Subjects: Psychology >> Developmental Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： Cognitive models of social anxiety propose that socially anxious individuals tend to interpret ambiguous social events differently than healthy controls, embodying the presence of a negative interpretation bias and a lack of positive interpretation bias. This interpretation bias has been considered to play an important role in the etiology, maintenance, and recurrence of the disease. Many studies suggest that interpretation bias, as well as negative affect, can be directly shifted through repeated experiential practice, known as Cognitive Bias Modification of Interpretation (CBM-I). This has led to a growing interest in exploring the clinical potential of this “bottom-up” intervention. However, there has been some controversy about the heterogeneity of studies and the uncertainty about the cognitive mechanisms of this approach in the recent decade. The present article summarizes the frequently-used paradigms and reviews studies in terms of participants’ age and clinical status. Moreover, it focuses on discussing the potential cognitive mechanisms of CBM-I. An intervention model for the underlying mechanisms is proposed based on established cognitive models of social anxiety disorder and relevant factors (self-imagery, self-esteem, evaluation of threatening messages, fear of positive evaluation, long-term memory, anxiety sensitivity, and avoidance). Limitations of the studies reviewed are analyzed from five aspects: interpretation bias, social anxiety, transfer effect, experimental design and study heterogeneity. Directions for future research are addressed as well.
Subjects: Psychology >> Developmental Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： “Sense of agency” refers to the sense of controlling one’s actions and the course of events in the outside world. It is based on the match between the expected action and the real sensory feedback. The first part of this article introduces a method for implicit measurement of sense of agency. The second part deals with the factors that influence the sense of agency from the aspects of intentionality and sensory feedback. Part three provides the conclusion. With an emphasis on the functions of the prefrontal and parietal lobes, this article provides evidence to explain the mechanism of sense of agency through the theoretical model and cognitive neuroscience.
Subjects: Psychology >> Developmental Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： In this article, we reviewed the large body of research examining the impacts of social change on human psychology and culture. Our review revealed an increasing trend of individualism and, at the meantime, decreasing collectivism. This trend manifests on various societal and individual-level indicators, including relationship structures, first-person pronouns use, naming practices, value preferences, personality, sexual and religious attitudes, child-rearing goals and child development, cognitive styles and emotional experiences. Our review also demonstrated the complexities of cultural and psychological change, including the non-linearity of the change, endurance of traditional culture and emerging multi-cultural society. At the end, we pointed out some limitations of the existing research and highlighted some possible directions of future research.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder with complex etiologies that usually occurs after people are exposed to traumatic events. In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the criteria for PTSD included symptoms of intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity. The World Mental Health Surveys on Trauma and PTSD showed that more than 70% of individuals would experience traumatic events at least once in lifetime, while only a few would develop PTSD, suggesting individual differences in the genesis and development of PTSD. Previous studies have proved that both genetic and environmental factors could influence the risk of PTSD, thus epigenetics, as a discipline investigating the interaction between environment and genes, has attracted the attention of researchers. Among the epigenetic mechanisms, histone modification has received widespread attention and has been researched in depth. Modification of histones by adding one or more chemical groups (such as acetyl group, methyl group, etc.) can lead to changes in chromatin structure and gene transcriptional activity, consequently regulating the level of gene expression. In recent years, histone modification has been implicated as an essential part in the pathogenesis of PTSD for the following reason: the development of PTSD is usually related to the maladaptation of fear memory induced by traumatic events, and histone modification plays an important role in the consolidation and extinction of fear memory correspondingly. At present, techniques commonly used for the measurement of histone modification are Western Blotting and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), both based on the antibody technology. By combining ChIP with quantitative PCR (qPCR) technology, DNA microarray (also known as gene chip) technology or deep sequencing (Seq) technology, researchers can study the relationship between various types of histone modification and gene expression. What’s more, animal models are the main methods to explore the association between histone modification and PTSD, using electric shocks (e.g., inescapable foot shock, tail shock, and tone shock), social stress (e.g., predator exposure), and single prolonged stress (SPS) to simulate symptoms of PTSD in the laboratory. We systematically searched and screened the literatures of histone modification in PTSD through PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/), PsychINFO (http://psycnet.apa.org/), and PsychArticles (http://psycnet.apa.org/), with finally 16 literatures selected for detailed integration and discussion. In spite of the nonnegligible heterogeneity among these studies, they proved the overall effect of histone modification was closely associated with the development of PTSD. Histone modification that enriched in the promoter regions of candidate genes like the Bdnf and Cdk5, could significantly increase the risk of PTSD. Alterations in levels of histone acetylation and methylation in hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex are associated with PTSD, playing key roles in the consolidation, reconsolidation, and extinction of fear memory in PTSD-like animals. It is worth noting that histone modification is mainly involved in the regulation of the immune system, the serotonergic system, the neuropeptide Y-ergic system, and the NMDA receptor-related pathways. In addition, histone modification can be regulated by a variety of enzymes, leading to flexible regulation of PTSD, making drugs that target histone modification good choices for clinical treatment of PTSD. Studying the neurobiological mechanisms of PTSD in human patients has been blocked by many factors; moreover, applying the results of animal models of PTSD to clinical research is a long way off. Therefore, using animal models to investigate the role of histone modification in the etiology of PTSD will remain a mainstream approach for some time to come.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： In these years, researchers have begun to apply transcranial alternating current stimulation to the field of mental disorders. Especially, the gamma- and alpha-band frequencies are attracting the most attention. Previous studies have found that using γ-tACS to intervene abnormal brain activity can alleviate cognitive impairment and bring emotional benefits in various mental disorders, such as improving attention and memory functions, and reducing the depressive and anxious symptoms. The α-tACS have been used to modulate abnormal alpha oscillations and brain network connections in mental disorder, which could improve abnormal perceptual processing and enhance emotion regulation function in schizophrenia, depression and anxiety disorders. In addition, few studies have found that θ-tACS could improve cognitive functions in schizophrenia and ADHD, and 77.5 Hz, 15mA-tACS could modulate the release of neurotransmitters in MDD and chronic insomnia. Based on these clinical trials and case reports, the underlying mechanisms of the effects of tACS on mental disorders might be directly modulating abnormal brain neural activities and indirectly improving cognitive functions of patients'. First, neuroimaging studies have shown that a specific frequency tACS targeting specific brain region could modulate the nerve oscillations of corresponding frequency and brain functional connections, which directly reducing clinical symptoms of patients. Second, instead of targeting the specific damaged brain activity in mental diseases, the tACS is used to activate neural circuits associated to cognitive functions, so as to improve the attention, memory and other cognitive functions, thus alleviating adverse symptoms indirectly. At present, there are still some unsolved problems in theapplication of tACS in mental disorders. Firstly, the comparative analysis of the stimulation parameters and experiment paradigms is helpful to formulate standardized stimulation protocols and guide the clinical treatment. Secondly, one of the main hypotheses of tACS intervention mechanism in mental diseases is to target the abnormal brain activity of patients. Therefore, high definition tACS is an important method to improve the stimulation accuracy. In addition, the tACS intervention accompanied by EEG recording is also a concern to researchers. Compared with delayed recording, synchronous recording of EEG can better reflect the effect of tACS on brain neural activity, and this dynamic feedback is more conducive to personalized intervention protocol. In conclusion, the tACS is expected to be a safe and effective method for diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. The mechanism of its effects, the improvement of stimulus parameters and paradigms, and the enhancement of technique upgrading may become the key direct of future study.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-27 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract： Anchoring effect refers to the phenomenon that a target estimation was influenced by the numerical anchor value in the way that the final judgment would be close to the anchor value. Previous studies have found that external anchor could improve ones' attitudes and behaviors that may promote their physical and mental health. However, studies about other anchor types were not being found in the literature. Anchor values ??that are highly personally relevant can stimulate deep processing. The current study integrated anchor value with prevention science, conducted two on-site experiments that focused on the physical and mental health of older adults and adolescents, and explored design options of internal anchors and fine anchors and their effectiveness in improving outcomes. Experiment 1 examined the effect of positive nostalgia on the emotional state and well-being of older adults. A two-factor mixed design was adopted. A positive nostalgic internal anchor (the number of positive reminiscences) was built through 10-week nostalgic story sharing. 