Measures Of Arousal Research Articles

Sympathetic Nervous System Activity in Preschoolers Who Stutter.

BackgroundIn our Dynamic Pathways, account, we hypothesized that childhood stuttering reflects an impairment in speech sensorimotor control that is conditioned by cognitive, linguistic, and emotional factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential differences in levels of sympathetic arousal during performance of speech and non-speech tasks between children who do and do not stutter.MethodsSeventy-two preschool-aged children participated in the study, 47 children who stutter (CWS; 38 boys) and 25 children who do not stutter (CWNS; 18 boys). We recorded skin conductance and blood pulse volume (BPV) signals, indices of sympathetic arousal, during higher/lower load speech tasks (structured sentence production and picture description) and non-speech tasks (jaw wagging and forceful blowing). We included a measure that reflects children’s attitudes about their communication skills and a parent-report assessment of temperament.ResultsWe found no significant differences between preschool CWS and CWNS in phasic skin conductance response amplitude or frequency, BPV, and pulse rate for any of the experimental tasks. However, compared to CWNS, CWS had, on average, significantly higher skin conductance levels (SCL), indexing slowly changing tonic sympathetic activity, across both speech and non-speech experimental conditions. We found distinctive task-related profiles of sympathetic arousal in both groups of preschool children. Most children produced the highest levels of sympathetic arousal in the physically demanding blowing task rather than in speech, as seen in previous studies of adults. We did not find differences in temperament between the two groups of preschool children nor a relationship among behavioral indices of temperament and communication attitude and physiological measures of sympathetic arousal.ConclusionWe did not find that atypically high, speech-related sympathetic arousal is a significant factor in early childhood stuttering. Rather, CWS had higher, on average, task-related tonic SCLs across speech and non-speech tasks. A relationship among behavioral measures of temperament and physiological measures of sympathetic arousal was not confirmed. Key questions for future experiments are how the typical coupling of sympathetic and speech sensorimotor systems develops over childhood and adolescence and whether task related developmental profiles follow a different course in children who continue to stutter.

Distinguishing pain from nociception, salience, and arousal: How autonomic nervous system activity can improve neuroimaging tests of specificity

Pain is a subjective, multidimensional experience that is distinct from nociception. A large body of work has focused on whether pain processing is supported by specific, dedicated brain circuits. Despite advances in human neuroscience and neuroimaging analysis, dissociating acute pain from other sensations has been challenging since both pain and non-pain stimuli evoke salience and arousal responses throughout the body and in overlapping brain circuits. In this review, we discuss these challenges and propose that brain-body interactions in pain can be leveraged in order to improve tests for pain specificity. We review brain and bodily responses to pain and nociception and extant efforts toward identifying pain-specific brain networks. We propose that autonomic nervous system activity should be used as a surrogate measure of salience and arousal to improve these efforts and enable researchers to parse out pain-specific responses in the brain, and demonstrate the feasibility of this approach using example fMRI data from a thermal pain paradigm. This new approach will improve the accuracy and specificity of functional neuroimaging analyses and help to overcome current difficulties in assessing pain specific responses in the human brain.

Increased Oxidative Stress, Loop Gain And The Arousal Threshold Are Clinical Predictors Of Increased Apnea Severity Following Exposure To Intermittent Hypoxia.

PurposeWe determined if oxidative stress prior to sleep onset is correlated to loop gain (LG) and the arousal threshold (AT) during non‐rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. We also explored if LG and AT are correlated with apnea severity and indices of upper airway collapsibility during NREM sleep.MethodsThirteen male participants with obstructive sleep apnea (apnea–hypopnea index > 5 events/hr) were administered an antioxidant or placebo cocktail while exposed to mild intermittent hypoxia in the awake state. Thereafter, loop gain and measures of arousal, apnea severity and upper airway collapsibility were ascertained during NREM sleep.ResultsModification in oxidative stress (i.e., 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine) prior to sleep onset was correlated to LG (r = 0.8, P = 0.003), the number (r = 0.71, P = 0.01) and duration (r = 0.63, P = 0.04) of apneic events and the percentage of time breathing was stable (r = −0.66, P = 0.03) during sleep. Using a forward stepwise regression analysis, our results showed that LG, AT, the ventilatory response to arousal and nadir end-tidal carbon dioxide were determinants of the apnea–hypopnea index (P value range = 0.04–0.001). In addition, the AT was a predictor of measures of upper airway collapsibility, including the hypopnea/apnea + hypopnea ratio and the degree of flow reduction that accompanied hypopneic events (P < 0.001).ConclusionModifications in oxidative stress following exposure to intermittent hypoxia during wakefulness are positively associated with loop gain and apnea severity during NREM sleep. Moreover, an increase in the arousal threshold is a predictor of increased upper airway collapsibility.

