Propiedades psicométricas de una tarea computarizada Stroop emocional caras y palabras

Objetivo: Determinar las propiedades psicométricas de una tarea computarizada de Stroop de reconocimiento emocional de caras y palabras en población colombiana. Método: La investigación fue de naturaleza cuantitativa, con un diseño de investigación instrumental de tipo psicométrico y de desarrollo tecnológico. La muestra se seleccionó por conveniencia, estuvo conformada por 1172 participantes (56,6 % mujeres, 43,4 % hombres), con edades entre 18 a 25 años quienes ingresaban a un dominio para contestar la tarea después de leer y aceptar el consentimiento. Resultados: Los resultados obtenidos demuestran una consistencia interna favorable con un KR-20=0,853 y un coeficiente Omega de McDonald=0,859, una validez de constructo, a partir de un análisis factorial exploratorio y análisis factorial confirmatorio, que presenta una estructura de seis factores y explica un 50,32 % de la varianza; además, de una validez convergente con un coeficiente de correlación Spearman positivo de 0,522 %; los índices de confiabilidad y validez obtenidos en el presente estudio hacen de esta versión computarizada una prueba que puede ser usada en el ámbito de la evaluación de procesos de atención, memoria de trabajo e inhibición en población adulta colombiana no clínica. Conclusiones: En conclusión, se observó efectivamente que la configuración del instrumento psicológico en un software informático optimiza la recolección de datos, pues hay más precisión en la medición de latencias de respuestas, así mismo facilita el análisis de los datos.

Objective: To determine the psychometric properties of a computerized Stroop task of emotional recognition of faces and words in a Colombian population. Method: The research was quantitative in nature with an instrumental design of a psychometric type and technological development. The sample was selected for convenience. It was made up of 1172 participants (56,6 % women, 43 % men) between 18 and 25 years of age. They entered a domain to answer the task after reading and giving consent. Results: The results showed a favorable internal consistency with a KR-20=0,853 and a McDonald's Omega coefficient=0,859. A construct validity was obtained from an exploratory factor analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis which presents a structure of six factors and explains 50,32 % of variance. In addition, it presents a convergent validity with a positive Spearman correlation coefficient of 0,522. The reliability and validity indices obtained in the present study make this computerized version a test that can be used in the field of evaluation of processes of attention, working memory and inhibition in non-clinical Colombian adult population. Discussions: In conclusion, it was effectively observed that the configuration of the psychological instrument in computer software optimizes data collection since there is more precision in the measurement of response latencies, as well as facilitating data analysis.

Objetivo: Determinar as propriedades psicométricas de uma tarefa Stroop computadorizada de reconhecimento emocional de rostos e palavras em uma população colombiana. Metologia: A pesquisa era de natureza quantitativa, com um projeto de pesquisa instrumental de tipo psicométrico e de desenvolvimento tecnológico. A amostra foi selecionada por conveniência e consistiu de 1172 participantes (56,6 % mulheres, 43,4 % homens), com idades entre 18 e 25 anos, que entraram em um domínio para responder à tarefa após a leitura e aceitação do termo de consentimento. Resultados: Os resultados obtidos mostram uma consistência interna favorável com um coeficiente KR-20=0,853 e McDonald's Omega = 0,859, A validade da construção foi obtida a partir de uma análise exploratória de fatores e análise confirmativa de Fatores, que apresenta uma estrutura de seis fatores e explica 50,32 % da variação, e validade convergente com um coeficiente de correlação Spearman positivo de 0,522. Os índices de confiabilidade e validade obtidos no presente estudo fazem desta versão computadorizada um teste que pode ser usado na avaliação da atenção, memória de trabalho e processos de inibição na população adulta colombiana não-clínica. Conclusões: Em conclusão, foi realmente observado que a configuração do instrumento psicológico em um software de computador otimiza a coleta de dados, pois há maior precisão na medição das latências de resposta, além de facilitar a análise dos dados.

