Low Arousal Research Articles

A hybrid sequential forward channel selection method for enhancing EEG-Based emotion recognition

ABSTRACT In recent times, EEG-based emotion recognition has gained significant attention in affective computing. One of the major challenges in designing an efficient EEG-based emotion-recognition framework lies in handling the high dimensionality of the data recorded from a large number of EEG electrodes. This paper develops a hybrid sequential forward channel selection (HSFCSER) based emotion-recognition method, which aims to identify the most relevant subset of EEG channels and thus reduces the dimensionality of data. In HSFCSER, the Fisher score is used as the filter method, and the wrapper method includes Support Vector Machine (SVM). Wavelet-based features are extracted from the selected optimal EEG channels, followed by the feature selection using a multi-objective genetic algorithm. The proposed method is evaluated on the DEAP database. The methodology identifies 1) two classes of emotions viz. Low/High Valence with an average accuracy of 91.25 ± 5.48% for subject-dependent and 89.38 ± 4.76% for subject-independent, and Low/High Arousal with an average accuracy of 89.92 ± 5.81% for subject-dependent and 86.32 ± 5.34% for subject-independent, and 2) four classes of emotions viz. High Valence-Low Arousal (HVLA), High Valence-High Arousal, Low Valence-Low Arousal, and Low Valence-High Arousal with 75.94 ± 11.07% for subject-dependent and 73.13 ± 8.17% for subject-independent. The efficient electrode positions for emotion recognition are also depicted. The reported results are better compared to the existing results in the literature. The source code of the proposed work is made available at https://github.com/shyammarjit/HSFCS.

Affect dimensions and variability during major depressive episodes: Ecological momentary assessment of unipolar, bipolar, and borderline patients and healthy controls

Differentiating major depressive episodes (MDEs) of major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (MDE/BD) and the MDEs comorbid with borderline personality disorder (MDE/BPD) is crucial for appropriate treatment, and knowledge of phenomenological differences may aid this. However, studies comparing affect experiences of these three patient groups and healthy subjects are scarce. In our study, participants (N = 114), including patients with MDD (n = 34), MDE/BD (n = 27), and MDE/BPD (n = 24), and healthy controls (HC, n = 29) responded to ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with ten circumplex model affect items ten times daily for seven days (7709 recordings). Explorative factor analysis resulted in two affect dimensions. The positive dimension included active, excited, cheerful (high arousal), and content (low arousal) affects, and the negative dimension irritated, angry, and nervous (high arousal) affects. Relative to HC, patients reported 3.5-fold negative affects (mean MDD 1.36 (SD 0.92), MDE/BD 1.43 (0.76), MDE/BPD 1.81 (0.95) vs. HC 0.44 (0.49) (p < 0.01)) but 0.5-fold positive affects (2.01 (0.90), 1.95 (0.89), 2.24 (1.03), vs. 3.2 (0.95), respectively (p < 0.01)). We used multilevel modelling. Negative-affect within-individual stability was lowest in MDE/BPD and highest in MDD. Negative affect predicted concurrent positive affect more in MDE/BPD than in MDD. Moderate size of subcohorts and no inpatients were limitations. Despite apparently similar MDEs, affective experiences may differ between BPD, BD, and MDD patients. Clinical subgroups of patients with depression may vary in affective instability and concurrent presence of negative and positive affects during depression.

Jaak Panksepp’s primary emotions are associated with Diener’s global life satisfaction: How low arousal of the SADNESS/separation distress system could form the core of life satisfaction?

Abstract We compared Ed Diener’s Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), which was designed as a purely cognitive measure of global life satisfaction, with the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales 3.1, which provides self-report measures of Panksepp’s six primary emotions (excluding LUST), in two English-speaking samples: a main sample and a hold-out validation sample. Our data showed robust negative correlations between higher satisfaction with life and lower FEAR, lower SADNESS/Separation Distress, and positive associations (albeit less strong) between higher satisfaction with life and higher PLAY and SEEKING in both samples. The relationships between the SWLS and at least four of Panksepp’s primary emotions suggest Diener’s SWLS is not purely cognitive and includes a strong affective component. In addition, detailed analysis of the negative correlation between the SWLS and the ANPS 3.1 SADNESS scale provides insight into the importance of the low arousal end of the SADNESS/Separation Distress brain system and supports the idea of a continuum of psychological states from high SADNESS including loneliness and depression to low SADNESS psychological states characterized by social comfort, self-confidence, and social strength.

