Blindness influences emotional authenticity perception in voices: Behavioral and ERP evidence.

The ability to distinguish spontaneous from volitional emotional expressions is an important social skill. How do blind individuals perceive emotional authenticity? Unlike sighted individuals, they cannot rely on facial and body language cues, relying instead on vocal cues alone. Here, we combined behavioral and ERP measures to investigate authenticity perception in laughter and crying in individuals with early- or late-blindness onset. Early-blind, late-blind, and sighted control participants (n = 17 per group, N = 51) completed authenticity and emotion discrimination tasks while EEG data were recorded. The stimuli consisted of laughs and cries that were either spontaneous or volitional. The ERP analysis focused on the N1, P2, and late positive potential (LPP). Behaviorally, early-blind participants showed intact authenticity perception, but late-blind participants performed worse than controls. There were no group differences in the emotion discrimination task. In brain responses, all groups were sensitive to laughter authenticity at the P2 stage, and to crying authenticity at the early LPP stage. Nevertheless, only early-blind participants were sensitive to crying authenticity at the N1 and middle LPP stages, and to laughter authenticity at the early LPP stage. Furthermore, early-blind and sighted participants were more sensitive than late-blind ones to crying authenticity at the P2 and late LPP stages. Altogether, these findings suggest that early blindness relates to facilitated brain processing of authenticity in voices, both at early sensory and late cognitive-evaluative stages. Late-onset blindness, in contrast, relates to decreased sensitivity to authenticity at behavioral and brain levels.

Memory footprint: Predictors of flashbulb and event memories of the 2016 Euro Cup final.

Two years after Portugal won the UEFA European Championship, we examined what the Portuguese remember of this momentous occasion. We investigated if flashbulb memories (FBMs) and event memories (EMs) were determined by distinct factors, and whether EM was a predictor of FBM. Participants responded to an online questionnaire about their FBM, EM and set of predictors. Structural equation modeling revealed that FBM and EM were associated with different pathways. Interest in football predicted importance which triggered emotional intensity which predicted personal rehearsal, a direct determinant of FBMs. On the other pathway, interest determined knowledge about football, the main predictor of EMs. Importantly, EM was a causal determinant of FBM which shows that the memory trace for the original event enhances memory for the reception context. The findings suggests that even though the two types of memories are determined by independent factors, they interact very closely.

Attention and emotion shape self-voice prioritization in speech processing.

Both self-voice and emotional speech are salient signals that are prioritized in perception. Surprisingly, self-voice perception has been investigated to a lesser extent than the self-face. Therefore, it remains to be clarified whether self-voice prioritization is boosted by emotion, and whether self-relevance and emotion interact differently when attention is focused on who is speaking vs. what is being said. Thirty participants listened to 210 prerecorded words spoken in one's own or an unfamiliar voice and differing in emotional valence in two tasks, manipulating the attention focus on either speaker identity or speech emotion. Event-related potentials (ERP) of the electroencephalogram (EEG) informed on the temporal dynamics of self-relevance, emotion, and attention effects. Words spoken in one's own voice elicited a larger N1 and Late Positive Potential (LPP), but smaller N400. Identity and emotion interactively modulated the P2 (self-positivity bias) and LPP (self-negativity bias). Attention to speaker identity modulated more strongly ERP responses within 600 ms post-word onset (N1, P2, N400), whereas attention to speech emotion altered the late component (LPP). However, attention did not modulate the interaction of self-relevance and emotion. These findings suggest that the self-voice is prioritized for neural processing at early sensory stages, and that both emotion and attention shape self-voice prioritization in speech processing. They also confirm involuntary processing of salient signals (self-relevance and emotion) even in situations in which attention is deliberately directed away from those cues. These findings have important implications for a better understanding of symptoms thought to arise from aberrant self-voice monitoring such as auditory verbal hallucinations.

The time course of emotional authenticity detection in nonverbal vocalizations.