Advances in social cognition of obsessive-compulsive disorder / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

The main clinical features of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are obsessions and/or compulsions. Due to its symptoms are heterogeneous and have a wide range of influences, OCD usually causes different degrees of damage to patients' social functions. Social cognition is the process of perceiving and judging the psychology and behavior of others or oneself. Its core is to understand the information processing process and the underlying mechanism of social psychological phenomena. Studies have shown that social cognitive deficits can affect an individual's social function. Therefore, many scholars believe that the social cognitive function of OCD patients are impaired. Through collecting and sorting out relevant literature, we find that OCD patients can’t perceive social cues accurately, and they have trouble recognizing their own emotions and those of others. In general, they are not prone to emotional response, that is, their ability of emotional experience is impaired, while because of their own emotional regulation dysfunction, they overreact to special events that can induce the obsession and/or compulsion.The patients have poor insight into the mental states of others.The researches on attributions of life events are dificient, so their characteristics of attribution styles are not yet clear.These findings provide a preliminary theoretical basis and reference for the specificity of social cognitive impairment in patients with OCD and for guiding clinical effective and precise intervention.

Facial emotion recognition in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

@#Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system and the most common cause of disability among young adults. In addition to physical and cognitive disturbances, MS patients also have emotional processing deficits. Despite the rich knowledge available about cognitive impairments, little is known about emotion recognition in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), despite the fact that it plays a key role in social behavior. The aim of our study was to investigate facial emotion recognition in patients with RRMS, compared with healthy controls. Methods: Facial emotion recognition abilities were studied in a homogeneous group of 51 RRMS patients and 51 healthy controls, using the Persian version of the Florida Affect Battery. We controlled both groups for physical symptoms, anxiety, depression and social dysfunction, using general health questionnaire (GHQ-28). Patients and healthy controls were matched according to age and gender. Early stage of the disease was defined as being diagnosed with RRMS and having an EDSS of 4 or lower. Results: MS patients performed as well as healthy controls in facial identity discrimination and facial emotion discrimination tasks, but showed significantly less performance in other subtests that required emotion recognition in comparison with healthy controls. Conclusions: Facial emotion recognition is impaired at early stages of MS. MS patients have problems in their emotional processing system. Deficits in facial emotion recognition merit attention because they might negatively influence interpersonal relationships and quality of life in MS patients.

Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Existential Psychotherapy and Supportive Counselling on Facial Emotion Recognition Among Patients with Mild or Moderate Depression

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), existential psychotherapy (ExP) and supportive counseling (SUP) on facial emotion recognition among mildly and moderately depressed patients. METHODS: 21 patients for CBT, and 20 each for ExP and SUP groups with 60 healthy controls were investigated. Eight consecutive weekly sessions and following two monthly boosters were performed. Prior to the sessions, all subjects received Sociodemographic Data Form, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-1), and Facial Emotion Recognition Test (FERT). Patients received Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and FERT at the onset and after weekly and booster sessions. RESULTS: Patients' ability to recognize surprised and neutral emotions were lower than controls. ExP group improved recognition of almost all emotions, CBT group improved only happy emotions and SUP group did not improve any emotions. HDRS scores declined in all patient groups, ExP and CBT groups had lower scores than SUP. CONCLUSION: MDD patients recognized surprised and neutral emotions lower than controls. ExP improved ability to recognize almost all emotions, CBT improved only happy emotions, SUP did not improve at all. ExP, CBT and SUP all led to a reduction in MDD. ExP and CBT had comparable effects and both were more helpful than SUP.

The Influence of Anxiety on the Recognition of Facial Emotion Depends on the Emotion Category and Race of the Target Faces

The recognition of emotional facial expressions is critical for our social interactions. While some prior studies have shown that a high anxiety level is associated with more sensitive recognition of emotion, there are also reports supporting that anxiety did not affect or reduce the sensitivity to the recognition of facial emotions. To reconcile these results, here we investigated whether the effect of individual anxiety on the recognition of facial emotions is dependent on the emotion category and the race of the target faces. We found that, first, there was a significant positive correlation between the individual anxiety level and the recognition sensitivity for angry faces but not for sad or happy faces. Second, while the correlation was significant for both low- and high-intensity angry faces during the recognition of the observer's own-race faces, there was significant correlation only for low-intensity angry faces during the recognition of other-race faces. Collectively, our results suggest that the influence of anxiety on the recognition of facial emotions is flexible depending on the characteristics of the target face stimuli including emotion category and race.

