Arousal Theory Research Articles

Early neural development of social interaction perception: evidence from voxel-wise encoding in young children and adults.

From a young age, children have advanced social perceptual and reasoning abilities. However, the neural development of these abilities is still poorly understood. To address this gap, we used fMRI data collected 122 3-12-year-old children (64 females) and 33 adults (20 females) watched an engaging and socially rich movie to investigate how the cortical basis of social processing changes throughout development. We labeled the movie with visual and social features, including motion energy, presence of a face, presence of a social interaction, theory of mind (ToM) events, valence and arousal. Using a voxel-wise encoding model trained on these features, we find that models based on visual (motion energy) and social (faces, social interaction, ToM, valence, and arousal) features can both predict brain activity in children as young as three years old across the cortex, with particularly high predictivity in motion selective middle temporal region (MT) and the superior temporal sulcus (STS). Furthermore, models based on individual social features showed that while there may be some development throughout childhood, social interaction information in the STS is present in children as young as three years old and appears adult-like by age seven. The current study, for the first time, links neural activity in children to pre-defined social features in a narrative movie and suggests social interaction perception is supported by early developing neural responses in the STS.Significance Statement This study investigates the neural basis for social scene perception ability in children using fMRI data collected while participants watch a short, animated movie. Unlike most prior studies with movies, we labeled a range of visual and social features in the movie and used machine learning analyses to link each feature to fMRI responses in adults and children ages 3-12. Notably, our results demonstrate strong evidence that children as young as three years old show significant responses to most visual and social features in the movie, including social interaction responses in the superior temporal sulcus (STS), a region in the brain that is well known to be important in social interaction processing in adults.

Hexed by Pressure: How Action-State Orientation Explains Propensity to Choke in Super Hexagon

Many videogames require players to perform under pressure; however, not all players respond equivalently to pressure: why are some players more likely to tilt (lose control during play) or choke (perform poorly relative to their ability) whereas others seem to thrive under pressure? Given the importance of both emotion regulation in tilting and optimal arousal in achieving optimal performance, we propose that individual differences in ability to down-regulate negative affect under stress--known as failure-related action-state orientation (fASO)--could explain propensity to choke under pressure. We conducted an online between-subjects experiment (N=144) in which we measured baseline performance in Super Hexagon (day 1), then exposed participants to a stress induction (i.e., PASAT-C) or had them play a low-intensity bubble-popping game before playing again (day 2). Under stress, players higher in fASO performed better relative to their baseline in terms of average time alive and stalled progress; whereas, without stress, players lower in fASO performed better on both measures. Traits reflective of proposed explanations for choking (i.e., reinvestment, attentional control) did not influence performance under pressure. The ability to down-regulate negative affect and overcome setbacks is a useful theoretical lens to explore why some players choke under pressure, whereas others thrive.

Host language, guest language or hybrid? Language strategy in destination advertising

ABSTRACT Language constitutes an integral part of destination culture and tourists’ experiences. Although the importance of using host language in destination marketing has been highlighted, the effectiveness of the language strategy in forming potential tourists’ visit intention remains unrevealed. Built on optimal arousal theory, this research examines whether and how the hybrid of host and guest languages (called hybrid language display hereafter) in destination advertising is more useful in attracting tourists. Two experiments were conducted using Xizang and Macau as contexts. Results reveal that the ad featuring hybrid language display works better than monolingual ads (either host or guest language only) in attracting potential tourists. Specifically, hybrid language display in a destination ad increases potential tourists’ visit intention because of higher perceived uniqueness of the destination and then curiosity about it. This language strategy in destination advertising is effective regardless of potential tourists’ self-efficacy though especially useful for increasing visit intention of those who are low in self-efficacy. Accordingly, theoretical and practical implications are offered.