80 senior citizens participated in 10 weeks’ interventions of compelling narrative life sharing (positive nostalgia condition) and collecting life stories (free nostalgia condition). The subjects shared two stories per week about different topics. The first experiment tested whether the positive nostalgia of internal anchors had any effect on positive emotions and happiness. The results showed that, the number of pleasant and inspirational stories (positive internal anchor) in positive nostalgia group was significantly higher than those in the free nostalgia group. The positive mood and well-being of the positive nostalgia group (intervention group) were significantly higher than those of the free nostalgia group (control). Experiment 2 examined the influence of fine anchor on persistence of physical activity among middle school students. There were three study conditions: fine anchors, rough interval anchors and no anchors. According to their base line performance in plank and 2 minutes rope skipping, 180 adolescents were divided into 3 groups Individualized “motivation tips” were delivered before the second experiment. It was found that the self-reported persistence levels and improvement rates were higher among students in the fine anchor group than those of the other two groups. Results of comprehensive analysis showed that the designed internal anchors and fine anchors played an active role in promoting physical and mental health among older adults and adolescents. The study provided evidence that self-generating internal anchor or fine anchor for individual promotes positive attitudes and behaviors on physical and mental health. A possible mechanism of the effect could be that the anchor values were personally relevant and could stimulate deep processing, which in turn triggered changes in feelings, emotions, or motives. Results of the study have implications on practical significance for improving the physical and mental health of older adults and adolescents and for increasing ways and methods to improve their health.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-27 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract： Previous studies have found temporal differences in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) development. Clinical workers and researchers have also demonstrated that symptoms of PTSD differ by stage after traumatic events. Recently, the symptom network perspective has contributed substantially to the development of psychopathology due to its important advantage in understanding the role of psychological symptoms in mental disorders. An increasing number of analyses adopting the network approach to study PTSD symptoms have also provided novel insights into PTSD symptomatology. However, changes in children's long-term PTSD symptomatology are poorly understood. The current study aims to identify changes in the network of PTSD symptoms among children through the network approach.A four-year longitudinal study was conducted from 4 months after the Wenchuan earthquake. Four assessments were conducted at four (T1;September 2008), 29 (T2; October 2010), 40 (T3; September 2011) and 52 (T4; September 2012) months following the earthquake. Ultimately, 197 children completed assessments at each time point. The children were in grades four and six at T1 and attended two primary schools located in Beichuan County. Symptoms of PTSD were assessed by the University of California at Los Angeles PTSD Reaction Index based on the DSM-IV. Network analysis was implemented with the qgraph package in R following the standard guidelines by Epskamp and Fried.Flashbacks exhibited relatively high centrality at all time points, while other symptoms with high centrality varied across time points. Emotional cue reactivity exhibited high centrality at 4 months, and its centrality decreased over time. Foreshortened future exhibited high centrality at 4, 29 and 40 months, but its centrality decreased to a low level at 52 months. Intrusive thoughts exhibited low centrality at 4 months, but the centrality of this symptom increased to a high level at 29 months. Physiological cue reactivity exhibited low centrality at 4 months, and its centrality increased over time. These findings indicated the distinct temporal variability in the centrality of some PTSD symptoms. The global connectivity of the network increased from 4 to 40 months and then decreased at 52 months.The current study enhanced the knowledge of child PTSD symptomatology. Flashbacks might play a key role in the evolution of PTSD symptoms. In addition, different core symptoms might contribute to early and chronic PTSD structures. Emotional cue reactivity and foreshortened future might play key roles in early PTSD structures and then recover in later stages following disasters. Physiological cue reactivity and intrusive thoughts might be core symptoms in chronic PTSD structures. The phenomenon of the increased connectivity of the PTSD symptom network at 40 months may be one reason why previous trauma leads to vulnerability to PTSD. Overall, our study highlighted temporal differences in PTSD symptoms. Different core symptoms in early and chronic PTSD structures should be treated as targets at different stages following disasters in clinical practice.