Association of white matter abnormality with facial emotion cognitive in the first-episode schizo-phrenic patients with never-medicated / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the structure changes of white matter in the first-episode schizo-phrenic patients with never-medicated(FESZ)and the relationship between facial emotion perception and white matter(WM)integrity.Methods Sixty-three schizophrenic patients and thirty health control subjects underwent diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)scans.Voxel-based analysis was used to compared fractional ani-sotropy(FA)map between the two groups.Correlations were analyzed with pearson relative analysis between impaired facial emotion perception tested by facial emotion categorization(FEC)and severity of symptoms measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS).Results (1)Compared with controls, FESZ patients showed overall decreased FA in WM of the body of left ventral frontal lobe((MNI(x,y,z):-18,26,-4;t=4.43)),right supramarginal gyrus((MNI(x,y,z):32,-50,26;t=4.27)),left middle oc-cipital gyral((MNI(x,y,z):-26,-60,0;t=4.89)),right middle occipital gyral((MNI(x,y,z):28,-70, 14;t=4.18)),left fusiform gyrus((MNI(x,y,z):-40,-50,0;t=3.92)),left cerebellum anterior lobe ((MNI(x,y,z):-32,-56,-28;t=4.57)),right parahippocampa gyrus1((MNI(x,y,z):32,-10,-14;t=4.16)),right parahippocampa gyrus2((MNI(x,y,z):16,-6,-14;t=4.56)),left anterior cingulate ((MNI(x,y,z):-2,4,-6;t=4.41)),left extra-nuclear((MNI(x,y,z):-2,-10,-6;t=4.44)),right thalamus((MNI(x,y,z):10,-10,2;t=4.20)),left thalamus((MNI(x,y,z):-22,-28,12;t=4.01)), and right caudate((MNI(x,y,z):14,12,8;t=4.87)).(2)Compared with controls,the patients with schizo-phrenia showed a higher shift point and a steeper slope than control subjects in FEC.Correlational analysis re-vealed that the negative correlations were found between the slope and negative factor(r=-0.298,P=0.036),between positive factor and the FA value in WM of the right middle occipital gyral(r=-0.322,P=0.023)and the left middle occipital gyral(r=-0.288,P=0.043),and between the FA value in the left cere-bellum anterior lobe and shift point(r=-0.393,P=0.005),but the positive correlation was found between disorganized/concrete factor and the FA value in the right parahippocampal gyrus(r=0.429,P=0.002).Con-clusions There are extensive microstructural abnormalities in WM of patients with FESZ.Disrupted WM in-tegrity in these regions may constitute a potential neural pathological basis for the facial emotion perception impairments in schizophrenia.

A influência da intensidade emocional no reconhecimento de emoções em faces por criancas brasileiras / The importance of emotional intensity on the recognition of facial emotions by Brazilian children

The ability to recognize emotions in faces is essential to human interaction and occurs since childhood. Hypothesis: research using the morphing technique assume that children require greater or lesser intensity of emotional expression to perceive it. Objective: to examine the emotional recognition of faces in childhood, using a task with emotional intensity variation. Method: it was applied a Test of Facial Emotion Recognition for Children to 28 children between 7 and 11 years, of both sexes, which presented 168 faces manipulated by the morphing technique, of the six basic emotions. Results: age as a trend growth of the likelihood of success at the task; more right answers for happiness and worst performances for fear; and the emotional intensity increasing at 42% the chance of success by every unit of intensity. Conclusion: these findings are relevant because they show the recognition of emotions at different levels as a more sensitive method.

Empatia e reconhecimento de expressões faciais de emoções básicas e complexas em estudantes de Medicina / Empathy and facial expression recognition of basic and complex emotions in medical students