Differences in Self-Rated Worker Outcomes Across Stress States: An Interim Analysis of Hybrid Worker Data

Stress experiences can have dire consequences for worker performance and well-being, and the social environment of the workplace is a key contributor to worker experience. This study investigated the relationship between hybrid workers’ self-ratings of productivity, mood, and stress with perceptions of positive (eustress) and negative (distress) stress states. We hypothesized that self-ratings would vary across combinations of eustress and distress experiences and that these differences would differ based on the social context. Ecological momentary assessments (EMA) were used to obtain ecologically valid data at four data points each workday across a 4-month study period in a cohort of seven office workers. Findings aligned with the Yerkes–Dodson law, such that higher states of arousal were associated with greater self-perceived productivity, and higher stress magnitudes were found when distress existed. Compared to other states, eustress was associated with higher productivity in work-related activities and better mood across all activity types.

In the Mood for Food: Monotony, Boredom and Snacking During Work

AbstractAlthough unhealthy snacking may have detrimental consequences for employee health and organizational outcomes, the role of working conditions on snacking still remains poorly understood. Drawing from optimal arousal theory, we propose and test a conceptual model that explains how under-stimulating conditions of job monotony increase unhealthy snacking behaviors during work due to experienced boredom. Given that individual differences play an important role for eating behaviors, we further propose that trait mindfulness may moderate the relationship between daily work-related boredom and unhealthy snacking, as it can decrease impulsive reactions to boredom. Results from diary data across two workweeks (N = 105) confirmed the positive effect of daily job monotony on unhealthy snacking through work-related boredom. Supplementary analyses revealed that these results persisted above and beyond over-stimulating work stressors (daily workload) and alternative mediators (daily negative affect). Surprisingly, the protective nature of trait mindfulness was not confirmed by our results. The implications of our findings are discussed for theory and practice.

Lateral asymmetry of emotional arousal as a biomarker of attributional style during darts competitions.

According to the Multiple Arousal Theory, electrodermal activity (EDA) is not uniform across the body. However, the psychological meaning of a left or right-sided EDA dominance is still not clear. We explored EDA lateral asymmetry as a psychophysiological marker of optimistic and pessimistic attributional style regarding success and failure in a darts competition. Bilateral EDA pattern of 230 throws of a competing pair was measured by Obimon EDA including accelerometer measurements of movements. First, we confirmed that lateral asymmetry can be measured reliably based on EDA data from both wrists. Second, we assessed attributional styles related to lateral asymmetry based on 80 individual throws. We recorded participants' expectations regarding their upcoming performance, and their attribution of success and failure based on Seligman's definition as optimist (internal cause attributed to success, or external cause ascribed to failure) or pessimist. The ratio of optimist and pessimist attributions was significantly different for throws with right or left-sided EDA dominance (p = 0.001). Optimistic attribution characterized 84% of right dominant, while pessimist 63% of left-dominant EDA during throws. We replicated these findings on 50 throws from 10 more individuals (p = 0.034). All individuals were right-handed. We conclude that wrist EDA can be reliably measured during physical movements, such as in a darts game. Lateral EDA asymmetry is a consistent psychophysiological marker of the attitude toward success and failure in a competitive setting, suggesting that lateral asymmetry of emotional arousal may serve as a novel psychophysiological biomarker for attribution style. Results underlie the psychophysiological relevance of bilateral arousal assessment and provide evidence-based verification for the Multiple Arousal Theory.

THE INFLUENCE OF BRAND STORY ON THE RESEARCH OF CONSUMER ATTITUDE TO THE BRAND

With the presence of numerous consumer brands in the market, more stringent requirements are placed on consumers to obtain brand perception value, and how entrepreneurs can differentiate their brands has become a major challenge. This study uses many related theories such as optimal arousal theory and social exchange theory based on brand stories, starting with improving consumers’ cognitive and emotional attitude towards the brand, and then allows entrepreneurs to achieve higher consumer perceptions of their brand’s value. Using SPSS data analysis software, after statistical testing of hierarchical regression, the final brand story greatly influences consumers' attitude towards the brand.