Higher depression severity mediates the association of assault military sexual trauma and sexual function in partnered female service members/veterans

Background: Military sexual trauma (MST), and assault as opposed to harassment-only MST in particular, is associated with lower sexual function among female service members/veterans (SM/Vs). Recent research revealed that higher posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters of anhedonia and dysphoric arousal mediated the association of assault MST and sexual function. Such clusters represent the depressive symptoms of PTSD, and theories of sexual function suggest that depression worsens sexual function. The impact of depression on the association of MST and sexual function has yet to be tested. Method: Using path analysis, the study examined whether depression severity mediated the association of MST and sexual function after accounting for demographics and mediators of PTSD-related anhedonia and dysphoric arousal. Female SM/Vs (N = 697) completed measures of MST (history, severity), depression, PTSD-related anhedonia and dysphoric arousal, sexual function, and a demographic inventory. Results: One hundred twenty-two (17.50%) indicated that they did not experience MST, 336 (48.21%) reported that they experienced harassment-only MST, and 239 (34.29%) reported assault MST. Fit indices evidenced strong model fit, χ2(12, N = 697)=18.85, p=.09, CFI=1.00, TLI=0.99, SRMR=0.02, and RMSEA=0.03. The indirect effect of depression severity was significant (p<.001). Limitations: Use of cross-sectional data in a convenience sample of female SM/Vs. Conclusions: Even after accounting for established covariates and mediators of assault MST and sexual function, depression accounted for a significant amount of variance in this association. Treatment of poor sexual function must address depressive symptoms. As medications for depression can exacerbate sexual issues, psychotherapy may be the most effective treatment strategy.

How is physiological arousal related to self-reported measures of emotional intensity and valence of events and their autobiographical memories?

Research suggests that emotionally intense experiences that elicit higher-than-average physiological arousal responses lead to particularly durable and detailed autobiographical memories. Yet, the lack of objective measures of physiological arousal while events unfold in everyday life makes it hard to corroborate this lab finding. Also, it is uncertain how well arousal maps onto self-reports of the phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical events and memories. Here, we examined how physiological measures of arousal, taken while everyday life events develop, correlate with self-reports. Our results showed that physiological arousal during an event not only was related to self-evaluations of its assessed physical reaction -at the time of report-, but also predicted evaluations of physical reaction, positivity, and importance of their memories one week after. Further analyses revealed that, while arousal affected evaluations of emotional intensity of events and memories, this relationship was moderated by participants' level of awareness about their own emotional processes.

Examining the Association Between Electrodermal Activity and Problem Behavior in Severe Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Feasibility Study.

Background: Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) engage in problem behavior, presenting significant challenges for those providing care and services for this population. Psychophysiological measures of arousal, such as electrodermal activity (EDA), may provide an early indication of subsequent problem behavior. However, variability in EDA patterns associated with behaviors may limit this predictive ability. Methods: EDA data was sampled from eight individuals with severe ASD in a naturalistic setting, while participating in educational programming in a school setting at a residential facility for severely affected individuals with developmental disabilities, to examine variability in EDA patterns. Results: An anticipatory rise in EDA only occurred 60% of the time prior to the problem behavior. Additionally, EDA after a problem behavior returned to median baseline levels only 45% of the time. Conclusions: Heterogeneity of EDA responses in those with the most severe forms of ASD will be an important consideration in future studies utilizing psychophysiological tools such as EDA to anticipate problem behavior, including the need for monitoring of return to baseline after problem behaviors. Incorporation of this consideration may lead to greater reliability of these approaches to help anticipate and manage problem behaviors.

