive to persist in life, this paper objects to the theses that happiness can be restricted to only cognitive activities. Despite the weaknesses of his treatise concerning happiness in relation to man's striving to persist, it was observed that Aristotle's notion of happiness aids man's striving in life. For further studies, it recommended clarification of ambiguous concepts and reconciliation of contradictions inherent in the theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of conceptualising and measuring learner engagement in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The paper develops and validates a MOOC engagement scale (MES) to measure learner engagement. The initial questionnaire items of the scale were developed by reviewing existing related literature and validated student engagement constructs. This was followed by a modified scale development process, including two focus group interviews (n = 10), an exploratory survey (n = 12), an expert review (n = 10), a pilot survey (n = 15), an item purification study (n = 590) and a construct validation study (n = 303). The final version of the scale is made up of four dimensions: behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement, emotional engagement and social engagement. The paper concludes with recommendations for how the MES can be used to assess the pattern of engagement in MOOCs and to investigate the relationship between learner engagement and other important MOOC teaching and learning factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the first normative crisis, birth might be the primal experience of change for every person. Current research shows that the foetus not only perceives what is happening to him/her in the perinatal period, but he/she even responds to it. Birth experiences and the subsequent reactions create patterns, which may activate again in later life situations. These patterns include physiological, behavioural, cognitive and emotional components, and they influence the personal development as well as the adult functioning and well-being. In this paper, we introduce our theory of the probable long-term effects of perinatal experiences. Our hypotheses are based on medical and epigenetics research findings, on current theories about the significance of the perinatal period and on our 22 years of psychotherapeutic experience. We discuss the effects of the perinatal experiences along the following four topics. According to our assumption, the perinatal experiences become the basic pattern (1) of how we cope with change, (2) of how we manage stress and losses, (3) of how we can bond with others, and (4) of what our attitude is towards touch and towards intimacy. However, the emergence and the functioning of these basic patterns are not rigid and schematic. They are also formed by the subsequent experiences during the entire life, and they can be corrected in any period of life. At the end of the paper we summarise the symptoms in adulthood, when psychotherapy might be recommended to process the traumatic perinatal experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the quality and characteristics of the physical environment upon children's holistic development. Since children are primarily a large consumer of their physical environment, it is thus important to understand how the role of these physical structures and facilities influence their cognitive, emotional, social, physical development and behaviours. However, most of their needs are often ignored by relevant dominant groups, especially in planning and renewal processes of nature or built environments. Children's usage of their physical environment does not only confine to the home, school, home yard or playground, but also the neighbourhood at large that can undoubtedly sustain or deprive their development. Researchers from the disciplines of developmental psychology and environmental sciences have tried to examine the effects and impact of the physical environment on children's overall development. However, the studies present a major challenge due to scant empirical research that links the quality of the physical setting and human development. Research findings are however still conflicting in these areas and one needs to explore further to substantiate the previous findings. The theories proposed by Ulric Neisser (1980) and Jean Piaget (1971) stressed on the independent mobility for the development of cognitive representations in children as users of the physical environment. However, the theories failed to look at the role of the environment as a cyclic process. On the contrary, a theory proposed by J.J. Gibson (1977) offered a psychologically significant approach to estimate the qualities of different environmental properties. In this paper, the researchers will also focus on the risks factors pertaining to the environmental stressors such as outdoor children's play behaviour, school performance setting, mental health, traffic and road safety, social relations and physical health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the interplay between affective and cognitive processes of decision making within the bounded rationality perspective, in particular for the debate on adaptive decision making and strategy selection. This gap in the knowledge is particularly important as affect and deliberation may direct preferences in opposite directions. How do decision makers solve such dissonance? In this paper, we address this question by exploring the use of integral affect as a choice heuristic in comparison with and in conjunction to “take the best,” and weighted addition of attributes (WADD). We operationalize theories of reliance on affect in choice through a "Take the emotionally best" algorithm. Its predictive power is experimentally tested against other models, including mixed-sequential cognitive/affective procedures. We find that individual decisions are better predicted by a sequential combination of "Take the emotionally best" and "Take the best" with a slight dominance of the former. Conditions of cognitive/affective ambivalence, low discrimination ability and high complexity provide the cognitive architecture where such blended choice strategies predict decisions more precisely. This implies that reliance on integral affect may precede the use of cognitive cues following an ecological rationality perspective rather than supporting a kind of competition between affect and cognition as implied in current literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrative approach to theorising behavioural, affective and cognitive