Lightness Peaks during the Menstrual Phase: A Retrospective Challenge to a Visual Arousal Theory of Estrogen

(1) Background: The influence of estrogen on cognitive and perceptual functions is debated. Some research suggests that estrogen increases arousal, improving cognitive function, while others propose that increased arousal might reduce performance in certain tasks. This study investigates the effects of menstrual cycle phase and estrogen levels on lightness perception in cycling women and hormonal contraceptive (HC) users. (2) Methods: Sixteen women (nine with natural cycles and seven HC users) completed three sessions aligned with different menstrual cycle phases. During these sessions, participants adjusted the luminance of five test stimuli (representing blue, green, green-yellow, yellow, and red) until they matched a flickering reference white stimulus. Lightness was calculated as the ratio of the reference stimulus luminance (5 cd/m2) divided by the test luminance required to match. Estrogen levels were also determined for each participant from saliva samples collected on the morning of each session. The effects of wavelength and menstrual cycle phase on lightness perception were analyzed, followed by post hoc comparisons and correlations between lightness perception and estrogen levels for both cycling women and HC users. (3) Results: Lightness varied by menstrual phase (MCP) in cycling women and was slightly higher during the low estrogen menstrual phase compared to peri-ovulation or luteal phases. In HC users, lightness measures were equivalent across phases. For cycling women, lightness was negatively correlated with estrogen for the green and green-yellow stimuli. There were no such associations among HC users. (4) Conclusions: This report challenges the concept that high estrogen phases of the menstrual cycle always positively influence perception. Conversely, these results revealed that—at least in cycling, non-hormonal contraceptive users—lightness perception was both at a maximum during the low estrogen menstrual phase and negatively associated with estrogen levels across all tested wavelengths.

THE EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE OF ‘INSIDE OUT’: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This research topic is the interpretation of signs of emotions in the main character’s behavior. More specifically, this study aims to recognize and represent the emotions depicted in Inside Out. ‘Inside Out’ displayed five emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust. Emotions in inside-out movies are interpreted by the signs implied in them. The approach used in this research is qualitative research. The qualitative method with descriptive analysis uses non-numerical data to comprehensively and accurately describe a specific event, behavior, or experience. This study uses several approaches and theories. Approaches used semiotics with Peircean theory and psychology with Schachter-Singer’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion and cognitive arousal theory. The data were collected from scenes, scripts, and the movie’s dialogue. This research shows different meanings for signs, objects, and interpretants—the representation of basic emotions in the film ‘Inside Out.’ The result is dominant signs in cutting scenes with specified physical characteristics and clothing criteria. Therefore, emotions can arise because of physical reactions and cognitive interpretation of external stimuli. Cognitive processing interacts to drive a person’s behavior.

A disinhibitory circuit mechanism explains a general principle of peak performance during mid-level arousal

Perceptual decision-making is highly dependent on the momentary arousal state of the brain, which fluctuates over time on a scale of hours, minutes, and even seconds. The textbook relationship between momentary arousal and task performance is captured by an inverted U-shape, as put forward in the Yerkes-Dodson law. This law suggests optimal performance at moderate levels of arousal and impaired performance at low or high arousal levels. However, despite its popularity, the evidence for this relationship in humans is mixed at best. Here, we use pupil-indexed arousal and performance data from various perceptual decision-making tasks to provide converging evidence for the inverted U-shaped relationship between spontaneous arousal fluctuations and performance across different decision types (discrimination, detection) and sensory modalities (visual, auditory). To further understand this relationship, we built a neurobiologically plausible mechanistic model and show that it is possible to reproduce our findings by incorporating two types of interneurons that are both modulated by an arousal signal. The model architecture produces two dynamical regimes under the influence of arousal: one regime in which performance increases with arousal and another regime in which performance decreases with arousal, together forming an inverted U-shaped arousal-performance relationship. We conclude that the inverted U-shaped arousal-performance relationship is a general and robust property of sensory processing. It might be brought about by the influence of arousal on two types of interneurons that together act as a disinhibitory pathway for the neural populations that encode the available sensory evidence used for the decision.