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-27 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract： What is Chinese personality? This question has long attracted the interest of researchers. Joint factor analyses of the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI), which was generated using a combined emic-etic approach, and the NEO-FFI, which measures western-derived Big Five personality factors, produced six factors. These correspond to the five factors from the Big Five Model plus an Interpersonal Relatedness factor (IR). These six factors constitute the “Big Six” personality structure that describes and explains Chinese personality or behavior. IR is a culturally specific personality dimension that is closely related to traditional Chinese culture. The existence of IR has been confirmed by a large number of studies, but its connotations need to be further explored and refined. This paper discussed the subtypes of the Chinese IR personality trait from a quantitative perspective and further explored which subtype of IR was more adaptive. The study adopted a “person-centered approach” to reveal the overall nature of IR in Chinese people. In Study 1, 1911 participants of the CPAI-2 normative sample were analyzed with latent profile analysis (LPA) in terms of six dimensions of IR - Ren Qing (Relationship Orientation), Harmony, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Discipline, Thrift vs. Extravagance, and Traditionalism vs. Modernity - to explore the potential subtypes of IR. In Study 2, 200 white people were investigated to explore the latent profile structure of Interpersonal Relatedness in non-Chinese people. In Study 3, 2580 juniors from a comprehensive university were investigated to verify the potential structure of IR obtained in Study 1. The LPA method with outcome variables (BCH method) was used to investigate the social adaptability of different subtypes of college students in the potential structure of IR in terms of academic performance, knowledge sharing behavior, and mental health. The results of Study 1 showed that the fourfold classification model of IR had the best fitting index. The fourfold classification model was specifically composed of high and low scores of “round outside” (including three potential personality constructs of Ren Qing, Harmony, and Interpersonal Sensitivity) and “square inside” (including three potential personality constructs of Discipline, Thrift vs. Extravagance, and Traditionalism vs. Modernity). The four subtypes were “gentlemen” who were round outside and square inside, pedantic persons who were non-round outside and square inside, two-faced persons who were non-round outside and non-square inside, and hypocrites who were round outside and non-square inside. The fourfold classification model showed that the latent profile structure of the Chinese IR personality trait involved the dialectical unity of “round outside” and “square inside.” The results of Study 2 showed that the latent profile structure of the four categories of “round outside and square inside” did not appear in the Western samples, which reflected the Chinese cultural specificity of the “round outside and square inside” latent profile of Interpersonal Relatedness. The results of Study 3 verified the fourfold classification model of Study 1. The results of BCH in Study 3 found that among the four subgroups, the subgroup of “round outside and square inside” had better academic performance, higher levels of mental health, and more knowledge sharing behaviors, which indicated that this subgroup was the most adaptable in modern society. The results are discussed in relation to traditional Chinese culture, especially regarding the characteristics of the Confucian “gentleman personality”. The research provides a rich historical context and insight into the applicability to the contemporary life of the dialectical and unified “round outside and square inside” behavior mode of contemporary Chinese people.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-27 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract： Traumatic events have been recognized as important precipitants of sleep problems. Meanwhile, traumatic insomnia is one of the criteria for diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, whether trauma-induced sleep problems are secondary symptoms of PTSD or a core feature of PTSD has not yet reached a consistent conclusion. Recently, the emerging cross-lagged panel network analysis method has played an important role in understanding the role of symptoms in psychopathology. The advantage is that the role of each symptom can be systematically analyzed, and the longitudinal predictive pathway of each symptom can be estimated, thereby inferring the leading symptoms of psychiatric disorders. The present study aims to explore the role of trauma-induced sleep problems in the evolution of PTSD among children and adolescents through the cross-lagged panel network analysis. Three months after the Zhouqu debris flow, we started this 2-year longitudinal study. Three assessments were performed at 3 months (T1), 15 months (T2) and 27 months (T3) after the disaster. We enrolled students from 2 primary schools and 3 secondary schools in the hardest-hit areas. Ultimately, 1, 460 children and adolescents completed three rounds of evaluation. At T1, there were 702 students from grades 4 to 6, and 758 students from grades 7 to 9. The average age of the participant was 12.89 (SD = 2.29). Symptoms of PTSD were assessed with the University of California at Los Angeles PTSD Reaction Index based on the DSM-IV. The cross-lagged panel network analysis was conducted using R packages glmnet and qgraph. Results showed that at T1→T2, sleep problems had the highest out-expected influence centrality, followed by physiological cue reactivity. They were sources of activation for the nodes receiving its edges, that is, they were easy to activate other symptoms in the PTSD network. Sleep problems at T1 positively predicted a lot of other PTSD symptoms at T2, including intrusive thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks, emotional cue reactivity, restricted positive affect, restricted negative affect, irritability/anger, hypervigilance and exaggerated startle response. The results also revealed several indirect influence paths such as sleep problems predicting nightmares then affecting