processes in model-driven group decision support (GDS) interventions is needed to gain insight into the (micro-)processes by which outcomes are accomplished. This paper proposes that the theoretical lens of situated affectivity, grounded in recent extensions of scaffolded mind models, is suitable to understand the performativity of affective micro-processes in model-driven GDS interventions. An illustrative vignette of a humorous micro-moment in a group decision workshop is presented to reveal the performativity of extended affective scaffolding processes for group decision development. The lens of situated affectivity constitutes a novel approach for the study of interventionist practice in the context of group decision making (and negotiation). An outlook with opportunities for future research is offered to facilitate an integrated approach to the study of cognitive-affective and behavioural micro-processes in model-driven GDS interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is purported to start in early childhood but concerns about attenuation of anxiety symptoms over time and the development of emerging cognitive and emotional processing capabilities pose multiple challenges for accurate detection. This paper presents the first known case reports of very young children with GAD to examine these developmental challenges at the item level. Three children, five-to-six years of age, were assessed with the Diagnostic Infant and Preschool Assessment twice in a test-retest reliability study. One case appeared to show attenuation of the worries during the test-retest period based on caregiver report but not when followed over two years. The other two cases showed stability of the full complement of diagnostic criteria. The cases were useful for demonstrating that the current diagnostic criteria appear adequate for this developmental period. The challenges of accurate assessment of young children that might cause missed diagnoses are discussed. Future research on the underlying dysregulation of negative emotionality and long-term follow-ups are needed to better understand the etiology, treatment, and course of GAD in this age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: The presence of executive deficits in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is well established, even if standardized measures are difficult to obtain due to progressive physical disability of the patients. We present clinical data concerning a newly developed measure of cognitive flexibility, administered by means of Eye-Tracking (ET) technology in order to bypass verbal-motor limitations. Methods: 21 ALS patients and 21 age-and education-matched healthy subjects participated in an ET-based cognitive assessment, including a newly developed test of cognitive flexibility (Arrows and Colors Cognitive Test–ACCT) and other oculomotor-driven measures of cognitive functions. A standard screening of frontal and working memory abilities and global cognitive efficiency was administered to all subjects, in addition to a psychological self-rated assessment. For ALS patients, a clinical examination was also performed. Results: ACCT successfully discriminated between patients and healthy controls, mainly concerning execution times obtained at different subtests. A qualitative analysis performed on error distributions in patients highlighted a lower prevalence of perseverative errors, with respect to other type of errors. Correlations between ACCT and other ET-based frontal-executive measures were significant and involved different frontal sub-domains. Limited correlations were observed between ACCT and standard ‘paper and pencil’ cognitive tests. Conclusions: The newly developed ET-based measure of cognitive flexibility could be a useful tool to detect slight frontal impairments in non-demented ALS patients by bypassing verbal-motor limitations through the oculomotor-driven administration. The findings reported in the present study represent the first contribution towards the development of a full verbal-motor free executive test for ALS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, children are surviving pediatric cancer at unprecedented rates, making it one of modern medicine’s true success stories. However, we are increasingly becoming aware of several deleterious effects of cancer and the subsequent “cure” that extend beyond physical sequelae. Indeed, survivors of childhood cancer commonly report cognitive, emotional, and psychological difficulties, including attentional difficulties, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Cognitive late- and long-term effects have been largely attributed to neurotoxic effects of cancer treatments (e.g., chemotherapy, cranial irradiation, surgery) on brain development. The role of childhood adversity in pediatric cancer - namely, the presence of a life-threatening disease and endurance of invasive medical procedures - has been largely ignored in the existing neuroscientific literature, despite compelling research by our group and others showing that exposure to more commonly studied adverse childhood experiences (i.e., domestic and community violence, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse) strongly imprints on neural development. While these adverse childhood experiences are different in many ways from the experience of childhood cancer (e.g., context, nature, source), they do share a common element of exposure to threat (i.e., threat to life or physical integrity). Therefore, we argue that the double hit of early threat and cancer treatments likely alters neural development, and ultimately, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional outcomes. In this paper, we (1) review the existing neuroimaging research on child, adolescent, and adult survivors of childhood cancer, (2) summarize gaps in our current understanding, (3) propose a novel neurobiological framework that characterizes childhood cancer as a type of childhood adversity, particularly a form of early threat, focusing on development of the hippocampus and the salience and emotion network (SEN), and (4) outline future directions for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the ethical implications of assessments of decision-making capacity, adequate definitions and appropriate assessment criteria are essential, especially with regard to clinical practice in psychiatry. Currently applied standards have been criticized for emphasizing exclusively cognitive abilities. In particular, the present paper questions the adequacy of the current reasoning criterion. Referring to