On the Correspondence Between Meta-Emotions, Cardiovascular Arousal, and Imagined Interaction Discrepancy

This research analyzed the association between relational quality, the use of evolutionary meta-emotions (sadness, surprise, anger, and jealousy), imagined interaction (II) discrepancy, and measures of cardiovascular arousal as measured through heart rate and blood pressure. A meta-emotion interview was conducted with husbands and wives about their philosophies of communicating emotions. A series of hypotheses were tested. Wives would reveal that they communicated a wider variety of evolutionary emotions than husbands and relational quality would be associated with fewer II discrepancies. Finally, the expression of evolutionary emotions (surprise, sadness, jealousy, and anger) would be associated with higher cardiovascular arousal. We used latent growth curve modeling to test the effect of discussing the basic emotions on mean arterial pressure and heart rate. Results revealed partial support for various hypotheses. The findings are discussed in terms of prototypical emotion functions and the association with cardiovascular arousal.

The use of infrared thermography to investigate emotions in common marmosets

Measuring body surface temperature changes with infrared thermography has recently been put forward as a non-invasive alternative measure of physiological correlates of emotional reactions. In particular, the nasal region seems to be highly sensitive to emotional reactions. Several studies suggest that nasal temperature is negatively correlated with the level of arousal in humans and other primates, but some studies provide inconsistent results. Our goal was to establish the use of infrared thermography to quantify emotional reactions in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), with a focus on the nasal region. To do so we exposed 17 common marmosets to a set of positive, negative and control stimuli (positive: preferred food, playback of food calls; negative: playback of aggressive vocalizations, teasing; control: no stimulus). We compared nasal temperature before and after the stimuli and expected that highly aroused emotional states would lead to a drop in nasal temperature. To validate the thermography measure, we coded piloerection of the tail as an independent measure of arousal and expected a negative correlation between the two measures. Finally, we coded physical activity to exclude its potential confounding impact on nasal temperature. Our results show that all predictions were met: the animals showed a strong decrease in nasal temperature after the presentation of negative arousing stimuli (teasing, playback of aggressive vocalizations). Furthermore, these changes in nasal temperature were correlated with piloerection of the tail and could not be explained by changes in physical activity. In the positive and the control conditions, we found systematic sex differences: in males, the preferred food, the playbacks of food calls, as well as the control stimulus led to an increase in nasal temperature, whereas in females the temperature remained stable (preferred food, control) or decreased (playback of food calls). Based on naturalistic observations that document higher food motivation and competition among female marmosets, as well as stronger reactions to separation from group members in male marmosets, these sex differences corroborate a negative correlation between arousal and nasal temperature. Overall, our results support that measuring nasal temperature by infrared thermography is a promising method to quantify emotional arousal in common marmosets in a fully non-invasive and highly objective way.

Observing Live Fish Improves Perceptions of Mood, Relaxation and Anxiety, But Does Not Consistently Alter Heart Rate or Heart Rate Variability.

Although fish and other aquatic species are popular privately-kept pets, little is known about the effects of watching live fish on the perceptions of arousal and the link between those perceptions and physiological measures of arousal. In two separate experiments, participants were asked to watch identically-equipped fish tanks for five minutes in each of three conditions: (1) Live fish, (2) plants and water, and (3) empty tank. Linear mixed models used across both experiments revealed similar results: Greater perceptions of relaxation and mood, and less anxiety during or after viewing the live fish condition, compared with the other conditions. Heart rate and heart rate variability responded to the arousal associated with a math task, but did not differ consistently across viewing conditions. These results suggest that the link between perceptions of arousal, and the physiological measures associated with arousal, may not be strong or immediate, or that heart rate and heart rate variability may not be appropriate measures for the test population. Implications of these results for the biophilia hypothesis and the biopsychosocial model are discussed.

Laser Doppler Imaging as a Measure of Female Sexual Arousal: Further Validation and Methodological Considerations

Laser Doppler imaging has recently been applied to the study of female sexual response, with promising results. The current study sought to provide further validation for its use in this capacity, as well as to examine the sexual psychophysiological concepts of genital non-response and return to baseline with this instrument. A sample of healthy heterosexual women without any sexual concerns (N = 24) participated in a single testing session design, which included self-report measures and genital imaging with the laser Doppler imager (LDI). During the imaging portion of the study, genital and subjective arousal data were collected while participants watched neutral and erotic film stimuli. The results support the validity of the LDI as a measure of female sexual arousal, and highlight its potential utility in research and clinical applications for sexual function and related difficulties.

Physiological arousal and visuocortical connectivity predict subsequent vividness of negative memories.