flashbacks. However, when it comes to T2→T3, it is detachment rather than sleep problems that had the highest out- expected influence. It positively predicted diminished interest, restricted positive affect, sleep problems and irritability/anger. We also found some feedback loop: detachment→ restricted positive affect→diminished interest→detachment. This is the first study to explore activation paths of PTSD symptoms among children and adolescents through the cross-lagged panel network analysis. These findings have improved the understanding of the role of trauma-induced sleep problems in the long-term development of PTSD. The results showed that sleep problems at 3 months after the disaster activated a large number of symptoms in PTSD at 15 months after the disaster. Therefore, it is inferred that early sleep problems were the core symptom in the development of PTSD among children and adolescents in the early post-disaster period. However, its predictability decreased in the later period (15 months to 27 months). In conclusion, these findings emphasize the time specificity of the impact of traumatic sleep problems on PTSD symptoms. We recommend that trauma-induced sleep problems should be given greater priority in the diagnostic criteria for PTSD among children and adolescents in the early post-disaster period. Meanwhile, early psychological assistance should vigorously develop treatments based on sleep problems to prevent the occurrence and development of PTSD. One year or longer after the traumatic event, the intervention target should be set to physiological cue reactivity and detachment.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-27 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract： Severe stress is one of the major external triggers of emotion-related mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Stress-induced sustained hyperarousal state is not only a core symptom but also a contributor to other symptoms such as sleep disturbance and negative mood. Serotonin, or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter that regulates emotional response. In addition, the 5-HT system is the target for pharmacological treatment such as selective-serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for major depressive disorder, PTSD, and other emotional disorders. However, it remains unknown whether serotonin is involved in the hyperarousal state caused by severe stress, as well as the mechanism by which genetic polymorphism in serotonin regulation contributes to the vulnerability of stress-related psychiatric disorders. Tryptophan-hydroxylase-2 (Tph2) is a serotonin synthesizing enzyme that converts tryptophan to 5-hydroxytryptophan in the brain. A genetic deficiency in the expression of Tph2 may lead to a lower level of serotonin in the brain. The present study focused on the role of serotonin in the development of stress-induced hyperarousal, investigating the behavioral effect of Tph2 gene-deficiency after severe stress in a mice model. Mice lacking Tph2 (Tph2-/-) in the brain have a vitally low level of serotonin and a bad health condition, so we used heterozygous Tph2-deficient mice (Tph2+/-) which have been shown to have a mild low level of serotonin in the brain. We measured the auditory startle reflex as an indicator of arousal level at different time points after predator-exposure stress or footshock stress in both male and female Tph2+/- and wild-type mice. The predator-exposure stress was to exposure a mouse to a cat for 5 minutes with a trained experimenter protecting the mouse from direct attack from the cat. The footshock stress was to exposure a mouse to a series of footshock (1.5 mA × 5s × 5, inter-shock interval 60 ~ 120 s) in a shock chamber. Then we measured the auditory startle reflex at 1-, 2-, 10-, and 18-day post-stress. For each startle test session, a total of 30 white noise stimuli were presented to the mice in a sound-isolated chamber (90 dB, 100 dB, 110 dB, ten stimuli for each level). The results showed that the Tph2+/- male mice had a higher level of startle than the non-stressed group at 1, 2, and 10 days after footshock stress, indicating a sustained hyperarousal. However, wild-type male mice only had an increased startle response on the day after the footshock stress. For mice with predator exposure stress, both Tph2+/- male mice and wild-type male mice showed an increased startle response on the first day after the predator stress, but then returned to the same level as the non-stressed mice. We also observed a sex difference in mice’s startle response that the female mice had a lower level of startle amplitude than that of male mice at baseline test before stress. In addition, female mice with different genotypes showed minor differences in their startle response at different time points after both types of stress. The results of the study indicate that the Tph2 genotype interacts with stress types in the regulation of long-term hyperarousal after severe stress events. Our results also provide preclinical evidence that individuals with Tph2 gene deficiency may be more vulnerable to stress-induced hyperarousal and highlight the potential of targeting the serotonin system for post-traumatic intervention.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2018-09-07 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract： 工作记忆训练的训练获益能够迁移至与工作记忆相关的各项基础认知活动中去。基于情绪认知控制与工作记忆之间的密切关联, 本研究设计了一种新型情绪性双维n-back训练, 并且验证利用手机APP搭载训练任务的适用性。结果表明：基于APP的短期双维n-back训练能够使个体在视空间工作记忆任务、活动记忆任务、数字转换任务、Stroop任务上的成绩产生相较控制组更大的进步, 表明训练可以提高个体工作记忆的容量和中央执行功能。然而, 基于不同情绪材料的训练(中性、负性、正性)在各类迁移上差异不大。短期训练无法迁移到情绪Stroop任务中, 即无法产生特异的情绪控制上的效益。双维n-back任务通道单一, 且搭载于手机APP, 拥有较为广阔的应用前景。但将情绪材料单纯地糅合进工作记忆任务中的价值与意义须被进一步考察。
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