RESUMO Objetivo Avaliar a empatia e a capacidade de reconhecimento de emoções básicas e complexas e suas correlações em estudantes de Medicina. Métodos O desenho do estudo foi transversal. Foram avaliados 86 alunos do 3º e 4º ano do curso de Medicina de uma faculdade de Medicina do interior do estado de São Paulo com os seguintes instrumentos: (i) escala Jefferson de empatia, (ii) tarefa de Reconhecimento de Expressões Faciais de emoções básicas (REF) e (iii) Reading the mind in the eyes test (RMEt). Resultados A média geral de acertos no REF foi 15,6 (DP: ±2,3). Houve diferença estatisticamente significante no número de acertos da emoção tristeza no sexo feminino comparado com o masculino (t84 = 2,30; p = 0,02). Em relação ao RMEt, a média geral de acertos foi de 26,5 (DP: ±3,3) com diferença estatisticamente significante entre os gêneros com maior número de acertos entre as estudantes do sexo feminino (t84 = 3,43; p < 0,01). O escore total médio na escala de empatia foi 121,3 (DP: ±9,8). Houve correlação positiva fraca entre o escore total da escala de empatia e o número de acertos para a emoção tristeza (r = 0,29; p < 0,01). Conclusão O número de acertos para a emoção tristeza no REF e o escore total do RMEt foi maior no sexo feminino comparado com sexo masculino. Além disso, a empatia parece estar diretamente relacionada com a capacidade de reconhecer a emoção tristeza. Outros estudos parecem pertinentes para avaliar de forma mais profunda aspectos de empatia e reconhecimento de expressões faciais da emoção em estudantes de medicina.

ABSTRACT Objective The aim was to evaluate empathy and facial expression recognition of basic and complex emotions and their correlations in medical students. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in a medical school of the state of São Paulo. We evaluated 86 third and fourth year medical students with the following instruments: (i) Jefferson Scale of Empathy, (ii) Facial Expression Recognition of basic emotions task (REF) and (iii) Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (RMEt). Results The overall mean score in the REF was 15.6 (SD: ±2.3). There was a statistical significant difference in the number of correct responses in sadness emotion in female gender compared to male (t84 = 2.30; p = 0.02). Regarding RMEt, the overall mean score was 26.5 (SD: ±3.3) with statistically significant difference between genders with higher number of correct responses among female students (t84 = 3.43; p < 0.01). The mean score on the empathy scale was 121.3 (SD: ±9.8). There was significant weak positive correlation between the total score of empathy scale and the recognition of sadness facial emotion (r = 0.29; p < 0.01). Conclusion The number of correct responses to sadness emotion in the REF and the total score of RMEt was higher in female students compared to male. In addition, empathy seems to be directly related to the ability to recognize sadness. Other studies are needed to provide a deeper understanding of empathy and facial emotion recognition in medical students.

Study on the correlation between personality character and facial emotion cognition / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the relationship between personality traits and facial emotion rec?ognition. Methods By opening recruitment,268 health undergraduates were measured using Eysenck Per?sonality Questionnaire and JACFEE facial emotion recognition test. Correlation analysis was administrated be?tween different gender,personality dimensions and facial emotion recognition ability. Results Female had better emotion recognition ability than male((44.18±5.83) vs (41.88±6.79), t=-2.976, P=0.003). There were significant differences among recognition frequency of no?expression picture to other basic facial emo?tions(χ2=37.877, P=0.004) . There were correlative relations between personality dimensions and facial e?motion recognition. Among choleric temperament personality,P dimension had negative correlation with fear emotion( r=-0.223, P=0.028). N dimension had negative correlation with fear emotion( r=-0.253, P=0.013) . Among sanguineous temperament personality,E dimension had negative correlation with contempt e?motion( r=-0.258, P=0.027) ,and P dimension had positive correlation with contempt emotion( r=-0.239, P=0.042).Among melancholic temperament,E dimension had positive correlation with fear emotion( r=0.283, P=0.023) ,and P dimension had positive correlation with amazing emotion( r=0.299, P=0.016) . A?mong phlegmatic temperament, there was no any correlation between personality dimension and emotion recognization. Conclusion Female has better emotion recognition ability than male. There is cognitive tend?ency between personality character and emotion recognition.

