Positive Emotional Expressions Research Articles

The mediating role of emotional regulation and emotional expression in the relationship between autistic traits and empathy in Saudi students

The aim was to investigate the mediating role of emotional regulation and emotional expression in the relationship between autistic traits and empathy in Saudi students. Participants were undergraduate students at Umm Al-Qura University. A total of 398 questionnaires were sent out, and 260 valid questionnaires were received. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were conducted on the variables hypothesized in the study; on this basis, the structural process model modeling method was used to examine the impact of autistic trait empathy after controlling for factors unrelated to age and gender. This study investigated the relationship between empathy, emotional expression, cognitive reappraisal, and autistic traits in Saudi students. A statistical analysis to test the posited hypotheses was undertaken using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 26. Key descriptive statistics were undertaken using the software, making it possible to study the distributions of successive measured variables. The results found that autistic traits can directly and negatively predict empathy, and also through negative emotional expression and cognitive reappraisal can indirectly predict empathy, and can even predict empathy through the chain mediation of negative emotional expression and positive emotional expression to cognitive reappraisal. However, autistic traits did not predict empathy through positive emotional expression.

Valence sound symbolism facilitates classification of vowels and emotional facial expressions.

Research on iconicity or sound symbolism chronicles associations between aspects of word meaning and word form. In valence sound symbolism, specifically, vowels were demonstrated to be associated with valence, so that the vowel /i/ (as in English sea) is judged to fit positively valenced stimuli, whereas the vowel /o/ (as in German Boot) is judged to fit negatively valenced stimuli. However, because previous findings were based on judgments or name invention tasks, they may reflect deliberate strategies. The present research aims to demonstrate the automaticity of valence sound symbolism in online language processing by means of a speeded response task. A total of 163 participants performed a speeded categorization task in which they were requested to classify one of two simultaneously presented stimuli, pseudowords containing the vowels /i/ or /o/ and pictures with positive or negative emotional facial expressions. Thus, stimulus pairings could be either congruent (/i/-words and positive expressions; /o/-words and negative expressions) or incongruent (/i/-words and negative expressions; /o/-words and positive expressions). We observed faster and more accurate responses for congruent over incongruent combinations (the simple effects were significant for positive but not for negative expressions). Thus, sound symbolic congruency (vs. incongruency) of an irrelevant stimulus facilitated responses, which accords with an automatic process contributing to valence sound symbolism and indicates that valence sound symbolism is deeply engrained in the human cognitive system. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Emotional Expressions and First Impression Formation in Social Media Profiles

ABSTRACT This study conducted an online experiment with 384 participants to explore the mechanisms through which viewers form initial impressions of strangers based on their emotional self-disclosure in social media profiles. The findings revealed that positive emotional expressions fostered a higher degree of interpersonal liking and trust than negative emotional expressions. The relationship between emotional valence and interpersonal liking was partially mediated by perceived appropriateness and perceived similarity. Judgments of interpersonal trust were fully mediated by the perceived appropriateness and perceived similarity of emotional expressions. The study further discovered an interaction between emotional valence and intensity, such that the effect of emotional valence on perceived similarity became more pronounced when emotional intensity was high. The findings underscored the significant influence of emotional expressions on the development of interpersonal liking and trust on social media. The study also specified two inferential processes (perceived appropriateness and perceived similarity) underlying these effects and highlighted the moderating role of emotional intensity. The theoretical and practical implications were also discussed.

The associations between self-construal, emotional expressivity and acculturation among Arab immigrants.

This contribution investigates differences in self-construal and emotional expressivity among Arab immigrants and non-immigrants. Furthermore, it examines the role of acculturation styles and perceived emotional acculturation in predicting these outcomes among Arab immigrants. Using a sample of 1249 self-identified Arabs (629 immigrants in Western Europe and North America; 620 non-immigrant Arabs in the Mashriq and Maghrib regions), we found that collectivist self-construal was significantly lower, and positive emotional expressivity was significantly higher among immigrant, than non-immigrant, Arabs. High home country acculturation (also in combination with high host country acculturation) was the strongest predictor of collectivist self-construal. Immigrants' perception of the positive emotional expressivity of people in their host culture was the strongest predictor of their personal positive emotional expressivity. These results were replicated using the Euclidean distance method to measure acculturation. Hence, the study provides valuable insights into the relationships between self-construal, emotional expressivity and acculturation styles, specifically among Arab immigrants.

