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In an fMRI study, we tested the prediction that visualizing risky situations induces a stronger neural response in brain areas associated with mental imagery and emotions than visualizing non-risky and more positive situations. We assumed that processing mental images that allow for “trying-out” the future has greater adaptive importance for risky than non-risky situations, because the former can generate severe negative outcomes. We identified several brain regions that were activated when participants produced images of risky situations and these regions overlap with brain areas engaged in visual mental, speech, and movement imagery. We also found that producing images of risky situations, in contrast to non-risky situations, increased neural activation in the insula—a region involved in emotional processing. This finding is in line with previous results demonstrating that the insula is recruited by tasks involving induction of emotional recall/imagery. Finally, we observed an increased BOLD signal in the cingulate gyrus associated with reward-based decision making and monitoring of decision outcomes. In summary, risky situations increased neural activation in brain areas involved in mental imagery, emotional processing, and decision making. These findings imply that the evaluation of everyday risky situations may be driven by emotional responses that result from mental imagery.

Supplemental Material for The Role of Sensitivity to Reward and Punishment in Aggression by Alberto Megías-Robles, Raquel Gómez-Leal, María José Gutiérrez-Cobo, Rosario Cabello, and Pablo Fernández-Berrocal, in Journal of Interpersonal Violence

Aims. There has been an undeniable growing interest in Emotional Intelligence (EI) in recent years. Although it has important implications for our social and personal life, little is known about the brain bases that underlie EI. This work aims to review the available literature exploring the neural correlates of EI. Methods. A systematic search following the Cochrane guidelines was conducted in the main databases (Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science). The inclusion criteria were empirical articles published in a peer-reviewed journal, written in Spanish or English, and that included an objective EI measurement and a neuroimaging technique. Results and Conclusions. Twenty-eight articles were finally identified. According to the results of the selected articles, the main brain regions identified were the dlPFC, OFC, vmPFC, amygdala, and insula. The authors, in general, related these areas to a neural network for social cognition, processes of cognitive and affective integration, and the somatic marker circuitry. Differences between emotional and cognitive intelligence at neural level were also considered. Finally, we identified a number of limitations and propose future lines of research. This research has been funded by the Plan Propio de Investigación, Transferencia y Divulgación Científica of the University of Málaga to Alberto Megías-Robles (B1-2019_08). Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Introduction Drug initiation, imprudent sexual relations, reckless driving, and alcohol abuse are common health-related risk behaviours in society. The literature has shown how such behaviours are often related to low levels of Emotional Intelligence (EI). In this respect, the factors underlying this relationship have received little attention in empirical research. Different personality traits have previously been linked to risk. In this regard, reward sensitivity and impulsivity are traits that have shown aa strong relationship with the risk construct. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between EI and health risk behaviour by including reward sensitivity and impulsivity as mediating factors of this relationship. Method A community sample of 250 Spanish participants (28.4% male) aged 18-59 years (Mage=23.6) was recruited. Participants were assessed for their levels of EI, health risk behaviour, sensitivity to reward and impulsivity. In this paper we measured EI through a performance test (MSCEIT). Results Our results support the relationship between EI and health risk behaviour. In addition, a significant indirect effect was found between EI and health risk behaviour through the mediating role of the dimensions of impulsivity most related to emotional processes (sensation seeking, positive urgency and negative urgency) and sensitivity to reward. Finally, emotional management was the EI ability that had the greatest weight in the prediction of health risk behaviours. Conclusions This work sheds light on the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between EI and health risk behaviour, which may be partially explained by the traits of sensitivity to reward and impulsivity. Further research is needed to confirm the causal relationship between these variables. These findings could form the basis for the establishment of emotional skills training programmes as a strategy to prevent risky behaviour. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech.

Introduction The study of psychopathic traits has increased in recent years, given the impact that these traits have on our society. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between psychopathy traits and ability emotional intelligence by examining the sub-dimensions of both constructs in a sample of incarcerated males. Methods A total of sixty-three incarcerated adult males (Mage = 37.51) were assessed for psychopathy traits and emotional intelligence levels through the 34-item Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-III (SRP-III) and the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) respectively. Results The results revealed that the incarcerated population is characterized by low EI and high psychopathic traits (explained by the scores obtained on the criminal tendencies sub-dimension). Moreover, participants scoring lower in ability EI were more likely to score higher on the callous affect sub-dimension of psychopathy. We also observed an indirect negative effect of ability EI on erratic lifestyle, criminal tendencies and interpersonal manipulation sub-dimensions through the mediating role of callous affect. Conclusions These findings offer a better understanding of the relationship between psychopathy traits and ability emotional intelligence and provide empirical support for the need to implement intervention programs in penitentiary centers based on EI training, which could help to reduce antisocial and disruptive behaviours and facilitate future reintegration into society. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Title: Influence of the sensitivity to reward and punishment on aggressive behaviour. Alberto Megías-Robles, Raquel Gómez-Leal, María T. Sánchez-López, and Pablo Fernández-Berrocal Department of Basic Psychology, University of Málaga, Spain. Sensitivity to reward and punishment guide many of our daily behaviours. For example, it is widely accepted that high levels of sensitivity to reward are associated with higher levels of aggressive behaviour. However, results for sensitivity to punishment are not so clear, both positive and negative relationships have been shown in previous literature. The main objective of this research was to clarify these discrepancies, exploring the relationship between sensitivity to punishment and aggressive behaviour through the study of different types of aggression. Four hundred and sixty-five participants were assessed for levels of anger, hostility, physical aggression, and verbal aggression (by Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire), and for levels of sensitivity to punishment and reward (by SPSRQ–20). The results revealed a significant positive correlation between general aggression and both sensitivity to punishment and reward. Interestingly, we observed that the relationship between aggression and sensitivity to punishment depended on the type of aggression studied. Levels of aggression were increased with sensitivity to punishment only for hostility and anger, but not for physical and verbal aggression. This study provides new information to better understand the risk factors related to aggressive behavior. In terms of applicability, our results can help to improve the current aggression prevention programs by working on reducing the levels of sensitivity to reward and punishment. This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (project: PSI2017-84170-R) to Pablo Fernández Berrocal and Junta de Andalucía (project: UMA18-FEDERJA-137) to Alberto Megías Robles.

