Approach-Withdrawal Model

Manipulations differentially activating the left or right cerebral hemisphere influence behavior in ways congruent with known theories of hemispheric lateralization of function. For example, rightward eye gaze increases positive mood via left hemisphere activity, and left unilateral nostril breathing increases right hemisphere spatial task performance. Determining under what conditions, and to what extent, simple techniques can be used to alter mental and emotional state holds considerable appeal because methods might be used as adjuncts to other tactics to mitigate negative affect in clinical situations, or to improve cognition in neurocognitive impairment. One method demonstrating promise for altering cognition and emotion, and that could be used in home-settings, is sustained unilateral hand clenching. The goal of the present paper was to analyze the literature to examine i. typical methods used for this manipulation; ii. in what manner such movements alter cognition and/or emotion; iii. whether one versus the other hemisphere, is particularly affected by manipulation. A literature search was conducted using relevant search terms, resulting in 24 articles. Across the literature, a wide range of domains was examined, including memory, decision making, creativity, language, emotion, and social perception, with many examining more than one domain. Nine included neurophysiological measures. Overall, 4 studies reported an impact of only unilateral right-hand clenching and 5 of only unilateral left-hand clenching, on behavior. Twelve reported an impact of both hand clenching conditions. Three reported no impact of hand clenching on performance. Future work should examine unilateral hand clenching in clinical populations.

Estudios previos sobre discriminación visual de expresiones facíales en lactantes 3.1.1. Discriminación de expresiones simuladas por un mismo rostro 3.1.2, Discriminación generalizada a través de distintos rostros afectivos 3.1.3, Resumen y análisis crítico 3.1.4. Objetivos de este estudio e hipótesis formuladas 3.

The present study examined electrical brain activations in participants playing three different video games. Forty-five adolescents between the ages of 13-17 (M=14.3 years, SD=1.5) were randomly assigned to play either a violent game, non-violent game, or brain training game. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during video game play. Following game play, participants completed a questionnaire measuring prosocial personality. Results show an association between prosocial personality factors and differential patterns of brain activation in game groups. Adolescents with higher empathy playing the brain training game were positively correlated with frontal asymmetry scores, while empathy scores for those in non-violent and violent game groups were negatively linked to frontal asymmetric activation scores. Those with higher scores in helpfulness in the non-violent game group showed a positive association to left hemisphere activation. Implications behind these findings are discussed in the manuscript.

Electroencephalography (EEG) refers to the recording of electrical brain activity from the human scalp. This method of measurement was discovered by Hans Berger in the late 1920s in experiments in which two sponges were soaked in saline and were then connected to a differential amplifi er . EEG measurement techniques have advanced Electroencephalographic Methods in Psychology 3 FIGURE 26.1. Electrode layout and labels commonly used in EEG recording. The fi gure shows the top of the head, with the triangle at the top representing the nose. The electrodes displayed in black are the original 10-20 electrodes.

Electroencephalography (EEG) was continuously recorded from two players while they were playing Bomberman PSP game in competition and cooperation modes, in home and in laboratory environment. We report here results from analysis, where frontal alpha asymmetry was compared to different self-report items. Both valence and arousal ratings were similarly related to the frontal asymmetry: withdrawal-related EEG activation was observed for those who gave more positive valence ratings and for those who gave higher arousal ratings. It is suggested that during the playing the players encountered challenging events and possibly experienced these as causing withdrawal. However after the playing session the experience was rated positively, as the experience of excitement is one of the reasons for playing digital games and often more exciting games are considered better than those that evoke milder emotions.

The purpose of this report was to examine facial asymmetry during the expression of positive and negative emotions. In addition, methodological factors in the study of facial asymmetry were considered. Subjects were 16 neurologically-healthy right-handed adult males, videotaped while posing eight facial expressions (positive and negative) under two conditions (verbal command and visual imitation). Separate asymmetry ratings of the two sides of the face were made by judges viewing normal or mirror-reversed versions of the videotape. There were no effects of valence. condition, or videotape orientation on the asymmetry ratings. and, in general, expressions were produced significantly more intensely on the left than the right side of the face. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that the right cerebral hemisphere is dominant for the expression of facial emotion of both valences.

The purpose of this report was to examine facial asymmetry during the expression of positive and negative emotions. In addition, methodological factors in the study of facial asymmetry were considered. Subjects were 16 neurologically-healthy right-handed adult males, videotaped while posing eight facial expressions (positive and negative) under two conditions (verbal command and visual imitation). Separate asymmetry ratings of the two sides of the face were made by judges viewing normal or mirror-reversed versions of the videotape. There were no effects of valence. condition, or videotape orientation on the asymmetry ratings. and, in general, expressions were produced significantly more intensely on the left than the right side of the face. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that the right cerebral hemisphere is dominant for the expression of facial emotion of both valences.