Clinical and Polysomnographic Characteristics of Patients With Periodic Limb Movements During Sleep and Insomnia

Objectives: Periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS) is known to accompany restless legs syndrome, and studies on PLMS are limited. Moreover, the relationship between insomnia and PLMS is underrecognized. This study aimed to investigate the polysomnography (PSG) data, questionnaires, and iron-related laboratory data of patients with insomnia and were confirmed PLMS.Methods: Between April 2015 and May 2022, 423 patients with insomnia as the primary symptom who were diagnosed with PLMS based on overnight PSG were included and divided into three groups based on their PLM index (PLMI). The participants’ demographics, insomnia-related questionnaires, PSG findings, and iron-related laboratory findings were used in the analysis.Results: The severe PLMS group (PLMI &gt;50) were mostly males, had more individuals taking sleeping pills, and had higher body mass index than the mild PLMS group (PLMI 5–25). Significant differences were not found in questionnaire about insomnia and sleep quality. In PSG, the severe PLMS group showed shorter total sleep time and low spontaneous arousal index than the mild to moderate PLMS groups. Moreover, more patients in the severe PLMS group showed arrhythmia than the mild PLMS group. Ferritin and transferrin saturation results had no significant difference between the three groups.Conclusions: PLMS did not affect the severity of insomnia and fatigue. The results shown in PSG may be influenced by age or sleeping pills intake. Arrhythmia was higher in the severe PLMS group. More studies on the causal relationship between PLM and cardiac diseases are needed.

The neural correlates of arousal: Ventral posterolateral nucleus-global transient co-activation

Arousal and awareness are two components of consciousness whose neural mechanisms remain unclear. Spontaneous peaks of global (brain-wide) blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal have been found to be sensitive to changes in arousal. By contrasting BOLD signals at different arousal levels, we find decreased activation of the ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPL) during transient peaks in the global signal in low arousal and awareness states (non-rapid eye movement sleep and anesthesia) compared to wakefulness and in eyes-closed compared to eyes-open conditions in healthy awake individuals. Intriguingly, VPL-global co-activation remains high in patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS), who exhibit high arousal without awareness, while it reduces in rapid eye movement sleep, a state characterized by low arousal but high awareness. Furthermore, lower co-activation is found in individuals during N3 sleep compared to patients with UWS. These results demonstrate that co-activation of VPL and global activity is critical to arousal but not to awareness.

Eye understand: Physiological measures as novel predictors of adaptive learning in horses

Striatal dopamine is a neurotransmitter that marks reward and mediates reward learning. Spontaneous Eye Blink Rate (SEBR) reflects striatal dopamine activity and could offer a novel, proxy measure of learning performance. Additionally, arousal affects performance in a range of cognitive tasks, but there is less evidence for the relationship between baseline arousal and learning. This study investigated whether SEBR predicts learning performance in an equine model. Further, it investigated novel physiological predictors of learning performance (eye temperature and heart rate variability). Nineteen horses completed a two-choice discrimination reversal learning (RL) task. Performance was measured using a Performance Index. SEBR and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) were measured at rest (home stable) and during RL. Infrared Thermography of eye temperature (IRT) was measured immediately before and after RL. SEBR did not change in response to RL despite being thought to reflect striatal dopamine activity. HRV was higher during RL than at rest though was not statistically significant (p = 0.06). Additionally, eye temperature decreased significantly during trials (left eye: p = 0.002; right eye: p = 0.05). These results indicate lower arousal in response to training, possibly similar to a ‘flow state’ in humans. Results of a negative binomial GLM revealed that SEBR was not associated with performance, however, positive predictors of learning performance included resting HRV (p = 0.009), HRV during the task (p = 0.002), and left eye temperature change (p < 0.0001). The association between left eye temperature and learning performance is consistent with lateralised blood flow to the left-brain hemisphere (responsible for learning targeted responses) and thought to be the first observation of this phenomenon during learning. Lower arousal may facilitate left-hemisphere dominance, creating the cognitive space to respond adaptively in RL. Left hemispheric dominance controls parasympathetic activity, potentially explaining the interactions observed here. Results suggest arousal both in the home and training environment may have important impacts on learning.