dual-process models of decision making, it is argued that the reasoning standard embraces only one side of the duality that is rational deliberation, and fails to take proper account of intuitive decision making. An outline of intuition's potency in health care decisions informs the present account of why the current reasoning standard fails to take adequate accoun: of patients' decision-making preferences and of major deficits in intuitive reasoning. Toward a more comprehensive understanding, a possible reconceptualization of reasoning as the ability to decision-related self-reflection is advanced, and implications for evaluation, challenges, and limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the idea that multiplicity of viewpoint is the norm in discourse ( Mey, 1999; Verhagen, 2005; Dancygier, 2012b ), this paper presents an analysis of viewpoint in radio narratives in terms of Mental Spaces and Conceptual Integration Theory (MSCIT). More specifically, it studies the linguistic and cognitive strategies used by narrators of late night call-in radio programmes to disclose intimate experiences; that is, the strategies used to solve the tension between the need to share their traumatic experiences and the need to protect themselves from strangers, between what they want to say and how they can say it within this specific medial setting. A thorough integration of MSCIT theoretical and analytical tools, based on the notion of mixed viewpoint discourse ( Dancygier, 2012b; Dancygier and Vandelanotte, 2016 ), helps to better understand the fragmented and complex structure of the text under study, the idiosyncratic features of the communicative medium, as well as how the narrator manages to turn an individual, intimate experience into a global story shared by the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions play a significant role in internal regulatory processes. In this paper, we advocate four key ideas. First, novelty detection can be grounded in the sensorimotor experience and allow higher order appraisal. Second, cognitive processes, such as those involved in self-assessment, influence emotional states by eliciting affects like boredom and frustration. Third, emotional processes such as those triggered by self-assessment influence attentional processes. Last, close emotion-cognition interactions implement an efficient feedback loop for the purpose of top-down behavior regulation. The latter is what we call ‘Emotional Metacontrol’. We introduce a model based on artificial neural networks. This architecture is used to control a robotic system in a visual search task. The emotional metacontrol intervenes to bias the robot visual attention during active object recognition. Through a behavioral and statistical analysis, we show that this mechanism increases the robot performance and fosters the exploratory behavior to avoid deadlocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many children are repeatedly reported to statutory child protection services, but do not receive the protection they need. Many such children are suffering chronic maltreatment, which is likely to result in cumulative harm. Chronic maltreatment encompasses emotional abuse and chronic neglect. As a result, children can experience a range of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural problems that are more serious than those associated with other abuse types. This paper focuses on the Victorian statutory child protection system, and considers why cumulative harm is not receiving the attention the legislation intends. Under the Victorian legislation cumulative harm must be proven on grounds of emotional abuse and/or neglect. However, it is difficult for child protection practitioners to place before the court the necessary evidence to establish these grounds. The paper concludes that the legal definitions of emotional abuse and neglect should not require evidence of a link between the abusive actions of the parent and the poor outcomes for the child. The evidentiary focus should be on the actions of the parent. Furthermore, legislation should focus on abusive parental behaviours that are likely to result in cumulative harm, which are more concrete and measureable than emotional abuse and neglect, such as intimate partner violence and parental illicit drug use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We often get evidence concerning the reliability of our own thinking about some particular matter. This “higher-order evidence” can come from the disagreement of others, or from information about our being subject to the effects of drugs, fatigue, emotional ties, implicit biases, etc. This paper examines some pros and cons of two fairly general models for accommodating higher-order evidence. The one that currently seems most promising also turns out to have the consequence that epistemic akrasia should occur more frequently than is sometimes supposed. But it also helps us see why this might not be a bad thing. [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 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]

Empathy is the heightened ability to cognitively perceive and/or affectively share the emotions of others, which has been consistently associated with desirable social interactions. This paper aimed to test the bi-factorial structure of a Portuguese version of the Basic Empathy Scale and examine its variation by gender and age using a large community sample (n = 1029) of adolescents. The two-factor model, originally developed and supported by other cross-cultural validations, presented good fit indicators which was similar across genders and adolescent age groups. Girls were more empathic than boys and younger adolescents were more empathic than the older ones. Further support for the validity of the new scale comes from its relations to measures of social skills and aggression which were similar to theoretical predictions. In conclusion, the Portuguese version of the BES is a consistent and valid instrument for the assessment of empathy in samples of adolescents aged 12–18 years old in Portugal, which can now be used in cross-cultural studies of this important psychological construct. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the affective factors underlying conflict behavior. Traditional conflict research assumes that when individuals face conflicts they follow a rational process, thus denying the role of emotion-relevant variables. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 358 undergraduate students from the University of Santiago de Compostela were classified into four different affective groups (happy, inactive, sad, and surprised) based on their actual emotional experience and asked to complete ROCI-II. ANOVA were conducted to test hypotheses. Findings – Results reveal that affective groups statistically differ in their self-reported conflict management styles. Positive moods and feelings have been found to be related to the preference for more cooperative strategies. Research limitations/implications – This study is exploratory in nature and since hypotheses were only partly supported, future research should address this topic in depth. Practical implications – It has been suggested that, in order to handle conflicts properly, individuals should take into account both their cognition and emotion. Originality/value – This paper sheds light on current research in the prediction of conflict behavior by examining the impact of affect out from the lab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Researchers suggest that trust building may be challenging in the face of conflict. However, there is an emerging proposition that conflict is critical for trust. Using affective events and attribution theories as a framework, the purpose of this paper is to present a model of the mediating effects of positive emotional arousal and self-conscious emotions in the relationship between conflict and trust. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 325 students enrolled in varied postgraduate programs in a large business school. The authors employed Preacher and Hayes's bootstrapping SPSS macros to test the direct and mediation effects of the connection between conflict, emotions and trust. Findings – Results showed that task, relationship and process conflict were associated with differing aspects of positive emotional arousal (enthusiasm, excitement) and self-conscious emotions (guilt and shame). Similarly, behavioural guilt was linked with trust while emotions mediated the link between conflict and trust. Research limitations/implications – The authors acknowledge that there are possible covariates (e.g. how long ago did the conflict occur?) with the variables used in the current study. Future research should include such covariates in the study of the relationship between conflict emotions and trust. Also, the data were largely cross-sectional, drawn from a relatively small sample. In future, researchers should examine similar constructs with longitudinal data and in large organisational sample. In spite of the above limitations, the validity of the results presented in this paper is not compromised. The study extends self-conscious emotions literature by demonstrating that guilt and shame have cognitive and behavioural properties and with differing connections with conflict and trust. Practical implications – The paper's findings suggest that managers who want to engender trust in conflict situations should stimulate task conflict to arouse enthusiasm and excitement. These discrete emotions are critical for building integrity based trust. Alternatively, by managing reparative emotions of guilt effectively, managers may increase levels of perceived trust. Overall, the results suggest that focusing on the effect of conflict on trust without considering the positive emotional arousal and self-conscious emotions could yield disappointing outcomes. Originality/value – The study provides new insights into the influence of conflict on trust and the mediating role of emotions (e.g. guilt and shame) in the link between conflict and trust. The paper also offers a practical assistance to individuals interested in building trust, especially in the face of conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The aims of this paper are: 1) to present the My Skin questionnaire, 2) to report the preliminary results of a study on the emotional-cognitive skin representation, and 3) to encourage dermatologists and other specialists to use the My Skin questionnaire in their research. The inspiration for a new tool measuring the emotional and cognitive representation of skin was the psychological conception of the 'skin ego'. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE My Skin, a self-questionnaire (MSQ), was used to measure the emotional and cognitive representation of an individual's skin. It consists of two main scales: satisfaction with the skin condition (AB) and awareness of the biopsychosocial functions of the skin (C). The Body Esteem Scale, Body Self Questionnaire and Self-Esteem Scale were used to validate the MSQ. The participants were: healthy individuals (n = 343) and dermatology patients (psoriasis, vitiligo, juvenile acne, n = 84). RESULTS The psychometric parameters are presented in this article. The internal consistency reliabilities for subscales are in the range of .75 and .95. This article also presents preliminary basic statistics for the skin representation of dermatology patients and healthy people. CONCLUSIONS My Skin questionnaire is a valid tool for assessing cognitive and emotional representation of skin and may be used in psychodermatology and esthetic dermatology to assess satisfaction with and awareness of skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals differ in their willingness to engage with disgusting stimuli (e.g., dirty diapers). We propose that such differences are associated with attitudes towards disgust. Specifically, we predicted that people with less negative attitudes towards disgust (i.e., those who evaluate disgust less negatively) would be more willing to engage with disgusting stimuli. We asked participants to engage with disgusting stimuli in the laboratory and used two measures that assess behavioural and affective or cognitive components of attitudes towards disgust. As predicted, less negative attitudes towards disgust were associated with greater engagement with disgusting stimuli, above and beyond the current experience of disgust and the tendency to experience disgust. These findings stress the importance of attitudes towards emotions in understanding emotion-relevant behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper about the treatment process with a young woman, Anna, illustrates how issues of thinking, reflecting, finding words to express emotions, were closely intertwined with processes in her body. Her difficulties in her adult life corresponded closely to the effects of the development of a “second skin”, as this phenomenon was described by the famous article by Esther Bick in 1968. During her analytic process, Anna needed to find words to enable a loosening of bodily tension, while