Electroencephalography (EEG) refers to the recording of electrical brain activity from the human scalp. This method of measurement was discovered by Hans Berger in the late 1920s in experiments in which two sponges were soaked in saline and were then connected to a differential amplifier (Berger, 1929).

Previous findings suggest that negative affect biases the perception of affectively congruent facial expressions of emotion, independently of their approach-withdrawal dimension. We study the effects of anger and sadness inductions in the discrimination of three emotion-related facial expressions, with special interest to examine the influence of the approach-withdrawal component of the emotions on the discrimination reaction time. In a repeated measures design, 36 voluntary female participants were induced to feel anger, sadness and a “neutral” state using a method that joins the report of autobiographic events with a guided semiarranged interview. The effects of emotional induction were assessed by three consecutive self-reports (pre-induction, post-induction, post-task). After induction, participants performed 3 different blocks. In each one, they had to discriminate, as quickly as possible, a particular facial expression (anger, fear and sadness) in a series of computerized images showing, quasi-randomly, different pairs of facial expressions of emotion, as well as neutral faces. Both the conditions (anger, sadness, control) and the different blocks of the task were counterbalanced between subjects. Results suggest a congruence effect related to the approach-withdrawal dimension of the negative emotions. Specifically, when anger was induced, participants discriminated faster anger faces. Conversely, when sadness was induced, they became faster in discriminating sadness but also fear faces. Further research is needed to determine whether these findings can be replicated in new experiments. We discuss the results in relation to previous findings supporting the affect-congruence model (valence-based bias), but now taking into account the approach-withdrawal framework. Funding: Spain-project SEJ2007-64374/PSIC.

The hopelessness theory of depression proposes that individuals with a depressogenic cognitive style are more likely to become hopeless and experience depression following negative life events. Although the neurophysiological underpinnings of cognitive style remain speculative, research indicates that decreased relative left frontal brain electrical activity holds promise as a trait-like marker of depression. This begs the question: Do measures of depressogenic cognitive style and resting frontal brain asymmetry index a common vulnerability? The present study provides preliminary support for this hypothesis. At baseline assessment, increased cognitive vulnerability to depression was associated with decreased relative left frontal brain activity at rest in individuals with no prior history of, or current, depression. Following baseline assessment, participants were followed prospectively an average of 3 years with structured diagnostic interviews at 4-month intervals. Both cognitive vulnerability and asymmetric frontal cortical activity prospectively predicted onset of first depressive episode in separate univariate analyses. Furthermore, multivariate analyses indicated that cognitive vulnerability and frontal asymmetry represented shared, rather than independent, predictors of first depression onset.

Individuals show marked variation in their responses to threat. Such individual differences in behavioral inhibition play a profound role in mental and physical well-being. Behavioral inhibition is thought to reflect variation in the sensitivity of a distributed neural system responsible for generating anxiety and organizing defensive responses to threat and punishment. Although progress has been made in identifying the key constituents of this behavioral inhibition system in humans, the involvement of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) remains unclear. Here, we acquired self-reported Behavioral Inhibition System Sensitivity scores and high-resolution electroencephalography from a large sample (n= 51). Using the enhanced spatial resolution afforded by source modeling techniques, we show that individuals with greater tonic (resting) activity in right-posterior DLPFC rate themselves as more behaviorally inhibited. This observation provides novel support for recent conceptualizations of behavioral inhibition and clues to the mechanisms that might underlie variation in threat-induced negative affect.

Aggression correlates with relatively greater left than right frontal electroencephalographic activity (inverse of EEG alpha power). The present experiment extends this research by manipulating frontal asymmetry and examining its effect on aggression. Participants were assigned to increase left frontal activation or increase right frontal activation by contracting their contralateral hand. They then received insulting feedback and played a game in which they could aggress toward the person who insulted them. Right-hand contractions caused greater left than right central and frontal activation and aggression as compared to left-hand contractions.Within the right-hand contraction condition, greater relative left frontal activity was associated with greater aggression. Descriptors: Frontal asymmetry, Aggression, Approach motivation

Research on the neural substrates of emotion has found evidence for cortical asymmetries for aspects of emotion. A recent article by Nicholls et al. has used a new imaging method to interrogate facial movement in 3D to assess possible asymmetrical action during expressions of happiness and sadness. Greater leftsided movement, particularly during expressions of sadness was observed. These findings have implications for understanding hemispheric differences in emotion and lend support to the notion that aspects of emotion processing might be differentially localized in the two hemispheres.