Flexible Regulation of Positive and Negative Emotion Expression: Reexamining the Factor Structure of the Flexible Regulation of Emotional Expression Scale (FREE) Based on Emotion Valence.

The Flexible Regulation of Emotional Expression (FREE) Scale assesses individuals' ability to enhance and suppress their emotional expressions across different situations. This study investigates the optimal factor structure of the FREE and emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between the regulation abilities for positive and negative expressions. A sample of 607 undergraduates (Mage = 19.02, SD = 1.02, 72.2% female) from Mainland China completed the questionnaire survey. Confirmatory factor analyses tested eight competing models of the FREE structure. Results indicated that the second-order model, featuring two higher-order factors (expressive enhancement and suppression abilities), fit the data well. An alternative second-order model, with two different higher-order factors (positive and negative emotion expressive abilities) and the same four first-order factors, demonstrated an even better fit. Various types of expressive ability scores showed predictive validity regarding emotion regulation self-efficacy, mental health outcomes, and relationship stress. Regulation of emotional expression can be represented by either regulation type or emotion valence, with the latter providing more informative insights. Flexible regulation of positive and negative emotion expression predicted fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and relationship stress beyond emotion regulation self-efficacy. These findings highlight the importance of considering emotional valence in understanding flexibility in expression regulation.

Behavioral and Emotional Responding to Punishment in ADHD: Is Increased Emotionality Related to Altered Behavioral Responding?

Children with ADHD are theorized to experience increased negative emotional responses to punishment, compared to typically developing (TD) children, resulting in altered behavioral responding (Amsel, 1992). However, this has not been empirically tested. The current study evaluated the effects of punishment and reward on the behavioral and emotional responding of children with and without ADHD. Fifty-three children with ADHD (64.15% boys) and 46 TD children (47.83% boys), age 6-12, completed a task in which they chose between playing two simultaneously available games. Reward was arranged symmetrically across the games; responses on one game were punished four times as often as responses on the other game. Children's negative and positive emotional expressions were assessed during task completion with facial expression coding. Results indicated both groups showed a preference for playing the less punished game. Children with ADHD took longer to respond after punishment and reward compared to TD children. Negative emotional expressions increased with time on task for those with ADHD, the opposite pattern was seen in TD children. Children with ADHD showed more positive emotional expressions overall. The effect of ADHD on increased response times after reward was statistically fully mediated by increased positive facial expressions. Findings indicate children with ADHD do not show an altered response bias under punishment compared to TD children, but their cumulative negative emotional responding may indicate problems with building frustration tolerance as hypothesized by Amsel (1992). Results are theoretically important as they suggest increased emotional responding in ADHD is associated with slower responding.

교사 직무스트레스 완화를 위한 시각이미지 기반 온라인 글쓰기 프로그램 개발 및 적용 연구

This study aims to develop an online writing program based on visual images to alleviate teacher job stress and to explore its effectiveness through practical application. According to previous research, teachers experience psychological difficulties due to stress arising from various tasks and interpersonal relationships, which have been exacerbated during the pandemic. This study received validation from 12 educational psychology experts regarding the program for reducing teacher stress. Additionally, ten middle school teachers in Y City, Gyeonggi Province, participated in the study, where the content of their writing was analyzed to explore the program's impact on stress management. The results revealed that reflective writing based on visual images is effective in helping teachers recognize and manage their emotions and problems, leading to an increase in positive emotional expression. Furthermore, offering the program through an online platform provided teachers with opportunities to manage their stress without being constrained by time or location. This study presents a new approach to managing teacher job stress and could serve as foundational data for developing programs applicable to various professions in the future.