Objective. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive, use, understand and manage emotions. Although EI attempts to connect the concept of emotion and cognition, few studies have been conducted to this objective. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the three models of EI (performance-based ability test, self-report ability test, and self-report mixed test) and different cognitive processes measured through "cool " (i.e., not emotionally laden) and " hot " (i.e., emotionally laden) laboratory tasks. Method. For this purpose, we carried out 3 experiments. In experiment 1, we systematically review the available evidence about the relationship between EI and cognitive processes. In experiment 2, we analyze the relationship between EI and hot and cool cognitive control ability. Finally, in experiment 3 we analyze the relationship between EI and the hot and cool working memory capacity (WMC) through a 2-back task. Results. The results provide a fair amount of evidence that performance-based ability EI (but not self-report EI tests) is positively related with efficiency in hot cognitive tasks. EI, however, does not appear to be related with cool cognitive tasks: neither through self-reporting nor through performance-based ability instruments. Conclusions. These findings suggest that performance-based ability EI could improve individuals' emotional information processing abilities Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech.

Introducción: El estudio de la agresividad juega un papel muy importante tanto en la psicología como en la salud pública en general, debido a las potenciales consecuencias que pueden producirse en víctimas y en agresores. El Modelo General de Agresión (GAM) proporciona un marco conceptual para comprender la aparición del comportamiento agresivo como resultado de tres etapas: 1) factores personales y situacionales; 2) estados internos; y 3) evaluación de la situación que determinará si se produce la conducta agresiva o no. El objetivo principal de esta investigación fue estudiar los factores personales, situados en la primera etapa del GAM, que están más fuertemente asociados con el comportamiento agresivo. Método: Para llevar a cabo este estudio un total de doscientos treinta y nueve jóvenes adultos fueron evaluados en niveles de agresividad y en un conjunto de variables que en la literatura anterior han demostrado ser las más relevantes con relación al comportamiento agresivo. Resultados: Los resultados revelaron que los niveles de agresión se asociaron principalmente (56.9% de varianza explicada) con los siguientes factores protectores: la capacidad de manejar las emociones como un componente de la inteligencia emocional y la toma de perspectiva como un componente de empatía, y con los siguientes factores de riesgo: niveles de afecto negativo, urgencia negativa como componente de la impulsividad y sensibilidad a la recompensa. Discusión: Estos hallazgos proporcionan una mejor comprensión de los mecanismos subyacentes del comportamiento agresivo y un mayor valor empírico a los modelos teóricos actuales. Además, esta investigación puede ayudar a mejorar la precisión en el diseño de programas destinados a la prevención y tratamiento del comportamiento agresivo. Palabras clave: Agresividad; Inteligencia Emocional; Factores protectores; Factores de riesgo, Empatía Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech.

Attention to emotions, emotional clarity, and emotional repair are three of the abilities that make up emotional intelligence (EI). Several studies have shown how these abilities interact with risk behaviour. Having a better EI prevents certain risk behaviours such as driving recklessly, risk sexual practices, betting large amounts of money, or situations in which our psychical and social integrity is compromised. The main aim of this research was to explore the relationship between these three EI abilities and the likelihood of performing risky behaviours in different contexts. The sample was composed of 219 participants (56 were men) aged between 18-59 years. The TMMS and DOSPERT scales were used to assess EI and risk behaviour, respectively. The results revealed significant relationships between the different DOSPERT domains and the emotional clarity and repair abilities (not for attention to emotions). Interestingly, the direction of the relationship depended on the type (domain) of risk behaviour. Higher levels of EI led to an increased likelihood of taking risks in the social and recreational domains, and a decreased likelihood in health and ethical domains. Given these finding, we think that the inclusion of EI abilities in the risk-taking prevention programs can be a useful tool to reduce risk behaviours, but it is necessary to take into account the type of context to which the intervention is targeted. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech.