Telling the “bad” to motivate your users to update: Evidence from behavioral and ERP studies

User resistance to software updates, which has long been a concern for software vendors, has spurred extensive research to investigate the characteristics of update messages hindering user updates. However, little is known about how to promote updates by update message design. This research focuses on how design elements, such as text-based framing (gain-framed vs. loss-framed) and image-based emotional tones (positive high arousal vs. positive low arousal), influence user motivation for updates and interact with their motivational orientations. The behavioral findings highlight that incorporating loss-framed text and positively high-arousing images in update messages effectively boosts user update behavior. Moreover, framing types interact significantly with users’ motivational orientations. Importantly, both promotion-focused and prevention-focused users consistently show stronger intentions to update when exposed to loss-framed texts, emphasizing the significant role of loss framing in promoting update behavior. In addition, ERP (Event-Related Potential) findings uncover the attentional and motivational processes underlying user behaviors by monitoring P100 and P200 component dynamics. This research contributes significantly to update message design literature and offers valuable insights for software vendors seeking to encourage user update behavior by highlighting the importance of considering framing types, emotional tones, and individual traits.

Electrophysiological correlates of the emotional response on brain activity in adolescents

Many studies have attempted to analyze the main neurophysiological characteristics of emotional response, but few have been carried out at early ages, including adolescence or early adulthood. The main objective of the present study is to assess the electrophysiological correlates of emotional response in adolescents and young adults through electroencephalography (EEG) measures. Sample, composed of 25 subjects (18.44 ± 0.71 years old), were exposed to different sequences of images belonging to the IAPS, which were selected following the dimensional model, based on their valence and arousal, while their neural activity was evaluated through EEG. Results indicated differences in cortical neural activity in response to the valence of the images and the level of arousal. Specifically, we observed that exposure to positive images (high valence) with high arousal produced an increase in alpha, beta, and delta wave activity but not in theta activity. In the case of positive images with low arousal, however, the results indicated an increase in beta waves only and a decrease in alpha, delta, and theta activity. For negative images (low valence) with high arousal, an increase in alpha, beta, and delta waves but not in theta was observed, while negative images with low arousal induced an increase in beta, delta, and theta wave response. This study demonstrates that activated cortical areas indicated significant differences based on the different emotional responses in adolescents and young adults.

Vocal Cues to Assess Arousal State of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops spp.) Involved in Public Presentations

Emotions in animals may be expressed by arousal and understanding this often relies upon the monitoring of their behaviour. Under human care, animals’ arousal states may be linked to husbandry decisions, whereby animals may display arousal responses to scheduled events such as feeding and human interaction. Here, we investigate vocal correlates of arousal associated with public presentations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) in human care by comparing vocal production rates and characteristics between high and low arousal contexts. Elevated arousal during the day compared with overnight was characterised by increased signature and non-signature whistle production. High intensity broadband crack vocalisations were produced less than whistles during the day and did not correlate with increased arousal around presentation times. Three of ten dolphins increased signature whistle production before and/or after presentation sessions, indicating elevated arousal and variation in individual responses. Many individuals elevated minimum frequency and suppressed maximum frequency of signature whistles in a way that correlated with higher arousal contexts, indicating that these may therefore be good indicators of changes in arousal state. Overall, our study demonstrates that passive acoustic monitoring can provide a useful indication of arousal linked to husbandry decisions, and that individual variation in vocal responses, likely linked to personality, is important to consider.

Role of bronchial hyperresponsiveness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea with asthma-like symptoms

BackgroundObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the major co-morbidities and aggravating factors of asthma. In OSA-complicated asthma, obesity, visceral fat, and systemic inflammation are associated with its severity, but the role of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is unclear. We investigated the involvement of BHR and mediastinal fat width, as a measure of visceral fat, with OSA severity in patients with OSA and asthma-like symptoms. MethodsPatients with OSA who underwent BHR test and chest computed tomography scan for asthma-like symptoms were retrospectively enrolled. We evaluated the relationship between apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) and PC20 or anterior mediastinal fat width, stratified by the presence or absence of BHR. ResultsOSA patients with BHR (n = 29) showed more obstructive airways and frequent low arousal threshold and lower mediastinal fat width, and tended to show fewer AHI than those without BHR (n = 25). In the overall analysis, mediastinal fat width was significantly positively correlated with AHI, which was significant even after adjustment with age and gender. This was especially significant in patients without BHR, while in OSA patients with BHR, there were significant negative associations between apnea index and airflow limitation, and hypopnea index and PC20. ConclusionsRisk factors for greater AHI differed depending on the presence or absence of BHR in OSA patients with asthma-like symptoms. In the presence of BHR, severity of asthma may determine the severity of concomitant OSA.