Effects of Different Types of Music on Exercise Performance and Enjoyment among College Students in Germany

Purpose: The aim of the study was to effects of different types of music on exercise performance and enjoyment among college students in Germany
 Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
 Findings: This study examined the impact of different music genres on exercise performance and enjoyment among German college students. While exercise performance didn't significantly differ across conditions, enjoyment levels varied significantly. Classical music led to the highest enjoyment, followed by pop music, while rock music resulted in the lowest enjoyment. The study suggests that music choice during exercise can enhance enjoyment, with classical music having a positive influence, and rock music potentially having a negative impact on mood and motivation.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Arousal Theory, attention restoration theory & expectancy theory may be used to anchor future studies on effects of different types of music on exercise performance and enjoyment among college students in Germany. Develop practical guidelines for creating customized workout playlists based on individual preferences and exercise goals. Collaborate with workplace wellness programs to incorporate music into physical fitness initiatives. Advocate for policies that support the use of music in corporate fitness centers and wellness activities to improve employee engagement and well-being.

Relationship between psycho-physiological indicators and task performance under various indoor space designs for telecommuting environment by introducing mixed-reality

The increase in telecommuting during COVID-19 and advances in digital technology have necessitated the establishment of guidelines for maximizing productivity through indoor space design for telecommuters. Additionally, understanding the physiological response of individuals working in indoor spaces has attracted attention. This study applied mixed-reality environment to alter the design of the indoor space in real-time, while monitoring the task performance and representative psycho-physiological indicators (electroencephalogram and heart rate variability) of 30 individuals with telecommuting experience. To this end, four tasks, including spatial memory, attention, execution, and working memory, were conducted, and the psycho-physiological data from these tests were statistically analyzed. The results revealed that the design of the indoor space did not affect the spatial memory; however, the parasympathetic nerves were stimulated in visually non-preferred spaces, thus reducing mental stress and leading to high efficiency in short-term work. According to the Yerkes-Dodson law, the working memory of an individual is generally efficient and physically stable over time if they adjust to a preferred or decision-making space. Thus, the future design of telecommuting spaces must consider the type of work being done, and guidelines for spatial design should be developed by recognizing the psycho-physiological status of users, while increasing efficiency.

Stress appraisal in the workplace and its associations with productivity and mood: Insights from a multimodal machine learning analysis.

Previous studies have primarily focused on predicting stress arousal, encompassing physiological, behavioral, and psychological responses to stressors, while neglecting the examination of stress appraisal. Stress appraisal involves the cognitive evaluation of a situation as stressful or non-stressful, and as a threat/pressure or a challenge/opportunity. In this study, we investigated several research questions related to the association between states of stress appraisal (i.e., boredom, eustress, coexisting eustress-distress, distress) and various factors such as stress levels, mood, productivity, physiological and behavioral responses, as well as the most effective ML algorithms and data signals for predicting stress appraisal. The results support the Yerkes-Dodson law, showing that a moderate stress level is associated with increased productivity and positive mood, while low and high levels of stress are related to decreased productivity and negative mood, with distress overpowering eustress when they coexist. Changes in stress appraisal relative to physiological and behavioral features were examined through the lenses of stress arousal, activity engagement, and performance. An XGBOOST model achieved the best prediction accuracies of stress appraisal, reaching 82.78% when combining physiological and behavioral features and 79.55% using only the physiological dataset. The small accuracy difference of 3% indicates that physiological data alone may be adequate to accurately predict stress appraisal, and the feature importance results identified electrodermal activity, skin temperature, and blood volume pulse as the most useful physiologic features. Implementing these models within work environments can serve as a foundation for designing workplace policies, practices, and stress management strategies that prioritize the promotion of eustress while reducing distress and boredom. Such efforts can foster a supportive work environment to enhance employee well-being and productivity.