The Effect of Bilateral Eye Movements on Face Recognition in Patients with Schizophrenia / 정신신체의학

OBJECTIVES: The deficit of recognition memory has been found as one of the common neurocognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia. In addition, they were reported to fail to enhance the memory about emotional stimuli. Previous studies have shown that bilateral eye movements enhance the memory retrieval. Therefore, this study was conducted in order to investigate the memory enhancement of bilaterally alternating eye movements in schizophrenic patients. METHODS: Twenty one patients with schizophrenia participated in this study. The participants learned faces (angry or neutral faces), and then performed a recognition memory task in relation to the faces after bilateral eye movements and central fixation. Recognition accuracy, response bias, and mean response time to hits were compared and analysed. Two-way repeated measure analysis of variance was performed for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There was a significant effect of bilateral eye movements condition in mean response time(F=5.812, p<0.05) and response bias(F=10.366, p<0.01). Statistically significant interaction effects were not observed between eye movement condition and face emotion type. CONCLUSIONS: Irrespective of the emotional difference of facial stimuli, recognition memory processing was more enhanced after bilateral eye movements in patients with schizophrenia. Further study will be needed to investigate the underlying neural mechanism of bilateral eye movements-induced memory enhancement in patients with schizophrenia.

Difference of Facial Emotion Recognition and Discrimination between Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorde

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the differences in the facial emotion recognition and discrimination ability between children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: Fifty-three children aged 7 to 11 years participated in this study. Among them, 43 were diagnosed with ADHD and 10 with ASD. The parents of the participants completed the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist, ADHD Rating Scale and Conner's scale. The participants completed the Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-fourth edition and Advanced Test of Attention (ATA), Penn Emotion Recognition Task and Penn Emotion Discrimination Task. The group differences in the facial emotion recognition and discrimination ability were analyzed by using analysis of covariance for the purpose of controlling the visual omission error index of ATA. RESULTS: The children with ADHD showed better recognition of happy and sad faces and less false positive neutral responses than those with ASD. Also, the children with ADHD recognized emotions better than those with ASD on female faces and in extreme facial expressions, but not on male faces or in mild facial expressions. We found no differences in the facial emotion discrimination between the children with ADHD and ASD. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that children with ADHD recognize facial emotions better than children with ASD, but they still have deficits. Interventions which consider their different emotion recognition and discrimination abilities are needed.

Korean Facial Emotion Recognition Tasks for Schizophrenia Research

OBJECTIVE: Despite the fact that facial emotion recognition (FER) tasks using Western faces should be applied with caution to non-Western participants or patients, there are few psychometrically sound and validated FER tasks featuring Easterners' facial expressions for emotions. Thus, we aimed to develop and establish the psychometric properties of the Korean Facial Emotion Identification Task (K-FEIT) and the Korean Facial Emotion Discrimination Task (K-FEDT) for individuals with schizophrenia. METHODS: The K-FEIT and K-FEDT were administered to 42 Korean individuals with schizophrenia to evaluate their psychometric properties. To test the convergent and divergent validities, the Social Behavior Sequencing Task (SBST) and hinting task were administered as social-cognitive measures, and the Trail Making Test (TMT)-A and -B were administered as neurocognitive measures. RESULTS: Average accuracy on the K-FEIT and K-FEDT were 63% and 74%, respectively, and internal consistencies of the K-FEIT and K-FEDT were 0.82 and 0.95, respectively. The K-FEIT and K-FEDT were significantly correlated with SBST and Hinting Task, but not with TMT-A and B. CONCLUSION: Following replication studies in a larger sample, the K-FEIT and K-FEDT are expected to facilitate future studies targeting facial emotion recognition in schizophrenia in Korea. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Theory of Mind as a Mediator of Reasoning and Facial Emotion Recognition: Findings from 200 Healthy People

OBJECTIVE: It was proposed that the ability to recognize facial emotions is closely related to complex neurocognitive processes and/or skills related to theory of mind (ToM). This study examines whether ToM skills mediate the relationship between higher neurocognitive functions, such as reasoning ability, and facial emotion recognition. METHODS: A total of 200 healthy subjects (101 males, 99 females) were recruited. Facial emotion recognition was measured through the use of 64 facial emotional stimuli that were selected from photographs from the Korean Facial Expressions of Emotion (KOFEE). Participants were requested to complete the Theory of Mind Picture Stories task and Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM). RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis showed that the SPM score (t=3.19, p=0.002, beta=0.22) and the overall ToM score (t=2.56, p=0.011, beta=0.18) were primarily associated with a total hit rate (%) of the emotion recognition task. Hierarchical regression analysis through a three-step mediation model showed that ToM may partially mediate the relationship between SPM and performance on facial emotion recognition. CONCLUSION: These findings imply that higher neurocognitive functioning, inclusive of reasoning, may not only directly contribute towards facial emotion recognition but also influence ToM, which in turn, influences facial emotion recognition. These findings are particularly true for healthy young people.