Prevalence of sexual desire and arousal difficulties among women veterans: A retrospective cohort design.

Low sexual desire and arousal are associated with several negative health outcomes, including reduced quality of life, depression, anxiety, and relationship discord. Although women veterans have high rates of risk factors for sexual dysfunctions (e.g., elevated rates of trauma, depression, anxiety), research on their sexual functioning is lacking. Using a retrospective cohort design, we examined the prevalence of documented sexual desire and arousal disorder diagnoses or symptoms, using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes, among 790,726 women veterans receiving care in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In fiscal year 2020, these symptoms and disorders were documented for only 0.19% (n = 1,494) of women veterans receiving care and symptoms of low sexual desire were documented more frequently than formal desire and arousal diagnoses. Most women veterans with desire and arousal problems were married (53.88%), and most (52.28%) were prescribed antidepressants. Mental health (MH) treatment for desire and arousal difficulties was commonly delivered in person (as compared to telephone or telehealth). Psychologists primarily treated desire and arousal concerns, providing an average of 2.81 MH encounters (SD = 7.53) compared to an average of 1.62 (SD = 5.25) MH encounters by social workers and 1.22 (SD = 2.53) by psychiatrists. Problems with low sexual desire and arousal are likely underassessed and undertreated within the VHA. Better assessment of women veterans' low desire and arousal is warranted to improve their well-being and quality of life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsivity during adolescence in relation to psychopathic personality traits later in life

Psychopathic personality traits have been linked to low physiological arousal, particularly among high risk and forensic samples. A core indicator of physiological arousal is the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; however, findings of a link between HPA axis functioning and psychopathic personality traits have been inconsistent. Furthermore, given sex differences in both HPA axis responsivity and psychopathic personality traits, the association may be expected to differ between men and women. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between HPA axis responsivity in mid-adolescence and psychopathic personality traits in early adulthood and determine whether the association was moderated by sex. We examined this link in a general population sample of twins (N = 556). Adolescents participated in a psychosocial stress task during which samples of salivary cortisol were collected (11–15 years) and reported psychopathic personality traits using the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (19–20 years). Multilevel linear regression models were estimated in which psychopathic personality traits (boldness, meanness and disinhibition), and their interactions with sex, were regressed on HPA axis responsivity. The study was pre-registered on the Open Science Framework (osf.io/gs2a8). Preliminary analyses showed that cortisol levels did not increase significantly during the stressor task but decreased during recovery. Results showed that there was no association between HPA axis responsivity in mid-adolescence and psychopathic personality traits in early adulthood. The associations were not moderated by sex. Findings suggest that HPA axis responsivity in mid-adolescence did not serve as a biological marker for psychopathic personality traits among young adults from the general population.

Remote control concept for automated trains as a fallback system: needs and preferences of future operators

Purpose Increasing demand on rail transport speeds up the introduction of new technical systems to optimize the rail traffic and increase competitiveness. Remote control of trains is seen as a potential layer of resilience in railway operations. It allows for operating and controlling automated trains and communicating and coordinating with other stakeholders of the railway system. This paper aims to present the first results of a multi-phased simulator study on the development and optimization of remote train driving concepts from the operators’ point of view. Design/methodology/approach The presented concept was developed by benchmarking good practices. Two phases of iterative user tests were conducted to evaluate the user experience and preferences of the developed human-machine-interface concept. Basic training requirements were identified and evaluated. Findings Results indicate positive feedback on the overall system as a fallback solution. HMI elicited positive emotions regarding pleasure and dominance, but low arousal levels. Train drivers had more conservative views on the system compared to signalers and students. The training activities achieved increased awareness and understanding of the system for future operators. Inclusion of potential users in the development of future systems has the potential to improve user acceptance. The iterative user experiments were useful in obtaining some of the needs and preferences of different user groups. Originality/value Multi-phase user tests were conducted to identify and to evaluate the requirements and preferences of remote operators using a simplified HMI. Training analysis provides important aspects to consider for the training of future users.

Preliminary investigation of the interactive role of physiological arousal and insomnia complaints in gray matter volume alterations in chronic widespread pain.

