Positive And Negative Affect Schedule Research Articles

Effect of temperature step-changes and ramps on physiological and psychological responses of occupants in office buildings in summer

Thermal conditions with step changes and ramps in air temperature (Ta) are universal in buildings. However, a comprehensive understanding of the influences of these dynamic thermal factors on thermal comfort remains elusive. This study investigated the physiological and psychological responses 16 healthy college students, including thermal sensation vote (TSV), thermal pleasure (TP), positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS), skin temperature, blood pressure, wrist pulse, and electroencephalography (EEG). The experimental procedure included step-changes from an office room (26°C) to a meeting room under five different Ta (22/24/26/28/30°C) and subsequent ramping (down/up/cycles) back to 26°C. After these different warm/cool thermal experiences, TSVs (-0.2 to 0.2) were insignificantly different and TPs (0.2 to 1.6) were significantly different (P = 0.006) at neutral condition of 26°C. Specifically, TPs under neutral conditions were higher after a warmer thermal experience than after a cooler thermal experience. Under the same Ta, TSVs were significantly lower (P=0.031) by approximately 0.5, when Ta ramping down compared to ramping up and stable warm conditions. The cheek temperature showed stronger correlations with TP and PANAS scores than with other body parts. The blood pressure was weakly correlated with TSV but exhibited a strong relationship with TP. Moreover, the TP and positive emotions exhibited strong negative correlations with wrist pulses and EEG at Theta (4–8 Hz). whereas negative emotions showed almost no correlation. These findings offer insights into refining the prevailing thermal comfort models when considering dynamic thermal factors in shaping thermal perceptions.

In Pursuit of Emotional Stability: Exploring the Role of PsyCap and Its Correlates among Health Care Workers during Covid-19 Pandemic

Background: A novel coronavirus pneumonia pandemic broke out, which ultimately spread over the world and affected public health. Global growth has been impeded, societal instability has been brought about, and overall mental health has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care workers, especially nurses, experienced an extensive amount of occupational stress, emotional discomfort and instability during this period. One of the positive factors that enable people to overcome psychological discomfort and hardship and enhance perseverance in their field of work is psychological capital (PsyCap). It is described as the positive and progressive state of the person, defined by HERO as a high degree of hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism. Aim & Objectives: This study aims to identify the relationship of Psychological capital with Coping and Positive & negative affect. And further, it aims to find the differences in male and female health care workers on the basis of these variables during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A correlational study was designed using purposive sampling to obtain a sample of healthcare workers in various hospitals in Kerala. The participants of age range 20 to 45 were selected for this study. After gaining the informed consent, all the scale including psychological capital questionnaire (PCQ-24), Brief Cope and positive affect and negative affect schedule (PANAS) were used in the present study. Obtained data had been statistically computed by using SPSS version 22. Result: Result suggested that Psychological capital is significantly positively correlated with coping, positive affect dimension of PANAS and negatively correlated with negative affect which is dimension of PANAS. Further it revealed that there is no significant difference between male and female health care workers with respect to these variables namely psychological capital, brief coping, positive affect and negative affect. Conclusion: This study paints a clear picture of the importance of psychological elements like positive affect, coping, and PsyCap in the lives of healthcare workers (HCWs) in order to improve their emotional stability, perseverance, and commitment to their jobs.

Age-related differences in trait affect: Establishing measurement invariance of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).

The present study examined trajectories of trait positive and trait negative affect as measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule across the lifespan. Increasing levels of measurement invariance of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were tested across a wide age range (18-99 years of age; 10 age groups) in a large sample (N = 3,309; 65.82% women; 74.22% with a university entrance diploma; 92.23% with German as their mother tongue). Strong invariance was established so that the latent factor means of positive and negative affect could be meaningfully compared across age groups. Age had a small effect on positive affect, which showed a reversed U-shaped function with a maximum between the ages of 40 and 50. For negative affect, there was a strong cubic age effect. Specifically, negative affect decreased until about the age of 70 and then increased again. We also found a negative covariance between positive and negative affect, which first increased slightly and then decreased across age groups until becoming positive in the oldest age group. In summary, the present study supports previous findings on age trajectories of positive and negative affect but also highlights the importance of testing for measurement invariance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Age-Related Differences in Trait Affect: Establishing Measurement Invariance of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