Relative to neutral memories, negative and positive memories both exhibit an increase in memory longevity, subjective memory re-experiencing and amygdala activation. These memory enhancements are often attributed to shared influences of arousal on memory. Yet, prior work suggests the intriguing possibility that arousal affects memory networks in valence-specific ways. Psychophysics work has shown that arousal-related heart rate deceleration (HRD) responses are related to enhanced amygdala-visual functional connectivity (AVFC) and visual perception of negative stimuli. However, in the memory realm, it is not known whether the effect of AVFC influences subsequent negative memory outcomes as a function of the magnitude of physiological arousal during encoding. Using psycho-autonomic interaction analyses and trial-level measures of HRD as an objective measure of arousal during encoding of emotional stimuli, our findings suggest that the magnitude of the HRD modulates the effect of AVFC on subsequent negative memory vividness. Specifically, AVFC effects in early visual regions predicted negative memory vividness, not neutral or positive vividness, but only in the presence of heightened physiological arousal. This novel approach was grounded in a replication of prior working showing enhanced HRD effects in the insula for negative stimuli. These findings demonstrate that the effect of arousal on emotional memory networks depends on valence and provide further evidence that negative valence may enhance the incorporation of visuo-sensory regions into emotional memory networks.

No Risk, No Differences. Neural Correlates of Temperamental Traits Revealed Using Naturalistic fMRI Method.

The main goal of this study was to identify the moderating role of temperamental traits, as defined by Strelau’s Regulative Theory of Temperament (RTT), in explaining brain activity evoked by video stimuli of varying stimulatory value. fMRI scans were performed in a group of 61 young females in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The validity of stimulus selection had been verified prior to the main study by collecting declarative measures of affective reactions, including valence, arousal, and basic emotions ratings. The choice of dynamic and complex video-stimuli allowed us to induce high levels of arousal effectively. Three categories of movies used in the experiment included neutral, low arousing, and highly arousing scenes. Movies classified into the last category depicted extreme-sport activities allowing us to confront the subjects with recordings potentially life-threatening situations. Results of the study revealed that activation of orbitofrontal cortex in highly arousing conditions is linked to the levels of activity, while traits of perseverance and emotional reactivity were negatively correlated with the BOLD signal in this structure. Low arousing movies evoked higher activation of the amygdala and left hippocampus in emotionally reactive subjects. Obtained results might be coherently interpreted in the light of RTT theory, therefore providing its first validation using functional brain imaging.

Pupil reactivity to emotional faces among convicted violent offenders: The role of psychopathic traits.

Psychopathy is characteristically associated with impairments in recognizing others' facial expressions of emotion, and there is some evidence that these difficulties are specific to the callousness features of the disorder. However, it remains unclear whether these difficulties are accompanied by reductions in autonomic reactivity when viewing others' emotional expressions, and whether these impairments are particular to expressions showing another's distress or are more pervasive across different emotional expressions. In this study, 73 adult male prisoners with histories of serious sexual or violent offenses-who ranged across the psychopathy continuum-completed a facial emotion recognition task. For the first time in a convicted offender sample, we used pupillometry techniques to measure changes in the pupil dilation response, a measure of sympathetic autonomic arousal to affective stimuli. We found that the callousness features of psychopathy were related to impaired recognition of fearful faces. Strikingly, we also showed that increasing callousness was associated with a reduction in the pupil dilation response and that this was pervasive across different emotional expressions. Our results highlight a potential role of the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system in the pathophysiology of psychopathy and demonstrate the potential of the pupillary response as a technique for understanding attention-emotion interactions in psychopathy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Digital Games and Mindfulness Apps: Comparison of Effects on Post Work Recovery.