Pupils’ emotional expression observed in the primary school context / Observación de la expresión emocional de los alumnos en el contexto de educación primaria

The present study investigated the expression of emotions in pupils of the first five grades of primary school. The sample ( N = 114) comprised pupils aged between 6.5 and 10.6 years, whose expression of emotions was observed using an observational schema. Observations were gathered in classrooms at 70 schools in different regions of Slovenia. Fourteen emotions were recognized in the pupils’ expressions, with joy and anger predominating. The intensity of the expression of positive and negative emotions, as well as basic and complex emotions, was moderate, and no significant difference in intensity was observed between these categories. Boys expressed more positive, negative and basic emotions than girls. The situations that elicited emotions varied and reflected the prominent issues in school, particularly academic achievement, social interactions with teachers and classmates, and activities during lessons. The applicability of the results to teachers’ work in the classroom was highlighted.

What you say vs what you do: Utilizing positive emotional expressions to relay AI teammate intent within human–AI teams

With the expansive growth of AI’s capabilities in recent years, researchers have been tasked with developing and improving human-centered AI collaborations, necessitating the creation of human–AI teams (HATs). However, the differences in communication styles between humans and AI often prevent human teammates from fully understanding the intent and needs of AI teammates. One core difference is that humans naturally leverage a positive emotional tone during communication to convey their confidence or lack thereof to convey doubt in their ability to complete a task. Yet, this communication strategy must be explicitly designed in order for an AI teammate to be human-centered. In this mixed-methods study, 45 participants completed a study examining how human teammates interpret the behaviors of their AI teammates when they express different positive emotions via specific words/phrases. Quantitative results show that, based on corresponding behaviors, AI teammates were able to use displays of emotion to increase trust in AI teammates and the positive mood of the human teammate. Additionally, our qualitative findings indicate that participants preferred their AI teammates to increase the intensity of their displayed emotions to help reduce the perceived risk of their AI teammate’s behavior. When taken in sum, these findings describe the relevance of AI teammates expressing intensities of emotion while performing various behavioral decisions as a continued means to provide social support to the wider team and better task performance.

A Discussion on Chinese Family Education from the Perspective of Positive Psychology

In modern society, positive psychology has gained increasing attention as an important branch of psychology. This paper explores some issues and educational strategies in modern family education from the perspective of positive psychology. Firstly, the paper introduces the origin and basic concepts of positive psychology. Secondly, the current situation and problems of Chinese family education are analyzed. Lastly, a series of strategies applicable to family education based on the principles of positive psychology are proposed. These strategies include establishing a positive family education environment, cultivating children’s positive psychological qualities, adopting positive educational approaches and methods, paying attention to children’s individual differences and diverse development, fostering children’s positive emotional experiences and expression abilities, as well as enhancing children’s social adaptability. By implementing these strategies, family education can better promote children’s holistic development, improve their mental health and well-being, and lay a solid foundation for their future.

Enjoyment and Appreciation of Political Advertisements: How voters’ Issue Involvement and Congruence with the Sponsor Influence Their Responses and Decisions

This study investigates how voters derive pleasure and meaning from political advertisements by conducting a 3 (sponsorship) × 2 (issue) factorial experiment. It examines the impact of the interaction of issue involvement and congruence between sponsorship and voters’ party affiliation on enjoyment and appreciation of the advertisement. Voters’ real-time emotions (determined by their facial expression) and their attention to the screen (captured via eye-tracking sensor) were measured. Voters’ responses to advertisement were examined in association with their subsequent candidate preference. Advertisements by congruent sponsors are enjoyed and appreciated more than those by incongruent sponsors. Negative and mixed emotions and time spent on the screen are more pronounced among those with higher issue involvement when viewing congruent advertisements. Only enjoyment, appreciation, and expression of positive emotions during advertisement exposure are positively associated with voting decision.