Bayesian Inference of Hidden Cognitive Performance and Arousal States in Presence of Music.

Goal: Poor arousal management may lead to reduced cognitive performance. Specifying a model and decoder to infer the cognitive arousal and performance contributes to arousal regulation via non-invasive actuators such as music. Methods: We employ a Bayesian filtering approach within an expectation-maximization framework to track the hidden states during the [Formula: see text]-back task in the presence of calming and exciting music. We decode the arousal and performance states from the skin conductance and behavioral signals, respectively. We derive an arousal-performance model based on the Yerkes-Dodson law. We design a performance-based arousal decoder by considering the corresponding performance and skin conductance as the observation. Results: The quantified arousal and performance are presented. The existence of Yerkes-Dodson law can be interpreted from the arousal-performance relationship. Findings display higher matrices of performance within the exciting music. Conclusions: The performance-based arousal decoder has a better agreement with the Yerkes-Dodson law. Our study can be implemented in designing non-invasive closed-loop systems.

Manipulation of phasic arousal by auditory cues is associated with subsequent changes in visual orienting to faces in infancy

This eye-tracking study investigated the effect of sound-induced arousal on social orienting under different auditory cue conditions in 5-month-old (n = 25; n = 13 males) and 10-month-old infants (n = 21; n = 14 males) participating in a spontaneous visual search task. Results showed: (1) larger pupil dilation discriminating between high and low volume (b = 0.02, p = 0.007), but not between social and non-social sounds (b = 0.004, p = 0.64); (2) faster visual orienting (b = − 0.09, p < 0.001) and better social orienting at older age (b = 0.94, p < 0.001); (3) a fast habituation effect on social orienting after high-volume sounds (χ2(2) = 7.39, p = 0.025); (4) a quadratic association between baseline pupil size and target selection (b = − 1.0, SE = 0.5, χ2(1) = 4.04, p = 0.045); (5) a positive linear association between pupil dilation and social orienting (b = 0.09, p = 0.039). Findings support adaptive gain theories of arousal, extending the link between phasic pupil dilation and task performance to spontaneous social orienting in infancy.

A modified social force model for sudden attack evacuation based on Yerkes–Dodson law and the tendency toward low risk areas

Various evacuation models are the internal support for the movement of pedestrians. Emergencies that occur in public places have the characteristics of suddenness, massive and unpredictability. These characteristics impact pedestrians’ psychological states, ultimately shaping their behaviors. However, the existing models do not fully consider this aspect. Therefore, for sudden attack events, based on the social force model and Yerkes–Dodson law, this paper proposes a modified model which considers the positive and negative effects of psychological state on pedestrians’ behaviors in three dimensions: the realization degree of desired speed, the proximity of attacker to pedestrian, and crowdedness. It also considers the diminishment of repulsion and the attractiveness of low risk areas. A behavioral model based on the exit-reorientation mechanism is proposed to describe the behavior of low risk exit selection according to the relative location of the attacker. The improved model is validated quantitatively and qualitatively, respectively. Simulations based on this model can effectively reproduce the behaviors of crowds in videos. The data of fundamental diagrams from our model fits well with that from videos. We find that the evacuation time is longer when the observation distance within a specific range in the simple scenario. The risk tolerance level of 8 m and 6 m are the critical points affecting the rate of change of survival rate and casualties, respectively. Simulation results indicate that the effect of rational people ratio on evacuation time will vary with risk tolerance level. This study offers insights into the dynamics of crowd evolution during an evacuation following a sudden attack, providing a foundation for exit allocation and emergency crowd guidance.