Previous research has documented perceptual and brain differences between spontaneous and volitional emotional vocalizations. However, the time course of emotional authenticity processing remains unclear. We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to address this question, and we focused on the processing of laughter and crying. We additionally tested whether the neural encoding of authenticity is influenced by attention, by manipulating task focus (authenticity versus emotional category) and visual condition (with versus without visual deprivation). ERPs were recorded from 43 participants while they listened to vocalizations and evaluated their authenticity (volitional versus spontaneous) or emotional meaning (sad versus amused). Twenty-two of the participants were blindfolded and tested in a dark room, and 21 were tested in standard visual conditions. As compared to volitional vocalizations, spontaneous ones were associated with reduced N1 amplitude in the case of laughter, and increased P2 in the case of crying. At later cognitive processing stages, more positive amplitudes were observed for spontaneous (versus volitional) laughs and cries (1000-1400 msec), with earlier effects for laughs (700-1000 msec). Visual condition affected brain responses to emotional authenticity at early (P2 range) and late processing stages (middle and late LPP ranges). Task focus did not influence neural responses to authenticity. Our findings suggest that authenticity information is encoded early and automatically during vocal emotional processing. They also point to a potentially faster encoding of authenticity in laughter compared to crying.

The perceived salience of vocal emotions is dampened in non-clinical auditory verbal hallucinations.

Introduction: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are a cardinal symptom of schizophrenia but are also reported in the general population without need for psychiatric care. Previous evidence suggests that AVH may reflect an imbalance of prior expectation and sensory information, and that altered salience processing is characteristic of both psychotic and non-clinical voice hearers. However, it remains to be shown how such an imbalance affects the categorisation of vocal emotions in perceptual ambiguity.Methods: Neutral and emotional nonverbal vocalisations were morphed along two continua differing in valence (anger; pleasure), each including 11 morphing steps at intervals of 10%. College students (N = 234) differing in AVH proneness (measured with the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale) evaluated the emotional quality of the vocalisations.Results: Increased AVH proneness was associated with more frequent categorisation of ambiguous vocalisations as 'neutral', irrespective of valence. Similarly, the perceptual boundary for emotional classification was shifted by AVH proneness: participants needed more emotional information to categorise a voice as emotional.Conclusions: These findings suggest that emotional salience in vocalisations is dampened as a function of increased AVH proneness. This could be related to changes in the acoustic representations of emotions or reflect top-down expectations of less salient information in the social environment.

Effectiveness of a combined surf and psychological preventive intervention with children and adolescents in residential childcare: a randomized controlled trial / Efectividad de una intervención preventiva psicológica y de surf combinada con niños y adolescentes en cuidado residencial: un ensayo controlado aleatorizado

Children and adolescents living in residential childcare have a higher prevalence of mental health problems as a result of a history of adverse childhood experiences. Therefore, this population should be a priority target for mental health preventive interventions. The current study analyses the effectiveness of the Wave by Wavesurf therapy program, that combines surfing with a psychological group intervention, through a randomized controlled trial. Seventy-three youth (7-17 years) living in residential care participated in the study. Main mental health outcomes (adjustment problems, depression, anxiety, and wellbeing) and secondary outcomes (self-efficacy, self-regulation, sleep quality, physical activity, pro-social behavior, and social connectivity) were assessed at pre- and post-intervention. The results indicated a significant impact of the intervention on mental health outcomes reported by the key residential worker, with medium to large effect sizes. Specifically, after the intervention, there was a significant reduction in the total emotional and behavioural problems, and a significant increase of youth pro-social behaviour and quality of life that was not observed for the waiting list group. There were no significant effects on other measures reported by the children (e.g., depression and anxiety, self-esteem, emotion regulation, social connectedness, sleep quality, physical activity) and on executive functions measures. The Wave by Wave program seems to be an effective intervention to reduce behavior problems and to promote pro-social behavior in a high-risk sample. The absence of significant effects on other dimensions may indicate the need of some complementary support to address specific difficulties of this population

Los niños y adolescentes que viven en acogimiento residencial tienen una mayor prevalencia de problemas de salud mental. Por lo tanto, esta población debe ser un objetivo prioritario para las intervenciones preventivas de salud mental. El estudio actual analiza la efectividad del programa Wave by Wave, que combina el surf con una intervención psicológica grupal, a través de un ensayo controlado aleatorio. Setenta y tres jóvenes (7-17 años) que viven en acogimiento residencial participaron en el estudio. Los principales resultados de salud mental (problemas de ajuste, depresión, ansiedad y bienestar) y los resultados secundarios (autoeficacia, autorregulación, calidad del sueño, actividad física, comportamiento prosocial y conectividad social) se evaluaron antes y después de intervención. Los resultados indicaron un impacto significativo de la intervención sobre los resultados de salud mental reportados por el cuidador en la residencia. Específicamente, después de la intervención, hubo una reducción significativa en los problemas emocionales y conductuales totales, y un aumento significativo del comportamiento prosocial de los jóvenes y de la calidad de vida que no se observó en el grupo control. No hubo efectos significativos en otras medidas reportadas por los niños (ex., depresión y ansiedad, autoestima) y en las medidas de las funciones ejecutivas. El programa Wave by Wave parece ser una intervención efectiva para reducir los problemas de comportamiento y promover el comportamiento prosocial en una muestra de alto riesgo. La ausencia de efectos significativos en otras dimensiones puede indicar la necesidad de algún apoyo complementario para abordar las dificultades específicas de esta población