유아-어머니 조화적합성이 유아의 자기표현력에 미치는 영향

Objectives The purposes of this study was to investigate the effects of young children-mother goodness of fit and mother’s positive emotional expressiveness on young children’s self-assertiveness and examine the mediating effect of maoher’s positive emotional expressiveness on the relationship between young children-mother goodness of fit and young children’s self-assertiveness. Methods A survey was conducted on 212 4,5-year-old children and their mothers, and the collected data was analyzed using the SPSS program. Hierachical regression analysis was conducted to examine the effect of young children-mother goodness of fit on the young children’s self-assertiveness, and the mediating effect analysis of the mother’s positive emotional expressiveness to the effect of young children-mother goodness of fit on the young children’s self-assertiveness was conducted using SPSS Process Macro Model 4. Results First young children-mother goodness of fit had a significant negative effect on the young children’s self-assertiveness, and young children-mother goodness of fit had a significant negative effect on the mother’s positive emotional expressiveness. Second the mother’s positive emotional expressiveness was found to partially mediate the effect of young children-mother goodness of fit on the young children’s self-assertiveness. Conclusions It was found that the higher the young children-mother goodness of fit, the lower the mother’s positive emotional expressiveness, whiich had a negative effect on the young children’s self-assertiveness. Thus, this study was found that there are different circumstances and contexts for interpreting goodness of fit in young children compared to in infant. and it is significant that this study provides foundational material that can activate scholarly and educational discussions regarding the positive emotional expressiveness of mother for the self-assertiveness of young children in future related research and practical parenting contexts.

Emotional intelligence and specificity of brain cortical activity in coronary heart disease

Testing the components of emotional intelligence (EI) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) showed that they are more likely to react to emotionally significant situations than to express their emotions. The most pronounced influence on the frequency-spatial organization of brain activity, mainly in the θ1-, α2- and β1-ranges, is induced by such EI components as the expression of positive emotions, the use of emotions in decision-making and empathy. An increase in self-assessment of positive expression is associated with an increase in the power of the β1-rhythm in the parieto-occipital cortex with the dominance of the left hemisphere and an increase in the θ1 not only in these areas, but also in the posterofrontal cortical sites. The increase in empathy is accompanied by a decrease in the power of the β1-rhythm, mainly in the temporal cortex of the left hemisphere. Gender differences were found in the association of self-assessment of negative expression and the power of θ- and β-oscillations with greater involvement of the left frontal areas in women. The identified features of the relationship between EI and EEG parameters may be a consequence of the reorganization of cortical activity in patients with coronary heart disease, which develops as a result of chronic cerebral ischemia.

Timing Is Everything: An Imprinting Framework for the Implications of Leader Emotional Expressions for Team Member Social Worth and Performance

Leader emotional expressions have profound implications for team members. Research has established that how frequently leaders express positive and negative emotional expressions shapes team member performance through conveying critical social-functional information about team member social worth. Yet, this social-functional approach to emotions has not fully considered how the timing of leader emotional expressions during a team’s lifecycle can also shape the information conveyed to individual team members about their social worth. In this paper, we integrate the social-functional approach to emotions with imprinting theory to propose that the temporal context of leader emotional expressions has performance implications for individual team members through two distinct facets of social worth: respect and status. Specifically, our imprinting framework explains how positive leader emotional expressions during the early team phase have the most beneficial performance implications through imprinting respect in individual team members. We then propose that these positive implications are amplified by more frequent than average negative leader emotional expressions during the midpoint phase. When filtered through earlier positive expressions, negative emotional expressions during the midpoint phase may signal opportunities for respect and status gains rather than respect and status losses. We find general support for our model in a pre-registered four-wave longitudinal archival study of consulting teams at a leading professional services company and a four-wave longitudinal field study at a NCAA Division 1 sports program. Our work highlights that the temporal context of leader emotional expressions is an important performance predictor through social worth.