Introducción: El comportamiento de riesgo implica una serie de consecuencias negativas en la vida de las personas ya que supone una amenaza para el bienestar, la salud y la seguridad. Buscar aquellas variables que puedan paliar estos efectos es imprescindible. Su estudio se hace especialmente relevante en el periodo del ciclo vital que comprende desde la preadolescencia hasta la adultez temprana, por ser un periodo donde este comportamiento tiene una alta prevalencia. Entre otras, la inteligencia emocional (IE) o la habilidad de percibir, usar, comprender y regular las emociones ha recibido una especial atención como variable protectora. El objetivo de este estudio es realizar una revisión sistemática de la evidencia disponible hasta el momento de la relación entre la IE y el comportamiento de riesgo en menores de edad. Método: Las bases de datos empleadas fueron Psycinfo, Scopus y Pubmed. Se encontraron un total de cinco artículos, compuestos por una muestra de 1901 participantes con una edad que oscilaba entre los 13 y los 19 años y que midieron la IE a través de instrumentos de autoinforme. Resultados: Los resultados mostraron que la IE, y todas sus dimensiones, se relacionan de manera negativa con el comportamiento de riesgo en adolescentes. Excepto en un estudio, que solo encuentra relación negativa con una de las dimensiones de la IE, la habilidad interpersonal. Por otro lado, la IE se relaciona positivamente con los comportamientos orientados a la prevención del riesgo. Discusión: Futuras líneas de investigación deberían estar focalizadas en ampliar el número de estudios que relacionen la IE y las conductas de riesgo infantojuvenil, así como el empleo de medidas objetivas de ejecución. Palabras clave: inteligencia emocional, comportamiento de riesgo, adolescentes, revisión sistemática. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech.

Introducción: el desarrollo de la inteligencia emocional y clásica a lo largo de los años muestra un patrón de U invertida. La disminución en estas habilidades debido al paso del tiempo puede frenarse gracias a la reserva cognitiva (RC). Menos se sabe sobre el desarrollo temporal de la empatía cognitiva o la habilidad para reconocer los pensamientos y/o sentimientos de otros. El objetivo de esta investigación es, en primer lugar, analizar el efecto de la edad, género y RC, medida a través del nivel educativo, sobre la empatía cognitiva. En segundo lugar, evaluar si la relación que existe entre la edad y la empatía cognitiva es linear o cuadrática. Por último, analizar el papel moderador del nivel educativo entre la edad de los participantes y su empatía cognitiva. Método: 902 adultos españoles de edades comprendidas entre los 18 y los 79 años (M = 43.53, DT = 11.86; 57% mujeres) participaron en el estudio indicando su nivel educativo (primario, bachillerato o universitario) y completando el test de la mirada para conocer su empatía cognitiva. Resultados: las mujeres puntuaron más alto que los hombres en el test de la mirada. De la misma forma, los universitarios presentaron una mayor empatía cognitiva que el resto de los participantes con un nivel educativo inferior. Asimismo, la relación entre la edad y el test de la mirada fue de tipo cuadrática, consistente con el patrón de desarrollo en inteligencia emocional y clásica. Finalmente, la disminución en empatía cognitiva como consecuencia del paso del tiempo se vio mitigada para aquellos participantes con un nivel educativo superior, siendo los 35 años la edad a partir de la cual esta interacción es significativa. Discusión: la RC parece ser un factor protector de la empatía cognitiva, mitigando su pérdida como consecuencia del paso del tiempo. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech.

Title: Emotional intelligence as a protective factor of risky driving and road accidents. Authors: Alberto Megías-Robles, María T. Sánchez-López, and Pablo Fernández-Berrocal Department of Basic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Málaga, Spain. Introduction Deliberate risky behaviours such as speeding, drink-driving, or the non-use of safety measures are one of the main contributing factors to road accidents. The objective of this research was to clarify the relationship between EI abilities, risk-taking while driving, and the potential negative outcomes of these behaviours (road accidents and traffic tickets). Method Five hundred and fifty-five drivers from a Spanish community sample (Mage = 39.34, ranging from 18 to 79 years old; 49.19% women) were assessed on risky driving behaviour and EI by the Dula dangerous driving index and the Wong and Law emotional intelligence scale, respectively. Results The results of the present research revealed that drivers who self-reported good abilities in EI had a lower tendency to risk-taking while driving. Moreover, EI was negatively and indirectly related to the number of road accidents and traffic tickets through the mediating effect of risky driving. Conclusions These findings suggest the involvement of emotional factors, mainly the lack of abilities in recognizing and managing emotions, in the explanation of risky driving behaviour. For instance, a proper management of emotions would allow for coping with anger or stressful traffic situations that might trigger risk behaviours such as speeding or rule violations. Future experimental studies should be aimed to confirm the causal role of EI on risky driving. If so, training programs designed to improve emotional competencies could be a very useful strategy in road safety. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech.

Additional Statistical results

El conocimiento científico del siglo 21 nos aporta los argumentos y herramientas más efectivos necesarios para educar las habilidades emocionales y sociales, tanto en la infancia como en la adultez. Por tanto, educar las emociones en Europa no es una utopía para el futuro sino una realidad que ya está ocurriendo en muchas escuelas y que necesita ser extendida al mundo adulto y profesional a través de la voluntad política y social.