BackgroundEngagement in activities that promote the dissipation of work stress is essential for post work recovery and consequently for well-being. Previous research suggests that activities that are immersive, active, and engaging are especially effective at promoting recovery. Therefore, digital games may be able to promote recovery, but little is known about how they compare with other popular mobile activities, such as mindfulness apps that are specifically designed to support well-being.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effectiveness of a digital game and mindfulness app in promoting post work recovery, first in a laboratory setting and then in a field study.MethodsStudy 1 was a laboratory experiment (n=45) in which participants’ need for recovery was induced by a work task, before undertaking 1 of 3 interventions: a digital game (Block! Hexa Puzzle), a mindfulness app (Headspace), or a nonmedia control with a fidget spinner (a physical toy). Recovery in the form of how energized participants felt (energetic arousal) was compared before and after the intervention and how recovered participants felt (recovery experience) was compared across the conditions. Study 2 was a field study with working professionals (n=20), for which participants either played the digital game or used the mindfulness app once they arrived home after work for a period of 5 working days. Measures of energetic arousal were taken before and after the intervention, and the recovery experience was measured after the intervention along with measures of enjoyment and job strain.ResultsA 3×2 mixed analysis of variance identified that, in study 1, the digital game condition increased energetic arousal (indicative of improved recovery) whereas the other 2 conditions decreased energetic arousal (F2,42=3.76; P=.03). However, there were no differences between the conditions in recovery experience (F2,42=.01; P=.99). In study 2, multilevel model comparisons identified that neither the intervention nor day of the week had a significant main effect on how energized participants felt. However, for those in the digital game condition, daily recovery experience increased during the course of the study, whereas for those in the mindfulness condition, it decreased (F1,18=9.97; P=.01). Follow-up interviews with participants identified 3 core themes: detachment and restoration, fluctuations and differences, and routine and scheduling.ConclusionsThis study suggests that digital games may be effective in promoting post work recovery in laboratory contexts (study 1) and in the real world, although the effect in this case may be cumulative rather than instant (study 2).

Children with facial paralysis due to Moebius syndrome exhibit reduced autonomic modulation during emotion processing

BackgroundFacial mimicry is crucial in the recognition of others’ emotional state. Thus, the observation of others’ facial expressions activates the same neural representation of that affective state in the observer, along with related autonomic and somatic responses. What happens, therefore, when someone cannot mimic others’ facial expressions?MethodsWe investigated whether psychophysiological emotional responses to others’ facial expressions were impaired in 13 children (9 years) with Moebius syndrome (MBS), an extremely rare neurological disorder (1/250,000 live births) characterized by congenital facial paralysis. We inspected autonomic responses and vagal regulation through facial cutaneous thermal variations and by the computation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). These parameters provide measures of emotional arousal and show the autonomic adaptation to others’ social cues. Physiological responses in children with MBS were recorded during dynamic facial expression observation and were compared to those of a control group (16 non-affected children, 9 years).ResultsThere were significant group effects on thermal patterns and RSA, with lower values in children with MBS. We also observed a mild deficit in emotion recognition in these patients.ConclusionResults support “embodied” theory, whereby the congenital inability to produce facial expressions induces alterations in the processing of facial expression of emotions. Such alterations may constitute a risk for emotion dysregulation.

Examining the “reading the mind in the eyes test” as an assessment of subtle differences in affective theory of mind after concussion

Objective: This research examined affective theory of mind (ToM) differences between university students with and without a history of concussion using the revised Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). Although, previous studies have shown that affective ToM is subserved by the ventromedial prefrontal cortex – a region that is vulnerable in head injury – few have examined whether subtle deficits in affective ToM are evident after concussion. Given the RMET’s sensitivity to affective deficits following moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury, the current study examined its validity following concussion and its correlation with related ToM measures and constructs, such as empathy.Method: Seventy-seven students with and without a history of self-reported concussion completed the RMET, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, a novel Perspective-Taking Task, and the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy. Indices of spelling/reading capabilities were obtained and baseline electrodermal activation was recorded as an index of arousal.Results: RMET performance did not differ between individuals with and without a prior concussion when controlling for sex and spelling/reading skills and was not correlated with other measures of affective ToM, empathy, and arousal. However, spelling/reading skills were found to be a predictor of RMET performance among both concussion and no-concussion groups.Conclusions: Together, these findings imply that the RMET is not sensitive to ToM impairments after concussion and may be related to language skills among neurotypical students.

I Don’t Sweat my Future: Future-Selves, Personality, and Skin Conductance

Future-selves (both positive and negative) have been shown to be related to self-esteem, efficacy, meaning, continuity, and social acceptance. Control beliefs (beliefs about whether actions can bring about desired outcomes) as well as locus of control (internal or external) may impact how individuals see their future and their perception of what can be done to create or change the future. Machiavellian personality traits are associated with external locus of control, while conscientiousness is associated with internal locus of control. We measured galvanic skin response (GSR), a widely used measure of physiological arousal, in 84 study participants while they described possible future selves, one positive and one negative, and completed questionnaires about personality traits. Higher conscientiousness was associated with lower skin conductance when describing positive future selves, whereas higher scores on the Machiavellian Personality Assessment questionnaire were correlated with lower skin conductance when describing negative future selves. Conscientious individuals are confident in their ability to control their future, thus explaining their lower arousal when describing positive future selves. Machiavellian individuals view the world more negatively but believe they can handle negative situations, thus explaining their lower arousal when describing negative future selves.