Gender Differences in Empathic Ability and Facial Emotion Recognition of Schizophrenic Patients

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate gender difference in empathic ability and recognition of facial emotion expression in schizophrenic patients. METHODS: Twenty-two schizophrenic outpatients (11 men and 11 women) and controls (10 men and 12 women) performed both the scale of Empathic Quotient (EQ) and facial emotion recognition test. We compared the scores of EQ and the facial emotion recognition test among each group according to diagnosis and gender. RESULTS: We found a significant sex difference in the scores of EQ and the facial emotion recognition test in the schizophrenic patients. And there were significantly negative correlation between the score of the facial emotion recognition test and the scores of Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) in female schizophrenic patients. However, in male schizophrenic patients, there were no significant correlations between the score of each test and the scores of PANSS. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the sex difference in empathic ability and facial emotion recognition would be very important in chronic schizophrenic patients. Investigation of sex effects in empathic ability and facial emotion recognition in chronic schizophrenic patients would present an important solution for constructing optimal rehabilitation program.

Facial emotional recognition in schizophrenia: preliminary results of the virtual reality program for facial emotional recognition / Reconhecimento emocional de faces na esquizofrenia: resultados preliminares do programa de realidade virtual para o reconhecimento emocional de faces

BACKGROUND: Significant deficits in emotional recognition and social perception characterize patients with schizophrenia and have direct negative impact both in inter-personal relationships and in social functioning. Virtual reality, as a methodological resource, might have a high potential for assessment and training skills in people suffering from mental illness. OBJECTIVES: To present preliminary results of a facial emotional recognition assessment designed for patients with schizophrenia, using 3D avatars and virtual reality. METHODS: Presentation of 3D avatars which reproduce images developed with the FaceGen® software and integrated in a three-dimensional virtual environment. Each avatar was presented to a group of 12 patients with schizophrenia and a reference group of 12 subjects without psychiatric pathology. RESULTS: The results show that the facial emotions of happiness and anger are better recognized by both groups and that the major difficulties arise in fear and disgust recognition. Frontal alpha electroencephalography variations were found during the presentation of anger and disgust stimuli among patients with schizophrenia. DISCUSSION: The developed program evaluation module can be of surplus value both for patient and therapist, providing the task execution in a non anxiogenic environment, however similar to the actual experience.

CONTEXTO: Pessoas diagnosticadas com esquizofrenia apresentam um défice significativo na cognição social com implicações negativas relativamente ao funcionamento interpessoal e social. A realidade virtual apresenta grandes potencialidades para a avaliação e o treino de competências em pessoas com doença mental. OBJETIVOS: Apresentar os resultados preliminares de um programa construído para avaliação do reconhecimento emocional de faces por pessoas com esquizofrenia, utilizando avatares 3D e realidade virtual. MÉTODOS: Apresentação de avatares 3D que reproduzem expressões emocionais, construídas por meio do FaceGen® e integradas num ambiente virtual tridimensional. Apresentou-se cada avatar a 12 doentes com esquizofrenia e a 12 pessoas sem patologia psiquiátrica, avaliando as respostas de reconhecimento e a atividade eletroencefalográfica frontal. RESULTADOS: Os resultados demonstraram que as expressões de alegria e raiva foram as mais bem reconhecidas pelos dois grupos, enquanto de medo e nojo foram as de maior dificuldade. Verificaram-se alterações na atividade alfa frontal para os estímulos raiva e nojo na amostra de doentes com esquizofrenia. CONCLUSÃO: Apesar de algumas expressões emocionais poderem ser melhoradas, o programa desenvolvido pode constituir uma mais-valia para o paciente e para o terapeuta, proporcionando a execução da tarefa em condições não ansiogênicas e aproximadas à experiência real.