Supplemental Material for Age-Related Differences in Trait Affect: Establishing Measurement Invariance of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) as a Therapeutic Tool for Chronic Insomnia


 
 
 
 Background and Objective: Insomnia is the most common sleep problem which is associated with cortical over- excitation. Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) potentially modifies insomnia-related cortical state. There- fore, we tested the hypothesis that insomnia severity can be modulated by tDCS.
 Materials and Methods: The current study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. A total of 32 women with insomnia were randomly categorized into an intervention group (active stimulation) and a control group (sham stimulation). In the intervention group, tDCS ‎was used with an intensity of 2mA for 20 to 30 minutes during 12 sessions (3 times a week). Anodal stimulation was performed‎on the left primary motor cortex (M1) and cathodal stimulation was performed‎on the right dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The control group received sham stim- ulation for 20 to 30 minutes during 12 sessions (3 times a week). All participants were evaluated before and after the intervention using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).
 Results: The results of univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed a significant difference between the tDCS group and the sham group in terms of reduction in the severity of insomnia. We also observed that positive affect increased and negative affect decreased following insomnia treatment (P ≤ 0.005).
 Conclusion: The results of our study indicated that performing our designed tDCS protocol for treating insomnia can be effective in treating insomnia and improving positive and negative affect.
 
 
 

Effectiveness of Art Therapy Intervention to Reduce the Level of Parenting Stress and Negative Emotions of Mothers of Hydrocephalus Patients

Children with developmental disorders such as hydrocephalus require assistance in carrying out daily activities. In previous studies, many have said that it is important to provide attention to mothers who have children with disabilities, but not many have provided direct interventions to reduce stress levels and negative emotions in mothers. This study aims to see the effectiveness of art therapy intervention in reducing stress levels and negative emotions of participants. This study is an experimental study with a one-group pre-test post-test design involving seven mothers who have an age range of 20-40 years, have children with hydrocephalus, and are directly involved in their care. Differences in stress levels and negative emotions were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) from. Based on the results of analysis using paired sample t-test, it was found that there were significant differences in maternal stress levels (t=8.910, p=.000), negative emotions (z=-2.032, p=.042) and positive emotions (z=-2.371, p= .018). These results suggest that art therapy intervention can reduce the level of parenting stress and negative emotions, and increase positive emotions in mothers who have children with hydrocephalus.

Reduced Anxiety and Depression and Improved Mood in Older Adults Living in Care Homes After Participating in Chair Yoga.

Providing opportunities for older adults to engage in physical and mental activity is important to support healthy aging. The present preliminary study investigated the feasibility of accessible chair yoga for older adults in care homes. Chair yoga participants (n = 17) were assessed before and after attending twice weekly chair yoga sessions for 8weeks, while control participants (n = 16) underwent the assessments only. Participant ages ranged from 80 to 101years and included those living with mild to severe dementia. Anxiety and depression measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and negative affect measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), improved in the chair yoga but not the control group. Balance confidence (Modified Falls Efficacy Scale) and Health-related Quality of Life (EQ-5D-3L) were unchanged. Chair yoga is a feasible activity for older care home residents, including those living with dementia, with the potential to improve mental well-being.

The effect of lavender on mood disorders associated with the use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs): a triple-blinded randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe use of contraceptive methods is influenced by their effectiveness, availability, and minimal side effects. OCPs are one of the most effective and widely used methods of pregnancy prevention worldwide. This method not only prevents pregnancy but also helps prevent and treat other diseases. One of the main reasons for discontinuing this method is the emotional disturbances associated with its use. Lavender is an evergreen, fragrant plant that has gained significant attention for its anti-anxiety effects. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of lavender essential oil capsules on mood disorders during the use of COCs.MethodsThis triple-blinded clinical trial was conducted on 60 married women (aged 15–49 years old) who were consumers of COCs, referring to 26 health centers in Tabriz, Iran. The participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention (consuming one gelatin capsule containing 80 mg LEO daily) or control (consuming one placebo capsule daily) group. The intervention continued for 56 days. Scores for positive and negative were determined using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) questionnaire; and for stress, depression, and anxiety were measured using the DASS-21 questionnaire on day’s 28th and 56th post-intervention. Data analysis was conducted using the t-test and ANOVA with repeated measures, and a p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant for all analyses.ResultsA statistically significant difference was observed in mood disorders, stress, and depression between women receiving LEO or placebo. The consumption of LEO increased the positive mood on day 28 [MD (95% CI): 4.5 (2.1 to 7.0), p = 0.001] and day 56 [5.9 (3.4 to 8.3), p < 0.001] while decreased the negative mood on day 28 [MD (95% CI): -3.5 (-5.3 to -1.3), p < 0.001] and day 56 [-4.3 (-6.3 to -2.2), p < 0.001], stress on day 28 [MD (95% CI): -4.9 (-7.1 to -2.8), p = 0.001] and day 56 [-5.3 (-7.6 to -3.1), p < 0. 001], and depression on day 28 [MD (95% CI): -3.0 (-4.9 to 1.1), p = 0.003] and day 56 [-3.1 (-5.0 to 1.2), p = 0.002]. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of anxiety.ConclusionsThe consumption of LEO with COCs improved mood disorders and reduced stress and depression. The use of hormonal contraceptives and mood changes should be considered by providers. Therefore, regarding the possibility of mood changes, it is expected that appropriate counseling and education will be provided to women who consume COC., providing appropriate solutions, including the simultaneous use of LEO.