Physiological and self-report methods to the measurement of emotion in tourism

ABSTRACTThere is strong growth in research on tourist emotion, with a substantial scholarly debate emerging, surrounding approaches to measurement. Recently objective physiological methods for measurement of emotion have been applied in the tourism field. However, there are few studies which explore the benefits and limitations of applying physiological and self-report methods to measure emotions. This research aims to compare and contrast physiological and self-report methods to assess emotional responses to tourism marketing stimuli where music was manipulated. This research assessed emotional responses from 37 participants to three tourism advertisements of Iran using four key methods; specifically, FaceReader™, skin conductance, self-report surveys and post hoc interviews. This research found that the light rhythmic music tends to evoke positive emotions and a higher level of emotional arousal in participants than does the traditional Iranian music or a video without music. Physiological and self-report measures of emotional arousal were inconsistent, but both techniques found similar results for assessing the valence of emotions. Thus, results highlight the importance of applying physiological techniques in combination with self-report surveys and post hoc interviews to provide a better and more accurate understanding of emotional experiences.

The time course of responding to aversiveness in females with a history of non-suicidal self-injury

Non-suicidal self-injury is a risk factor for suicidal behavior, particularly in females. Two prominent theories of suicide suggest that habituation to the psychophysiological aversiveness of NSSI is a mechanism by which NSSI exposure may lead to increased risk for suicide. Several laboratory studies examining the relationship between physiological habituation and suicide attempt history have yielded mixed results, potentially due to their use of broad measures of physiological arousal and/or focus on specific psychopathologies. However, no studies have examined the association between the time course (e.g., habituation, initial reactivity) of responding to aversiveness and NSSI, which may help to elucidate psychophysiological mechanisms of NSSI. Therefore, we examined habituation and initial reactivity to aversiveness (indexed by the time course of acoustic startle reflex, a well-validated measure of defensive responding) in three groups of young adult females – those with a history of NSSI, psychiatric controls matched on potential confounds (e.g., psychopathology, trauma history, demographics), and healthy controls. Results indicated that individuals with a history of NSSI exhibited blunted initial reactivity and marginally slower habituation to aversiveness relative to the two control groups. The NSSI group's insensitivity to aversiveness may reflect prior psychophysiological habituation, and may be a mechanism through which prior NSSI exposure leads to increased risk for suicidal behavior.

Social Antecedents to the Development of Interoception: Attachment Related Processes Are Associated With Interoception.

Current empirical work suggests that early social experiences could have a substantial impact on the areas of the brain responsible for representation of the body. In this context, one aspect of functioning that may be particularly susceptible to social experiences is interoception. Interoceptive functioning has been linked to several areas of the brain which show protracted post-natal development, thus leaving a substantial window of opportunity for environmental input to impact the development of the interoceptive network. In this paper we report findings from two existing datasets showing significant relationships between attachment related processes and interoception. In the first study, looking at a sample of healthy young adults (n = 132, 66 males), we assessed self-reported interoceptive awareness as assessed with the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (Mehling et al., 2012) and attachment style as assessed with the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Short (Wei et al., 2007). We found relationships between aspects of interoception and attachment style such that avoidant individuals reported lower interoceptive functioning across several dimensions [r’s(130) = -0.20 to -0.26, p’s < 0.05]. More anxious individuals, on the other hand, reported heightened interoceptive across several dimensions [r’s(130) = 0.18 to 0.43, p’s < 0.05]. In the second study, we examined the congruence between a youth’s self-reported negative emotion and a measure of sympathetic nervous system arousal (SCL). The congruence score was positively associated with parental rejection of negative emotion. These results suggest that parenting style, as reported by the mother, are associated with a youth’s ability to coordinate their self-reported emotional and physiological responding across a series of independent assessments, r(108) = -0.24, p < 0.05. In other words, the more maternal reported parental rejection of youth negative emotions, the less congruent a youth’s self and physiological reports of distress.