Brain regions involved in insomnia and chronic pain are overlapping and diffuse. The interactive role of physiological arousal in associations between insomnia symptoms and neural regions is unknown. This preliminary study examined whether arousal interacted with sleep in associations with gray matter volume of frontal (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex) and temporal (right/left hippocampus) regions in adults with chronic widespread pain and insomnia complaints. Forty-seven adults with chronic widespread pain and insomnia (mean age = 46.00, standard deviation = 13.88, 89% women) completed 14 daily diaries measuring sleep onset latency (SOL), wake time after sleep onset, and total sleep time (TST), as well as Holter monitor assessments of heart rate variability (measuring physiological arousal), and magnetic resonance imaging. Multiple regressions examined whether average SOL, wake time after sleep onset, or TST were independently or interactively (with arousal/heart rate variability) associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and left/right hippocampus gray matter volumes. Shorter TST was associated with lower right hippocampus volume. TST also interacted with arousal in its association with right hippocampal volume, Specifically, shorter TST was associated with lower volume at highest and average arousal levels. SOL interacted with arousal in its association with anterior cingulate cortex volume, such that, among individuals with lowest arousal, longer SOL was associated with lower volume. Preliminary findings highlight the interactive roles of physiological arousal and insomnia symptoms in associations with neural structure in chronic widespread pain and insomnia. Individuals with the highest physiological arousal may be particularly vulnerable to the impact of shorter TST on hippocampal volume loss. Reducing SOL may only impact anterior cingulate cortex volume in those with lower physiological arousal. Curtis AF, Nair N, Hayse B, etal. Preliminary investigation of the interactive role of physiological arousal and insomnia complaints in gray matter volume alterations in chronic widespread pain. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(2):293-302.

Architectural experience influences the processing of others’ body expressions

The interplay between space and cognition is a crucial issue in Neuroscience leading to the development of multiple research fields. However, the relationship between architectural space and the movement of the inhabitants and their interactions has been too often neglected, failing to provide a unifying view of architecture's capacity to modulate social cognition broadly. We bridge this gap by requesting participants to judge avatars' emotional expression (high vs. low arousal) at the end of their promenade inside high- or low-arousing architectures. Stimuli were presented in virtual reality to ensure a dynamic, naturalistic experience. High-density electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded to assess the neural responses to the avatar's presentation. Observing highly aroused avatars increased Late Positive Potentials (LPP), in line with previous evidence. Strikingly, 250 ms before the occurrence of the LPP, P200 amplitude increased due to the experience of low-arousing architectures, reflecting an early greater attention during the processing of body expressions. In addition, participants stared longer at the avatar's head and judged the observed posture as more arousing. Source localization highlighted a contribution of the dorsal premotor cortex to both P200 and LPP. In conclusion, the immersive and dynamic architectural experience modulates human social cognition. In addition, the motor system plays a role in processing architecture and body expressions suggesting that the space and social cognition interplay is rooted in overlapping neural substrates. This study demonstrates that the manipulation of mere architectural space is sufficient to influence human social cognition.

Radio advertisement speech style preferences among listeners with different first languages within one country

ObjectiveThe goal of the study was to find out if, in a society where there is a large community of people for whom the official state language is a second language, they prefer to listen to state-language radio advertisements in the same performance style as listeners for whom the official state language is their first language.MethodAn experiment was conducted in Estonia, with two groups: those who spoke Estonian as their first language and those who spoke Russian as their first language and Estonian as their second. Both groups listened to Estonian-language radio advertisements presented by various spokespeople, half of which were performed in a calm style (low arousal) and half in an energetic style (high arousal). They then rated the likability of each performance.ResultsThe results showed that both groups preferred the calm style but there were significant differences in the scores: the first group gave the calm style significantly higher scores than the second group, while the latter scored the energetic style more highly.ConclusionKnowing the advertising style preferences in a society where people have different first languages may allow for better targeting of advertising.

Effect of emotion and workload on expertise in programming

In recent times, few studies on program comprehension have incorporated the use of psycho-physiological devices and self-report tools to measure participants’ emotions and cognitive workload. The use of self-report scales is beneficial in settings where there is no access to biosensors or a need for a general understanding of programmers’ emotions and workload during learning or in an assessment of a large group. Hence, we designed a study that would use self-report tools — the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) test and NASA TLX (Task Load Index) to obtain the emotions and workload of the participants on two types of programming tasks (logical and conceptual). Our aim was to identify the relationship between emotions and expertise, and workload and expertise on conceptual and logical questions in timed and untimed conditions. Our findings indicate that participants showed Low Valence-High Arousal (LVHA) in timed conditions and High Valence-Low Arousal (HVLA) in untimed conditions. Findings further indicate that high performers showed High Valence-Low Arousal (HVLA) on conceptual questions and High Valence-High Arousal (HVHA) on logical questions, whereas low performers showed High Valence-Low Arousal (HVLA) on conceptual questions and Low Valence-High Arousal (LVHA) on logical questions. We found that participants had a higher workload in timed conditions than untimed conditions and had a higher workload on logical questions than conceptual questions. Furthermore, we employed machine learning algorithms to predict expertise using emotions and workload and the best classifier produced an accuracy of 71.4%, with 72% weighted precision, 71.5% weighted recall, and 71.11% weighted F-score.