Are anxiety, depression, and stress distinguishable in Italian adolescents? an examination through the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21.

The adolescents' ability to discriminate between different negative emotional states is still under debate. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) serves as a useful tool to unravel this issue, yet the literature on its structural validity in young people is ambiguous. Therefore, this study aimed to expand knowledge on the emotional experience of youth by investigating the factor structure and psychometric properties of the DASS-21 in Italian adolescents. Six hundred fifty-five students (60.6% girls) aged 14-18 (M = 16.3 ± 1.29) completed an online survey containing the DASS-21 and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). To evaluate the factor structure of the DASS-21, several alternative models were tested, also adopting an Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) procedure. Measurement invariance, reliability, validity, and latent means differences were addressed. The ESEM model with three correlated factors of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress yielded the best fit to the data, supporting a hierarchical structure of the DASS-21. In addition, this model was invariant across sex and age groups. The Anxiety scale predicted both positive and negative affect, while Depression predicted positive affect only. Finally, girls scored higher than boys on Anxiety and Depression, but no age differences emerged. Overall, our results indicate that anxiety, depression, and stress are distinguishable in Italian adolescents but, simultaneously, share an underlying condition of general distress, which may explain the comorbidity between internalizing problems. Such findings are discussed in terms of clinical and preventive implications for the adolescent population.

Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations associated with μ-opioid and dopamine receptor distributions in the central nervous system after high-intensity exercise bouts.

Dopaminergic, opiod and endocannabinoid neurotransmission are thought to play an important role in the neurobiology of acute exercise and, in particular, in mediating positive affective responses and reward processes. Recent evidence indicates that changes in fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (zfALFF) in resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) may reflect changes in specific neurotransmitter systems as tested by means of spatial correlation analyses. Here, we investigated this relationship at different exercise intensities in twenty young healthy trained athletes performing low-intensity (LIIE), high-intensity (HIIE) interval exercises, and a control condition on three separate days. Positive And Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) scores and rs-fMRI were acquired before and after each of the three experimental conditions. Respective zfALFF changes were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVAs. We examined the spatial correspondence of changes in zfALFF before and after training with the available neurotransmitter maps across all voxels and additionally, hypothesis-driven, for neurotransmitter maps implicated in the neurobiology of exercise (dopaminergic, opiodic and endocannabinoid) in specific brain networks associated with "reward" and "emotion." Elevated PANAS Positive Affect was observed after LIIE and HIIE but not after the control condition. HIIE compared to the control condition resulted in differential zfALFF decreases in precuneus, temporo-occipital, midcingulate and frontal regions, thalamus, and cerebellum, whereas differential zfALFF increases were identified in hypothalamus, pituitary, and periaqueductal gray. The spatial alteration patterns in zfALFF during HIIE were positively associated with dopaminergic and μ-opioidergic receptor distributions within the 'reward' network. These findings provide new insight into the neurobiology of exercise supporting the importance of reward-related neurotransmission at least during high-intensity physical activity.