in a reciprocal action a more relaxed body facilitated emotional and cognitive functioning. She had developed a compensatory adhesive identification with her mother, characterizing also her way of relating within the transference and to other close relationships. Her creative unconscious suggestive of Chr. Bollas’ concept of psychic genera (Bollas, 1993) has helped her in her struggle to bridge gaps in her development. The therapist has consciously tried not to interfere with the patient’s way of finding her trajectory to facilitate development, in order to avoid a possible impasse by becoming caught in a protracted adhesive transference constellation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In these days considerable attention is being made on carving the positive aspect of life and in this regard the relative efficacy of the concept of well being can not be denied. The notion of wellbeing can best be defined as a complex construct which is comprised of optimal psychological functioning and experience. It reveals the positive affects even for the negative circumstances, but it, too is not the sheer absence of mental illness. Surely, it makes a balance between positive affect and negative circumstances. However, it is deeply with favorable emotions, negative affect and total cognitive awareness of life satisfaction. Positive affect consists of pleasant emotion or feeling while negative emotion causes negative feeling and thus, hampers the roots of well being. So, there is a need to understand the concept of well being, try to minimize the hampering factors and attempt to enhance its magnitude and then, spread in the society. This is a review cum observation based paper in which the author has shed light on the concept of well being and its current status in Indian scenario. The barriers of wellbeing are also discussed that disturb the flow of well being. At last, strategies for the promotion of well being is also discussed with a desire of universal welfare or Lok Kalyan, which can only be possible by thinking, perceiving, acting and behaving good for the society and that must be unconditional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What evidence could bear on questions about whether humans ever perceptually experience any of another’s mental states, and how might those questions be made precise enough to test experimentally? This paper focusses on emotions and their expression. It is proposed that research on perceptual experiences of physical properties provides one model for thinking about what evidence concerning expressions of emotion might reveal about perceptual experiences of others’ mental states. This proposal motivates consideration of the hypothesis that categorical perception of expressions of emotion occurs, can be facilitated by information about agents’ emotions, and gives rise to phenomenal expectations. It is argued that the truth of this hypothesis would support a modest version of the claim that humans sometimes perceptually experience some of another’s mental states. Much available evidence is consistent with, but insufficient to establish, the truth of the hypothesis. We are probably not yet in a position to know whether humans ever perceptually experience others’ mental states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision making (DM) 2 2 Decision making is abbreviated as DM throughout the text. is a complex process that appears to involve several brain structures. In particular, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) seem to be essential in human decision making, where both emotional and cognitive aspects are taken into account. In this paper, we present a computational network model representing the neural information processing of DM, from perception to behavior. We model the population dynamics of the three neural structures (amygdala, OFC and LPFC), as well as their interaction. In our model, the neurodynamic activity of amygdala and OFC represents the neural correlates of secondary emotion, while the activity of certain neural populations in OFC alone represents the outcome expectancy of different options. The cognitive/rational aspect of DM is associated with LPFC. Our model is intended to give insights on the emotional and cognitive processes involved in DM under various internal and external contexts. Different options for actions are represented by the oscillatory activity of cell assemblies, which may change due to experience and learning. Knowledge and experience of the outcome of our decisions and actions can eventually result in changes in our neural structures, attitudes and behaviors. Simulation results may have implications for how we make decisions for our individual actions, as well as for societal choices, where we take examples from transport and its impact on CO 2 emissions and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to contribute to a broader understanding of the cognitive consequences of expressive suppression. Specifically, we examined whether the deteriorating effect of expressive suppression on cognitive functioning is caused by tense arousal enhanced by suppression. Two experiments were performed in order to test this prediction. In both studies we tested the effect of expressive suppression on working memory, as measured with a backwards digit-span task (Study 1, N = 43) and anagram problem-solving task (Study 2, N = 60). In addition, in Study 2 we tested whether expressive suppression degrades memory of the events that emerged during the period of expressive suppression. Both studies were conducted in a similar design: Participants watched a film clip which evoked negative emotions (i.e. disgust in Study 1 and a combination of sadness and anxiety in Study 2) under the instruction to suppress those negative emotions or (in the control condition) to simply watch the film. The results of these experiments lead to three conclusions. First, the results reveal that expressive suppression degrades memory of the events that emerged during the period of expressive suppression and leads to poorer performance on working memory tasks, as measured with a backwards digit-span task and anagram problem-solving task. Second, the results indicate that expressive suppression leads to a significant increase in subjective tense arousal. Third, the results support our prediction that expressive suppression decreases cognitive performance through its effects on subjective tense arousal. The results of the Study 1 show that tense arousal activated during expressive suppression of disgust fully mediates the negative effect