Difficulty in Facial Emotion Recognition in Children with ADHD

OBJECTIVES: It is known that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience significant difficulty in recognizing facial emotion, which involves processing of emotional facial expressions rather than speech, compared to children without ADHD. This objective of this study is to investigate the differences in facial emotion recognition between children with ADHD and normal children used as control. METHODS: The children for our study were recruited from the Suwon Project, a cohort comprising a non-random convenience sample of 117 nine-year-old ethnic Koreans. The parents of the study participants completed study questionnaires such as the Korean version of Child Behavior Checklist, ADHD Rating Scale, Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version. Facial Expression Recognition Test of the Emotion Recognition Test was used for the evaluation of facial emotion recognition and ADHD Rating Scale was used for the assessment of ADHD. RESULTS: ADHD children (N=10) were found to have impaired recognition when it comes to Emotional Differentiation and Contextual Understanding compared with normal controls (N=24). We found no statistically significant difference in the recognition of positive facial emotions (happy and surprise) and negative facial emotions (anger, sadness, disgust and fear) between the children with ADHD and normal children. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggested that facial emotion recognition may be closely associated with ADHD, after controlling for covariates, although more research is needed.

Facial Emotion Recognition in Schizophrenia: The Impact of Gender

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies reported gender differences for facial emotion recognition in healthy people, with women performing better than men. Few studies that examined gender differences for facial emotion recognition in schizophrenia brought out inconsistent findings. The aim of this study is to investigate gender differences for facial emotion identification and discrimination abilities in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: 35 female and 35 male patients with schizophrenia, along with 35 female and 35 male healthy controls were included in the study. All the subjects were evaluated with Facial Emotion Identification Test (FEIT), Facial Emotion Discrimination Test (FEDT), and Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT). Patients' psychopathological symptoms were rated by means of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: Male patients performed significantly worse than female patients on FEIT total, and negative scores. Male controls performed significantly worse than female controls on FEIT total and negative scores. On all tasks, female patients performed comparable with controls. Male patients performed significantly worse than controls on FEIT, and FEDT. CONCLUSION: Women with schizophrenia outperformed men for facial emotion recognition ability in a pattern that is similar with the healthy controls. It could be claimed that male patients with schizophrenia need special consideration for emotion perception deficits.

Alexithymia and the Recognition of Facial Emotion in Schizophrenic Patients

OBJECTIVES: Schizophrenic patients have been shown to be impaired in both emotional self-awareness and recognition of others' facial emotions. Alexithymia refers to the deficits in emotional self-awareness. The relationship between alexithymia and recognition of others' facial emotions needs to be explored to better understand the characteristics of emotional deficits in schizophrenic patients. METHODS: Thirty control subjects and 31 schizophrenic patients completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20-Korean version (TAS-20K) and facial emotion recognition task. The stimuli in facial emotion recognition task consist of 6 emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and neutral). Recognition accuracy was calculated within each emotion category. Correlations between TAS-20K and recognition accuracy were analyzed. RESULTS: The schizophrenic patients showed higher TAS-20K scores and lower recognition accuracy compared with the control subjects. The schizophrenic patients did not demonstrate any significant correlations between TAS-20K and recognition accuracy, unlike the control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that, although schizophrenia may impair both emotional self-awareness and recognition of others' facial emotions, the degrees of deficit can be different between emotional self-awareness and recognition of others' facial emotions. This indicates that the emotional deficits in schizophrenia may assume more complex features.

The Effect of Impulsivity and the Ability to Recognize Facial Emotion on the Aggressiveness of Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

OBJECTIVES: A higher level of aggression has been reported for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than for non-ADHD children. Aggression was shown to have a negative effect on the social functioning of children with ADHD. The ability to recognize facial emotion expression has also been related to aggression. In this study, we examined whether impulsivity and dysfunctional recognition of facial emotion expression could explain the aggressiveness of children with ADHD. METHODS: 67 children with ADHD participated in this study. We measured the ability to recognize facial emotion expression by using the Emotion Recognition Test (ERT) and we measured aggression by the T score of the aggression subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Impulsivity was measured by the ADHD diagnostic system (ADS). RESULTS: The teacher rated level of aggression was related to the score of recognizing negative affect. After controlling for the effect of impulsivity, this relationship is not significant. Only the score of the visual commission errors explained the level of aggression of children with ADHD. CONCLUSIONS: Impulsivity seems to have a major role in explaining the aggression of children with ADHD. The clinical implication of this study is that effective intervention for controlling impulsivity may be expected to reduce the aggression of children with ADHD.