Positive and negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal survey study of the UK population.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on society; it changed the way we work, learn, socialise, and move throughout the world. In the United Kingdom, policies such as business closures, travel restrictions, and social distance mandates were implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19 and implemented and relaxed intermittently throughout the response period. While negative emotions and feelings such as distress and anxiety during this time of crisis were to be expected, we also see the signs of human resilience, including positive feelings like determination, pride, and strength. A longitudinal study using online survey tools was conducted to assess people's changing moods during the pandemic in the UK. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was used to measure self-reported feelings and emotions throughout six periods (phases) of the study from March 2020 to July 2021. A total of 4,222 respondents participated in the survey, while a sub-group participated in each of the six study phases (n = 167). The results were analysed using a cross-sectional study design for the full group across each study phase, while prospective cohort analysis was used to assess the subset of participants who voluntarily answered the survey in each of the six study phases (n = 167). Gender, age and employment status were found to be most significant to PANAS score, with older people, retirees, and women generally reporting more positive moods, while young people and unemployed people generally reported lower positive scores and higher negative scores, indicating more negative emotions. Additionally, it was found that people generally reported higher positive feelings in the summer of 2021, which may be related to the relaxation of COVID-19-related policies in the UK as well as the introduction of vaccines for the general population. This study is an important investigation into what allows for positivity during a crisis and gives insights into periods or groups that may be vulnerable to increased negative states of emotions and feelings.

Investigation of Internalized Weight-Related Stigma: Progression to Dietary Addiction and the Role of Stress.

Internalizing weight stigma can lead to the development of dietary addiction, as individuals seek food as a coping mechanism for the emotional distress caused by stigma. The influence of stress exacerbates this dynamic, encouraging the reliance on food as a stress-coping strategy. Electronic questionnaires were completed in a special electronic form through an online platform. The Two-Factor Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS-2F), the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), the DepressionAnxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Life Orientation Test (LOT), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) were used at this study to examine the prevalence of Internal Weight Stigma (IWS) among adults in Greece, evaluate the degrees of stress/anxiety, food addiction, mental resilience, emotions, and positive life perspectives within this group, and explore the correlations between stress/anxiety, mental resilience, optimistic life attitudes, and both IWS and food addiction. 376 participants completed the questionnaire. The average BMI of the participants was 26.3 kg/m2 (SD = 5.9 kg/m2). Almost half of the participants (46.8%) fell within the normal weight range (18.5 ≤ BMI ≤ 24.9), while 28.2% were classified as overweight and 21.0% as obese. Interestingly, a significant majority (63.1%) perceived themselves as heavier than the normal weight range suggests. Most participants demonstrated typical levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, with percentages of 67.3%, 64.9%, and 71.3%, respectively. Resilience exhibited positive associations with optimism and positive emotions while displaying negative connections with depression, anxiety, stress, and negative emotions. Additionally, individuals with greater optimism reported fewer symptoms of despair, anxiety, and stress. The research highlights the intricate dimensions of mental well-being, emphasizing the need for a holistic comprehension encompassing demographic, psychological, and societal factors. The results indicate potential strategies for intervention to boost resilience, and optimism, and tackle issues such as food addiction, underscoring the significance of fostering a positive body image and self-esteem.

Self-Assessed Experience of Emotional Involvement in Sensory Analysis Performed in Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) technology has gained significant attention in various fields, including education for health professionals, sensory science, psychology, and consumer research. The first aim of the paper is to explore the self-assessed experience of emotional involvement in sensory analysis performed in VR. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) is a widely used self-report measure that assesses positive and negative affective states. VR sensory analysis involves the use of immersive, interactive, and multi-sensory environments to evaluate sensory perception and emotional responses. By synthesizing relevant literature, this paper provides insights into the impact of VR on affective states, the effectiveness of VR in eliciting emotions, and the potential applications of the PANAS in VR sensory analysis. Furthermore, the second aim of the paper is to uncover the effect of VR sensory evaluation on the participant’s emotional states, as it has a significant effect on their evaluations. The results suggest an increase in the sum of positive effects and a decrease in the negative ones. Although these results are promising, the relationship between the PANAS and VR sensory analysis is still underexplored, with limited research investigating the specific effects of VR on affective states measured using the PANAS. Further research is needed to better understand the potential of the PANAS in assessing emotional responses in VR environments and its implications for sensory analysis.