Electrocortical correlates of hypersensitivity to large immediate rewards in sensation seeking

Sensation seeking and delay discounting are strong predictors of various risk-taking behaviors. However, the relationship between sensation seeking and delay discounting remains elusive. Here, we addressed this issue by examining how high sensation seekers (HSS; N = 40) and low sensation seekers (LSS; N = 40) evaluated immediate and delayed rewards with low and high amounts during a behavioral task and an EEG task of delay discounting. Although HSS and LSS exhibited comparable discounting preference at the behavioral level, HSS relative to LSS was associated with a greater delay discounting effect at the neural level when earned rewards were large. This abnormality of reward magnitude was further corroborated by an electrocortical hypersensitivity to large immediate rewards and a stronger neural coding of reward magnitude for HSS as compared to LSS. Our findings support both the hyperactive approach theory and the optimal arousal theory in sensation seeking and have implications for the prevention and intervention targeting sensation seeking to reduce maladaptive risk-taking behaviors.

The Impact of Boredom in Marriage on Marital Satisfaction

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of boredom in marriage on marital satisfaction.&#x0D; Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low-cost advantage as compared to field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.&#x0D; Findings: Boredom in marriage can influence the spouses' behaviors, emotions, and cognitions, such as reducing their positive interactions, increasing their negative interactions, lowering their mood, and impairing their judgment. Boredom in marriage can have negative consequences for the individual and relational well-being of the spouses, such as affecting their physical and mental health, undermining their intimacy and commitment, and increasing their risk of infidelity or divorce. Boredom in marriage can be prevented or reduced by enhancing the quality and quantity of communication, sharing new and meaningful experiences, expressing appreciation and affection, seeking professional help if needed, and maintaining a positive attitude and outlook on the relationship.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Arousal Theory, Cognitive Theory and Psychodynamic Theory may be used to anchor future studies on use of marriage institutions. Marital therapists and counselors could incorporate boredom assessment and intervention strategies in their work with couples who report low marital satisfaction. Policymakers and educators could design and implement programs that promote healthy and satisfying marriages in the society.

Towards Implementation of Emotional Intelligence in Human–Machine Collaborative Systems

Social awareness and relationship management components can be seen as a form of emotional intelligence. In the present work, we propose task-related adaptation on the machine side that accounts for a person’s momentous cognitive and emotional state. We validate the practical significance of the proposed approach in person-specific and person-independent setups. The analysis of results in the person-specific setup shows that the individual optimal performance curves for that person, according to the Yerkes–Dodson law, are displaced. Awareness of these curves allows for automated recognition of specific user profiles, real-time monitoring of the momentous condition, and activating a particular relationship management strategy. This is especially important when a deviation is detected caused by a change in the person’s state of mind under the influence of known or unknown factors.

Restoring the mind: A neuropsychological investigation of university campus built environment aspects for student well-being

This study explored the role of the built environment of an academic campus in influencing students' perception of mental restoration and well-being, who are constantly at risk of stress and psychological distress. A survey of 429 college students was conducted to identify activity hotspots on campus, and a neuropsychological study involving mobile EEG and Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) was conducted on 22 students at these hotspots to investigate the role of built environment aspects on restorative approach/neglect behavior and perception of built environment. The study relies on four prominent theoretical constructs in the area, namely Attention Restoration Theory (ART), Stress Reduction Theory (SRT), Arousal Theory, and Prospect & Refuge Theory, to develop combinatory mechanism-based hypotheses for identifying aspects of a mentally resilient campus built-environment. The study's statistical analyses reveal that certain environmental aspects, such as vegetation, novelty/uncertainty, acoustic ambience, and expansive vistas, are positively associated with favourable approach behaviours and normalized average alpha brain waves, while other elements, such as presence of high density of buildings may be related to avoidance behaviours. Greenery and Sky had the most positive relationship with the Normalized Alpha (β = 0.487 and β = 0.352, respectively) while the presence of buildings revealed a negative relationship (β = −0.291), indicating that a stronger building density was linked to a weaker level of normalized alpha waves. The study also shows that natural components such as grass, sky, and filtered and diffused light boost people's perceptions of an environment's restorative characteristics. The findings of the study have the potential to impact campus design and planning strategies that prioritize student well-being and create more hospitable environments for students to thrive, resulting in improved mental health and academic accomplishment.