Self-voice perception and its relationship with hallucination predisposition.

Introduction: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are a core symptom of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia but are also reported in 10-15% of the general population. Impairments in self-voice recognition are frequently reported in schizophrenia and associated with the severity of AVH, particularly when the self-voice has a negative quality. However, whether self-voice processing is also affected in nonclinical voice hearers remains to be specified. Methods: Thirty-five nonclinical participants varying in hallucination predisposition based on the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale, listened to prerecorded words and vocalisations differing in identity (self/other) and emotional quality. In Experiment 1, participants indicated whether words were spoken in their own voice, another voice, or whether they were unsure (recognition task). They were also asked whether pairs of words/vocalisations were uttered by the same or by a different speaker (discrimination task). In Experiment 2, participants judged the emotional quality of the words/vocalisations. Results: In Experiment 1, hallucination predisposition affected voice discrimination and recognition, irrespective of stimulus valence. Hallucination predisposition did not affect the evaluation of the emotional valence of words/vocalisations (Experiment 2). Conclusions: These findings suggest that nonclinical participants with high HP experience altered voice identity processing, whereas HP does not affect the perception of vocal emotion. Specific alterations in self-voice perception in clinical and nonclinical voice hearers may establish a core feature of the psychosis continuum.

An eight-month randomized controlled trial on the use of intra-oral cameras and text messages for gingivitis control among adults.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of using an intra-oral camera (IOC) during a dental hygiene consultation and mobile text messages (TM) between appointments on clinical, behavioural and psychological parameters of patients with gingivitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned into four conditions: IOC, TM, IOC + TM and control, and examined at three assessment points over eight months (N = 142). Bleeding on marginal probing (BOMP), dental hygiene (brushing and flossing) and social cognitive determinants of behaviour change (outcome expectancies, action and volitional self-efficacy, intention, planning and action control) were evaluated in an examiner-blind controlled study. Mixed-effects modelling was employed to examine changes in study outcomes. Mediations by the psychological determinants were inspected for the effect on treatment groups in clinical parameters and behaviour. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, all treatment conditions improved dental hygiene and revealed a significant decrease in BOMP from baseline to 4 months, maintained at 8 months; this was clinically relevant in the IOC + TM group, where individuals had more positive outcome expectancies as well as higher levels of action self-efficacy and intention from baseline to four months, maintained at eight months. Volitional self-efficacy was reinforced in all treatments. The psychological determinants did not prove to be the mechanisms responsible for these effects. CONCLUSIONS: A multiple-strategy benefit from using the IOC in consultation and TM between appointments improves clinical, behavioural and psychological parameters of periodontal health four months after treatment, maintained at eight months' follow-up. Insights are provided for the efficacy of the images and text messages for oral hygiene changes.

Social and moral norm differences among Portuguese 1st and 6th year medical students towards their intention to comply with hand hygiene.

This study examines social and moral norms towards the intention to comply with hand hygiene among Portuguese medical students from 1st and 6th years (N = 175; 121 from the 1st year, 54 from the 6th year). The study extended the theory of planned behaviour theoretical principles and hypothesised that both subjective and moral norms will be the best predictors of 1st and 6th year medical students' intention to comply with hand hygiene; however, these predictors ability to explain intention variance will change according to medical students' school year. Results indicated that the subjective norm, whose referent focuses on professors, is a relevant predictor of 1st year medical students' intention, while the subjective norm that emphasises the relevance of colleagues predicts the intentions of medical students from the 6th year. In terms of the moral norm, 6th year students' intention is better predicted by a norm that interferes with compliance; whereas intentions from 1st year students are better predicted by a norm that favours compliance. Implications of the findings highlight the importance of role models and mentors as key factors in teaching hand hygiene in medical undergraduate curricula.