of suppression on working memory as measured with a backwards digit-span task. The results of Study 2 reveal that subjective tense arousal elicited while suppressing sadness and anxiety mediates both the effect of suppression on working memory - as measured with the anagram task - and memory of the events that occurred during the period of suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early theories of surprise, including Darwin’s, argued that it was predominantly a basic emotion. Recently, theories have taken a more cognitive view of surprise, casting it as a process of “making sense of surprising events”. The current paper advances the view that the essence of this sense-making process is explanation ; specifically, that people’s perception of surprise is a metacognitive estimate of the cognitive work involved in explaining an abnormal event. So, some surprises are more surprising because they are harder to explain. This proposal is tested in eight experiments that explore how (i) the contents of memory can influence surprise, (ii) different classes of scenarios can retrieve more/less relevant knowledge from memory to explain surprising outcomes, (iii) how partial explanations constrain the explanation process, reducing surprise, and (iv) how, overall, any factor that acts to increase the cognitive work in explaining a surprising event, results in higher levels of surprise (e.g., task demands to find three rather than one explanations). Across the present studies, using different materials, paradigms and measures, it is consistently and repeatedly found that the difficulty of explaining a surprising outcome is the best predictor for people’s perceptions of the surprisingness of events. Alternative accounts of these results are considered, as are future directions for this research. [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]

Challenge and threat reflect two distinct psychophysiological approaches to motivated performance situations. Challenge is related to superior performance in a range of tasks compared to threat, thus methods to promote challenge are valuable. In this paper we manipulate challenge and threat cardiovascular reactivity using only resource appraisals, without altering perceived task demands between challenge and threat conditions. Study 1 used a competitive throwing task and Study 2 used a physically demanding climbing task. In both studies challenge task instructions led to challenge cardiovascular reactivity and threat task instructions led to threat cardiovascular reactivity. In Study 1, participants who received challenge instructions performed better than participants who received threat instructions. In Study 2, attendance at the climbing task did not differ across groups. The findings have implications for stress management in terms of focusing on manipulating appraisals of upcoming tasks by promoting self-efficacy and perceived control and focusing on approach goals. Future research could more reliably assess the influence of similar task instructions on performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addressed relations between language, social communication and behaviour, and their trajectories, in a sample of 9-11-year-olds (n=91) who had been referred to clinical services with concerns about language as pre-schoolers. Children were first assessed at 2½-4 years, and again 18 months later. Results revealed increasing differentiation of profiles across time. By 9-11 years, 11% of the sample had social communication deficits, 27% language impairment, 20% both, and 42% neither. The size of group differences on key language and social communication measures was striking (2-3 standard deviations). Social communication deficits included autistic mannerisms and were associated with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBDs); in contrast, language impairment was associated with hyperactivity only. Children with both language and social communication problems had the most severe difficulties on all measures. These distinct school-age profiles emerged gradually. Investigation of developmental trajectories revealed that the three impaired groups did not differ significantly on language or SEBD measures when the children were first seen. Only low performance on the Early Sociocognitive Battery, a new measure of social responsiveness, joint attention and symbolic understanding, differentiated the children with and without social communication problems at 9-11 years. These findings suggest that some children who first present with language delay or difficulties have undetected Autism Spectrum Disorders which may or may not be accompanied by language impairment in the longer term. This new evidence of developmental trajectories starting in the preschool years throws further light on the nature of social communication and language problems in school-age children, relations between language impairment and SEBDs, and on the nature of early language development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout our lives, as children or adults, each event we encounter is a mixture of positive and negative aspects. Depending on our perspective, various characteristics of objects or situations become salient. The tendency to attend, use and learn more from negative features of stimuli (i.e., negativity bias) can constitute a risk factor for emotional disorders, especially mood and anxiety. The evolutionary perspective is that weighting negative information more heavily than the positive has served as an adaptive mechanism throughout evolution. Nowadays, giving far more importance to negative features of stimuli than to positive, manifesting a high sensitivity to threat and using biased interpretations of the world can seriously alter optimal functioning of individuals. Given the existing theoretical framework for understanding the mechanisms through which cognitive biases influence vulnerability to emotional disorders and the empirical data regarding their assessment and modification,we highlight the need to investigate such cognitive mechanisms in regard to emotionally relevant novel stimuli that parallel an ecological environment. We conclude our paper by discussing the practical implications and future directions that such research may provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How emotions influence decision making is an important question because emotions are present not only in the most important decisions in the life. The previous research concentrated rather on the role of negative emotions and that is why the goal of the