Guiding student learning in video lectures: Effects of instructors’ emotional expressions and visual cues

In video lectures, instructors often use spontaneous emotional expressions (facial expressions, tone of voice) and visual cues (underlining, circling) to guide students' attention toward key instructional information. While previous research has confirmed the benefits of visual cues in guiding attention and processing specific information, there's a notable gap in understanding the role of emotional expression in this context. Moreover, there is a lack of comprehensive exploration regarding the specific design of both behaviors (whether they emphasize the same instructional information) and their effect on students. This study conducted two experiments. Experiment 1 first confirmed the guiding effect of an instructor's emotional expression on students, establishing the foundation for our research. Additionally, Experiment 1 explored the impact of the consistency/inconsistency of facial expressions and tone of voice, including student motivation, cognitive load, and learning performance. Results revealed the benefits of consistent positive emotional expressions on motivation and transfer performance, and the benefits of consistent negative emotional expressions on retention performance. Furthermore, we found that tone of voice was a key factor in guiding students, while facial expressions were associated with students' immediate memory. Building upon Experiment 1, Experiment 2 introduced visual cues to investigate the combined impact of these two guiding behaviors on students. Results regarding emotional expressions were replicated, confirming the positive effects of both. Moreover, we found that the irrelevance of visual cues weakened the guiding influence of emotional expression on students, leading to the loss of relevant information. Therefore, we suggest encouraging instructors to convey positive emotions to enhance the learning experience while emphasizing key information through negative emotional expressions accompanied by visual cues. Additionally, minimizing or concealing visual cues whenever possible is advisable when delivering content beyond visual representations.

Determinants of social loneliness among older adults in job retirement and the role of emotional expressivity

Objectives The study examined the possibility that a mediating role of positive and negative emotional expressivity may contribute to understanding the associations between social loneliness and its previously identified predictors (i.e. health, age, sex, and social living situation). Method Self-reported assessments were collected from community-dwelling Swedish residents (aged 65 and above) in job retirement. Structural equation modeling with manifest variables was applied to cross-sectional data (N = 601) to analyze two competing models; one main-effect regression model, examining the predictive effect of emotional expressivity (along with health and sociodemographics) on social loneliness, and one mediation model, examining the mediating effect of emotional expressivity (using the bootstrapping technique provided in Mplus). Results The results indicated that the mediation model fit the data considerably better than the main-effect regression model (Δχ2 [Δdf = 8] = 72.69, p < 0.00001), and demonstrated a good fit on its own, with CFI = 0.986 and RMSEA = 0.030. This suggests that emotional expressivity contributes to the understanding of the connection between social loneliness and its previously identified predictors. Conclusion Recognizing the significance of emotional expressivity has the potential to enhance our understanding of loneliness in older adults, both in theory and in practice.

Interaction dynamics of social support expressions predict future support-seeking behaviors in online support groups

Maintaining the sustainability of online support groups (OSGs) presents a significant challenge. Integrating the literature on interaction dynamics and supportive communication, this study investigated how interaction dynamics in supportive communication foster long-term support-seeking behaviors that are crucial to sustaining continuous support exchanges in OSGs. Using a large-scale dataset of 48,868 posts and 468,243 comments over ten years from an OSG, this study examined how reciprocity and compensation of emotional and informational support, signaled by emotional expressions and analytical expressions, predicted a poster's future support-seeking behaviors in the OSG. Results showed that a poster's future support-seeking behaviors were positively associated with receiving (a) reciprocity of analytical expressions and (b) compensation of negative emotional expressions with positive emotional expressions in their past posts. However, reciprocity of negative emotional expressions was negatively associated with a poster's future support-seeking behaviors. This study emphasizes social support as an ongoing interactive process and its importance in motivating support-seeking behaviors and fostering a thriving OSG.