Anatomical Basis of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Repeated obstruction and closure of the upper airway, sporadic hypoxic episodes, and sympathetic activity are symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Obstructive sleep apnoea is due to a combination of altered upper airway structure and muscular function, a low arousal threshold and increased loop gain.Although recurrent upper airway (UA) collapse during sleep is the most frequent clinical hallmark of OSA, the exact cause of this collapse is unknown. Furthermore, while continuous positive airway pressure aids in the management of OSA, many patients find it intolerable. As a result, a better knowledge of the causes of OSA may result in more effective treatments. We did a review of randomized controlled trials that were done in this regard in the last 10 years and whose full-text version is available on the PubMed database. A total of 20 articles were finalized for review after applying our criteria. The articles have proposed different theories regarding the anatomical basis responsible for obstructive sleep apnoea. The theories proposed by different studies in the last decade include reduced genioglossus and hypoglossal nerve activity, the pharyngeal muscles' failure to keep the airway open or tighten it, tonsils and adenoid hypertrophy, an oversensitive ventilatory control system and low respiratory arousal threshold, mandibular position, pharyngeal muscles' high sympathetic drive, cephalometric alterations such as mandibular and hyoid bone position and the length of the soft palate, obesity, and neck fat and fluid re-distribution in the body, from the lower to the upper parts while reclining. Given the diverse etiological characteristics of OSA patients and to increase our knowledge of the condition, additional study into this group is required. Filling any knowledge gaps that may exist in the anatomical basis of the onset of OSA is the main objective of this review paper.

Spatio-temporal attention toward emotional scenes across adulthood.

Research on emotion suggests that the attentional preference observed toward the negative stimuli in young adults tends to disappear in normal aging and, sometimes, to shift toward a preference for positive stimuli. The current eye-tracking study investigated visual exploration of paired natural scenes of different valence (Negative-Neutral, Positive-Neutral, and Negative-Positive pairs) in three age groups (young, middle-aged, and older adults). Two arousal levels of stimuli (high and low arousal) were also considered given role of this factor in age-related effects on emotion. Results showed the automatic attentional orienting toward the negative stimuli was relatively preserved in our three age groups although reduced in the elderly, in both arousal conditions. A similar negativity bias was also observed in initial attention focusing but shifted toward a positivity bias over time in the three age groups. Moreover, it appeared the spatial exploration of emotional scenes evolved over time differently for older adults compared with other age groups. No difference between young adults and middle-aged adults in ocular behavior was observed. This study confirms the interest of studying both spatial and temporal characteristics of oculomotor behaviors to better understand the age-related effects on emotion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining the effects of emotional valence and arousal on source memory: A meta-analysis of behavioral evidence.

The current meta-analysis examined the effects of valence and arousal on source memory accuracy, including the identification of variables that moderate the magnitude and direction of those effects. Fifty-three studies, comprising 85 individual experiments (N = 3,040 participants), were selected. Three separate analyses focusing on valence effects (valence-based: negative-neutral; positive-neutral; negative-positive) and other three focusing exclusively on arousal (arousal-based: high-low; medium-low; high-medium) were considered. Effect sizes varied from very small to medium. For the valence-based analyses, source memory accuracy was impaired for emotional compared with neutral stimuli (dunb = -.14 for negative-neutral; dunb = -.11 for positive-neutral), with a similar performance found for the negative-positive comparison (dunb = -.04). In the case of arousal-based analyses, source memory was improved for stimuli with high and medium arousal versus low arousal (dunb = .27, dunb = .49, respectively), with no statistically significant difference between high and medium arousal stimuli (dunb = -.12). Emotion effects on source memory were modulated by methodological factors. These factors may account for the variety findings typically found in emotion-related source memory research and could be systematically addressed in future studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).