paper is to counterpoint the role played by positive emotions in decision making from the position of its situational influences as well as particular dispositional personality characteristics like cognitive style or ability to regulate emotions because people who are able to regulate their emotions in the desirable way have an advantage. The first part of the study is devoted to the relation between emotions and cognitive processes and the specific influence of positive emotions on decision making. In the second part, several alternatives of interaction of positive emotions and personality and possible impacts on decision making are presented. In the conclusion, the findings indicating that making use of emotions as information for decision making brings rather positive consequences for human life are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive components of creativity have been widely studied since the last century. However, the role of non-cognitive elements, particularly affect, has only started to be recognized and researched in the field of psychology during the last decades. This paper offers a critical review of the most relevant contributions to the study of the relationship between creativity and affect, from the preliminary research conducted within the psychoanalytic, humanistic and cognitive frameworks, to the most current lines of research regarding the relationship between creativity and emotional states and traits. We then present three integrative and heuristic models as promising initiatives in the study of such a relationship. Finally, we highlight some theoretical and practical considerations for future studies, such as a greater delimitation of conceptualizations of creativity and affect, and the domain specificity of the relationship between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Behavioral literature investigating emotional processes in depressive populations (i.e., unipolar and bipolar depression) states that, compared to healthy controls, depressive subjects exhibit disrupted emotional processing, indexed by lower performance and/or delayed response latencies. The development of brain imaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), provided the possibility to visualize the brain regions engaged in emotional processes and how they fail to interact in psychiatric diseases. However, fMRI suffers from poor temporal resolution and cognitive function involves various steps and cognitive stages (serially or in parallel) to give rise to a normal performance. Thus, the origin of a behavioral deficit may result from the alteration of a cognitive stage differently situated along the information-processing stream, outlining the importance of access to this dynamic “temporal” information. In this paper, we will illustrate, through depression, the role that should be attributed to cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs). Indeed, owing to their optimal temporal resolution, ERPs can monitor the neural processes engaged in disrupted cognitive function and provide crucial information for its treatment, training of the impaired cognitive functions and guidelines for clinicians in the choice and monitoring of appropriate medication for the patient. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

How might approaching loss philosophically help us grieve? What does it mean to approach something philosophically? Why might such an approach be advantageous to studies of grief? In my paper, I discuss the abovementioned queries (focusing primarily on methods most commonly, though not exclusively, associated with the analytic tradition) and offer an example of how philosophy has helped me navigate the wakes of loss faced with respect to the passing of my father. In the process, I discuss the field of philosophical counseling (in general), a specific brand of practice advanced by Dr. Elliot D. Cohen, and offer a brief account of the basic tenets and steps of its leading modality, Logic-Based Therapy (LBT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Emotion or stress can jeopardize decision-making relevance and cognitive functioning. In this paper we examine plan continuation error (PCE), an erroneous behavior defined as a “failure to revise a flight plan despite emerging evidence that suggests it is no longer safe” (Orasanu et al., 2001). Our hypothesis is that negative emotional consequences attached to the go-around decision provoke a temporary impairment of the decision-making process and favor PCE. We investigated this hypothesis with a simplified landing task in which two possible contributors to those emotions, namely the uncertainty of a decision outcome and the reward/punishment, associated to the outcome were manipulated. A behavioral experiment (n =12) and a second one (n =6) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were conducted. Behavioral results of both studies showed the effectiveness of the financial incentive to bias decision making toward a more risky and less rational behavior from a safety point of view. Neuroimaging data showed that the PCE behavior was underpinned by the contribution of brain circuitry of emotion and reward during the decision-making process. Taken together, behavioral and fMRI result support the hypothesis that PCE can be provoked by a temporary impairment of rational decision-making due to the negative emotional consequences attached with the go-around. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Reptiles and amphibians have been neglected in research on cognition, emotions, sociality, need for enriched and stimulating environments, and other topics that have been greatly emphasized in work on mammals and birds. This is also evident in the historic lack of enriching captive environments to reduce boredom and encourage natural behavior and psychological well-being. This paper provides those responsible for the care of reptiles and amphibians a brief overview of concepts, methods, and sample findings on behavioral complexity and the role of controlled deprivation in captive herpetological collections. Most work has been done on reptiles, however, and so they are emphasized. Amphibians and reptiles, though not admitting of easy anthropomorphism, do show many traits common in birds and mammals including sophisticated communication, problem solving, parental care, play, and complex sociality. Zoos and aquariums are important resources to study many aspects of these often exotic, rare, and fascinating animals, and rich research opportunities await those willing to study them and apply the wide range of methods and technology now available. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cognitive systems research has predominantly been guided by the historical distinction between emotion and cognition, and has focused its efforts on modelling the “cognitive” aspects of behaviour. While this initially meant modelling only the control system of cognitive creatures, with the advent of “embodied” cognitive science this expanded to also modelling the interactions between the control system and the external environment. What did not seem to change with this embodiment revolution, however, was the attitude towards affect and emotion in cognitive science. This paper argues that cognitive systems research is now beginning to integrate these aspects of natural cognitive systems into cognitive science proper, not in virtue of traditional “embodied cognitive science”, which focuses predominantly on the body’s gross morphology, but rather in virtue of research into the interoceptive, organismic basis of natural cognitive systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The term somatization has generated confusion since it was originally formulated. This conceptual difficulty leads to limitations in the development of diagnostic processes, in advancing the theoretical knowledge, and the establishment of a significantly effective treatment. Given the various multi-causal factors such as environmental, genetic, biological and psychosocial, the emotional processes or cognitive-emotional processes could provide an emotional-integrative factor that has been little studied. This paper reviews the latest research on the processes that integrate cognition and emotion associated with somatization, using a search for articles in English and Spanish on MEDLINE and Dialnet from 2002 to 2012, with the search terms "somatization", "emotion" and "mental process". It has been studied processes such as emotional recognition, attentional processes, cognitive reappraisal, expectation and the mediation of negative affectivity inter alia. Neurophysiological research highlights the activity of the prefrontal areas, the amygdala and cingulate cortex in subjects with somatization, suggesting a deficit in emotional regulation processes that modulates the Central Nervous System. Finally, the relevance of some treatment approaches are speculated and some lines of cognitive-emotional processes research in somatization are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the results of preliminary research on the assessment of reasoning abilities in primary school poor achievers vs. normal achievers using computer game tasks. Subjects were evaluated by means of cognitive assessment on logical abilities and academic skills. The aim of this study is to better understand the relationship between school performance and logical reasoning and to analyze the major cognitive abilities underpinning digital games. The study also considers emotional and behavioral aspects through individual observation of poor achievers. The results point out higher logical difficulties in the target group compared with controls, supposedly related to working memory capacity and attention control. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Inhibition is an essential cognitive ability. In this paper, we propose that the faculty of active inhibition is important for psychological well-being because people can use this capacity to reduce interference from unwanted emotional distractors. In order to examine this hypothesis, we investigate the relationship between the capacity for active inhibition and psychological well-being. Study 1 shows that people with higher capacities for active inhibition have more peace of mind and higher satisfaction with life. Study 2 indicates that people who exhibit higher capacities for active inhibition have more peace of mind and are less likely to be depressed. In addition, Study 2 also shows that people with higher capacities for active inhibition are more able to act with awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is much research that shows people's mood can affect their activities. This paper argues that this also applies to programmers, especially their debugging. Literature-based framework is presented linking programming with various cognitive activities as well as linking cognitive activities with moods. Further, the effect of mood on debugging was tested in two experiments. In the first experiment, programmers ( n = 72) saw short movie clips selected for their ability to provoke specific moods. Afterward, they completed a debugging test. Results showed the video clips had a significant effect on programmers' debugging performance; especially, there was a significant difference after watching low- and high-arousal-evoking video clips. In the second experiment, programmers' mood was manipulated by asking participants ( n = 19) to dry run algorithms for at least 16 min. They performed some physical exercises before continuing dry running algorithms again. The results showed a significant increase in arousal and valence that coincided with an improvement in programmers' task performance after the physical exercises. Together, this suggests that programmers' moods influence some programming tasks such as debugging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In our continuous attempts to model natural intelligence and emotions in machine learning, many research works emerge with different methods that are often driven by engineering concerns and have the common goal of modeling human perception in machines. This paper aims to go further in that direction by investigating the integration of emotion at the structural level of cognitive systems using the novel emotional DuoNeural Network (DuoNN). This network has hidden layer DuoNeurons, where each has two embedded neurons: a dorsal neuron and a ventral neuron for cognitive and emotional data processing, respectively. When input visual stimuli are presented to the DuoNN, the dorsal cognitive neurons process local features while the ventral emotional neurons process the entire pattern. We present the computational model and the learning algorithm of the DuoNN, the input information–cognitive and emotional–parallel streaming method, and a comparison between the DuoNN and a recently developed emotional neural network. Experimental results show that the DuoNN architecture, configuration, and the additional emotional information processing, yield higher recognition rates and faster learning and decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]