Projective technique “Bird’s Nest Drawing” in child clinical psychology

IntroductionThe “Bird’s Nest Drawing” technique is one of expressive drawing projective techniques. In Russia it has been used since the 2020s. We suggest the pilot version of using this projective technique in child clinical psychology. There were investigated the cognitive and emotional components of performance by children with different types of ontogenesis.Purpose: pilot application of the technique of “Bird’s Nest Drawing” (BND) in the psychological diagnosis of children with different types of ontogenesis.Objectives69 children and adolescents 6-17 years old (28 male), examined at the Mental Health Research Center. 1. hospital patients (11-16 years old, 18 persons) diagnoses F20.8, F21.4, 2) outpatient clients with psychological diagnostics (7-16 years old, 45 persons), most of them have psychiatric diagnoses and some of them came for a consultation independently of doctors (there were family and behavior problems). 3) children conceived with the help of assisted reproductive technologies (IVF) - participants in a program for studying cognitive and emotional-personal development (5-13 years old, 8 people). Control group of normal children (14 persons).MethodsBird’s Nest Drawing (D.Kaiser, 2003, Kuftyak, 2021) - clinical expert assessment of the drawing parameters (size, location, quality, compliance with instructions) and the emotional component (color, self-assessment of the drawing).Results Table 1.Frequency of different indicators of BND in compared groups of children. Groups N Central place High Quality of drawing Nest out of tree birds /eggs Different colors Safety of nest High Assessment by participants High positive emotional expression Assessment by expertsHospital patients18 (4 m)12410410**413**5**Outpatient clients45 (22 m)38131917321025**17Children IVF8 (2 m_72436**163Normal children14(6 m)1437412**413**11**** - significance of the differences (p≤0,05 by φ criterion).Based on the data obtained, it can be noted that the most different between groups turned out to be an indicator for using different colors, subject’s assessment his picture and emotional expression assessment of picture by experts. Other parameters are similar: please of drawing,DiscussionWe have obtained our own resalts about BND method in children with different type of ontogenesis. These data are similar to D.Kaiser and E.Kuftyak in opportunity of good diagnostic practice of BND method in children and adolescents with different type of ontogenesis in scientificConclusionsBND method is a good test for child clinical psychology as a projective one. Restrictions of this investigation - small groups, simple parameters for assessment. We plan to continue this work with more clinical (diagnosis, syndrome et cetera) and sex and age characteristics.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Advance Care Planning in the Context of Dementia: Defining Concordance.

Individuals with dementia may require a surrogate decision maker as their disease progresses. To prepare for this potential role, dementia care partners need to develop a thorough understanding of their care recipient's end-of-life values and preferences, or care dyad advance care planning (ACP) concordance. As part of our pilot study implementing the LEAD intervention with dementia care dyads, we conducted a multimethod investigation to define care dyad ACP concordance. We conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed studies published after 1991 in English focusing on care dyad ACP concordance in dementia care and included 34 articles. Concurrently, we used descriptive qualitative analysis to analyze 7 dyadic ACP conversations from a pilot study about dyadic dementia ACP. The scoping review demonstrated (a) no definition of care dyad ACP concordance was reported; (b) surrogate accuracy in end-of-life decisions varies widely; and (c) best practices for ACP in dementia may aid in achieving ACP concordance, but do not prioritize it as an outcome. Qualitative analysis identified 7 elements for achieving concordance: Respect/Regard; use of Clarifying Processes; Conveying Health Care Scenarios; Affirmation of Understanding; Recognizing Uncertainty; Expression of Positive Emotions; and Trust. Care dyad ACP concordance occurs when care recipients and care partners both understand a care recipient's end-of-life values, understand the end-of-life preferences informed by those values, and the care partner expresses a willingness to accomplish the care recipient's wishes to the best of their ability. ACP concordance can be further operationalized for research and clinical care.

The role of maternal emotional expressivity in maternal marital satisfaction and adolescents' depressive symptoms among Chinese families: Moderated by family socioeconomic status

The present study aims to investigate the complex interplay among three family factors: maternal marital satisfaction, maternal emotional expressivity, and family socioeconomic status, and their impact on adolescent depression in Chinese families. A total of 542 Chinese adolescents and their mothers from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds completed the survey. The data revealed that higher maternal marital satisfaction correlated with more positive emotional expressivity and less negative emotional expressivity. Both types of maternal emotional expressivity were associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents. Moreover, both maternal positive and negative emotional expressivity mediated the relationship between maternal marital satisfaction and adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Notably, the mediating role of maternal negative expressivity was only evident when the family’s socioeconomic status was moderate to high. These findings underscore the important role played by maternal emotional expressivity and family socioeconomic status in the dyadic processes between the marital relationship of mothers and the emotional well-being of adolescents in Chinese families. The present study also indicates potential targets for parenting interventions aimed at promoting the mental health of adolescents.