Relationship Between Relative Deprivation and Well-Being of Women: Role of Gender System Justification

Subjective well-being is defined as individuals' evaluations of their happiness. Exposure to discrimination is a factor that negatively affects one's subjective well-being. Recent research indicated that women who are exposed to gender discrimination are affected negatively in terms of their subjective well-being. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between women's perception of gender-based relative deprivation and their subjective well-being and the mediator role of the tendency to justify the gender system in this relationship. The sample consisted of 328 voluntary female participants. The participants completed questionnaires, including Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Gender System Justification Scale, Relative Deprivation Scale, and Demographic Information Form. Obtained results indicated that as the gender-based relative deprivation increased, the level of subjective well-being decreased (B = -0.10, SE = 0.04). Moreover, the gender system justification mediated the relationship between gender-based relative deprivation and women's subjective well-being levels [lower limit (LL) CI: -0.1956, upper limit (UL) CI: -0.0209]. In conclusion, women who believe that they are subjected to gender-based discrimination may question the existing gender system in the society and in this framework, their subjective well-being levels are likely to decrease.

İki Dillilikte Duygusal Dil İşlemleme: Andaş Çeviride Öznel Duygulanım ve Bürünsel Belirteçler

Emotion, as part of the overall sensorimotor, introspective, and affective system, is an essential part of language comprehension within the framework of embodied semantics. As emotional state influences semantic and syntactic processing, emotional language processing has been shown to modulate mood as well. The reciprocal relationship between language and emotion has also been informative in bilingualism. Here we take a relatively underresearched type of bilingual processing, simultaneous interpreting, as a case of extreme bilingualism and investigate the effect of emotional language rendering in the L1 on subjective affect and prosodic markers of L2 output. 18 trainee interpreters were asked to simultaneously interpret three speeches in Turkish that varied in emotionality, valence (negative, neutral, and positive), and difficulty in English. Responses to emotional language processing were analysed based on participants’ self-reported positive and negative affect using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and three prosodic parameters (intensity, pitch, and fluency). Results showed that interpreting emotionally negative speech increased negative affect, whereas interpreting emotionally positive speech did not modify positive affect. Intensity generally reflected cognitive load. Pitch and fluency, in particular, were more sensitive to changes in the valence of the source speech.

The Relationship Between Work-Family Conflict and Subjective Well-Being in Career Women whose Husbands Work in Makassar

Working women are experiencing increasing growth from the previous decade, this creates demands for jobs and roles as wive and career women. Demands between work and family that are not always in line can lead to conflict and are vulnerable to Subjective Well-Being. This study aims to determine the relationship between Subjective Well-Being and Work-family conflict in career women whose husband is work in Makassar. There were 111 subjects in this study with criteria are career women who have children and working husbands. Data was collected using the Work-family conflict Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). The data analysis method used for data processing in this research uses Spearman rank correlation. The analysis results show an R Squared value of -0,165 and significance value are 0,083. Based on the significance value, it shows that there is no relationship between Work-family conflict and Subjective Well-Being in career women whose husband is work in Makassar. This is due to the husband's support and religiosity factors. The implication in this study is that career women who are married, they can be better prepared in managing Work-family conflict and Subjective Well-Being, so that they are expected to continuously make efforts by taking into account the factors that can influence them both at work and at home.

EMOTIONAL RESPONSES OF ADULTS LIVING WITH DEMENTIA TO AN INTERGENERATIONAL MUSIC INTERVENTION

Abstract Music interventions have shown promise to support emotional well-being in older adults living with dementia. Bolstering emotional well-being could improve the quality of life of the millions of older adults living with dementia. We implemented an intergenerational music intervention at Dementia360, a community program that serves older adults living with dementia. The music intervention featured adolescent musicians performing the preferred music of the older participants and engaging them in interactive musical activities via Zoom. 14 older adult participants attended an average of four sessions, 54 minutes each, of the intervention. We described their positive affect and pleasure as they engaged in the intervention. We compared participants’ scores on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) pre- and post-intervention. We also assessed the participants’ emotions by rating them using the Observed Emotion Rating Scale (OERS). On average, the participants’ scores increased three points on the Positive Affect subscale of the PANAS. Our computed cohen’s d effect size was 0.5, a moderate effect size that correlates with self-report measures of feeling “a little more” to “much more” positive affect. On the OERS Pleasure subscale, we found that pleasure was shown for more than one minute of the ten-minute sample in over 87% of the observations. Intergenerational music interventions employ the safe, pleasurable, and scalable modality of music. These findings suggest that participation in such an intervention has the potential to influence positive affect and pleasure, critical supports for the emotional well-being of older adults living with dementia.

Affectivity in danish patients with emotional disorders: assessing the validity of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

BackgroundThe Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was designed to measure trait positive affect (PA) and trait negative affect (NA).MethodsThe Danish PANAS was administered to outpatients with depression and anxiety disorders. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega and factorial structure was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Convergent validity was evaluated by means of correlations with the negative affectivity and the detachment domain of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Short Form (PID-5-SF), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale 6 (HARS-6) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 6 (HDRS-6).ResultsPANAS Scores of 256 patients were analyzed. Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega showed good internal consistency for both the PA score (alpha = .84 and omega = .89) and the NA score (alpha = .86 and omega = .90). CFA analysis confirmed a structure with two factors corresponding to the PA and NA factors. PA was negatively correlated with the detachment domain of PID-5 (r = -.47), HARS-6 (r = -.15) and HDRS-6 (r = -.37). NA was positively correlated with PID-5-SF negative affectivity domain (r = .43), HARS-6 (r = .51) and HDRS-6 (r = .52).DiscussionThe Danish PANAS has promising internal consistency and construct validity, which are comparable to other studies of the instrument.

Impact of exposure to natural versus urban soundscapes on brain functional connectivity, BOLD entropy and behavior

BackgroundHumans have been moving from rural to urban environments for decades. This process may have important consequences for our health and well-being. Most previous studies have focused on visual input, and the auditory domain has been understudied so far. Therefore, we set out to investigate the influence of exposure to natural vs urban soundscapes on brain activity and behavior. MethodsResting-state fMRI data was acquired while participants (N = 35) listened to natural and urban soundscapes. Two affective questionnaires (the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Perceived Stress Scale) and two cognitive tasks (dual n-back (DNB) and the backward digit-span (BDS)) were assessed before and after each soundscape condition. To quantify brain function we used complexity and network measures, namely brain entropy (BEN) and whole brain functional connectivity (FC). To study the link between brain and behavior, changes in BEN and whole brain FC were correlated to changes in cognitive performance and self-reported affect. ResultsWe found higher BEN when listening to urban sounds in posterior cingulate gyrus, cuneus and precuneus, occipital lobe/calcarine as compared to nature sounds, which was negatively correlated to (post-pre) differences in positive affect (PANAS) in the urban soundscape condition. In addition, we found higher FC between areas in the auditory, cinguloopercular, somatomotor hand and mouth networks when listening to nature as compared to urban sounds which was positively correlated to (post-pre) differences of the of the composite score of Digit span and N-back for nature soundscape. ConclusionsThis study provides a framework for the neural underpinnings of how natural versus urban soundscapes affect both whole brain FC and BEN and bear implications for the understanding of how the physical auditory environment affects brain function and subsequently observed behavior. Moreover, correlations with cognition and affect reveal the meaning that exposure to soundscapes may have on the human brain. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to analyze BEN and whole brain FC at rest during exposure to nature and urban soundscapes and to explore their relationship to behavior.

A Structured Narrative Prompt for Prompting Narratives from Large Language Models: Sentiment Assessment of ChatGPT-Generated Narratives and Real Tweets

Large language models (LLMs) excel in providing natural language responses that sound authoritative, reflect knowledge of the context area, and can present from a range of varied perspectives. Agent-based models and simulations consist of simulated agents that interact within a simulated environment to explore societal, social, and ethical, among other, problems. Simulated agents generate large volumes of data and discerning useful and relevant content is an onerous task. LLMs can help in communicating agents’ perspectives on key life events by providing natural language narratives. However, these narratives should be factual, transparent, and reproducible. Therefore, we present a structured narrative prompt for sending queries to LLMs, we experiment with the narrative generation process using OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and we assess statistically significant differences across 11 Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) sentiment levels between the generated narratives and real tweets using chi-squared tests and Fisher’s exact tests. The narrative prompt structure effectively yields narratives with the desired components from ChatGPT. In four out of forty-four categories, ChatGPT generated narratives which have sentiment scores that were not discernibly different, in terms of statistical significance (alpha level α=0.05), from the sentiment expressed in real tweets. Three outcomes are provided: (1) a list of benefits and challenges for LLMs in narrative generation; (2) a structured prompt for requesting narratives of an LLM chatbot based on simulated agents’ information; (3) an assessment of statistical significance in the sentiment prevalence of the generated narratives compared to real tweets. This indicates significant promise in the utilization of LLMs for helping to connect a simulated agent’s experiences with real people.