The first part of the thesis explored the pattern of emotional reactivity amongst individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). A previous review (Rosenthal, Gratz, Kosson, Cheavens, Lejuez & Lynch, 2008) claimed that a discrepancy exists in the subjective versus objective patterns of responding to emotional stimuli in those with BPD. The present review assessed the reliability of such findings by reviewing a more homogenous sample of studies that had used similar methodological procedures, in addition to a range of subjective and objective measures. It also aimed to investigate psychophysiological factors associated with this proposed divergent pattern of responding. The methodological quality of all included studies was assessed. The evidence reviewed disputes claims that BPD individuals display diminished physiological reactivity, despite equal or higher self-reported emotional reactivity than controls. Instead, the present review found that individuals with BPD react more severely (both psychologically and physiologically) to experimental stimuli, than controls, particularly when the stimuli is personally-relevant. Disruption of specific brain structures involved in the regulation of emotion within the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) are implicated in this heightened profile of emotional reactivity. Furthermore, present state dissociation acts as a defence mechanism which appears to limit cognitive processing abilities such as problem-solving, attention and concentration in those with BPD. The second part of the thesis described a randomised controlled study investigating the effects of an attention training technique on pain tolerance. The Attention Training Technique (ATT; Wells, 1990) is a brief technique used in metacognitive therapy to modify attentional control. The effect of ATT versus Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR) on pain tolerance was examined in a sample of individuals who had experienced early childhood trauma (N=57). Participants were randomly assigned to either the ATT condition (N = 29) or the PMR condition (N = 28). A laboratory stressor was included: The Cold Pressor Task (CPT) as an objective measure of pain tolerance. Results supported the hypothesis that ATT modified performance on the CPT. Individuals assigned to the ATT condition were able to persist significantly longer with the CPT than those in the PMR condition. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed. Results provide preliminary evidence for the possible benefits of ATT within medical settings. The third part of the thesis critically reflected on the methodological issues and dilemmas presented by the systematic review process, as well as the methodological and ethical issues raised by the research study.

Les décisions d’action que nous prenons au quotidien nécessitent de considérer les affordances fournies par notre environnement, ainsi que les informations sociales susceptibles de guider nos décisions. Mais dans un contexte véhiculant à la fois des informations sociales potentiellement menaçantes et de multiples opportunités d’action, comme lorsque l’on entre dans une rame de métro en cherchant un siège, comment choisissons nous rapidement le siège où s’asseoir tout en évaluant la présence d’un danger potentiel ? Le travail réalisé au cours de cette thèse a visé à étudier les processus liés à l’action et à l’attention dans un contexte social réaliste doté d’opportunités d’action. Dans notre première étude, les choix spontanés d’action et les informations cinématiques ont révélé que les expressions de colère et de peur ont un impact différent sur la sélection d’action, et favorisent les actions permettant d’éviter les individus en colère et d’approcher les individus effrayés. La seconde étude a montré que l’attention peut être allouée vers la finalité des actions privilégiées par les expressions de colère et de peur. La troisième étude a démontré, de façon cruciale, que cet effet attentionnel disparait lorsque les opportunités d’action sont retirées du contexte. De plus, l’activité saccadique enregistrée lors de la quatrième étude a permis d’explorer le développement de l’allocation attentionnelle, et a établi que l’attention était rapidement dirigée vers les visages émotionnels, puis réorientée vers la finalité de l’action choisie. Pour conclure, nos données suggèrent que l’action façonne l’attention en réponse à des signaux de menace et en présence d’opportunités d’action. / Everyday action decision-making entails to take into account affordances provided by the environment, along with social information susceptible to guide our decisions. But within social contexts conveying potentially threatening information and multiple targets for action, as when entering a subway car, how do we decide very quickly where to sit while gauging the presence of a potential danger? The work conducted during my PhD aimed at investigating action and attentional processes in a realistic social context providing action opportunities. In the first study, spontaneous action choices and kinematics revealed that threat-related angry and fearful displays impact people’s free choice differently, i.e. favoured the selection of actions that avoided angry and approached fearful individuals. The second study further showed that attention was allocated to the space of the scene corresponding to the endpoint of the actions prioritized by those angry and fearful displays. Crucially, the third study evidenced that this effect disappeared when action opportunities were removed from the experimental context. Saccadic behaviour recorded in the fourth study allowed to access the development of attention allocation over time, and crucially revealed that attention was first quickly oriented toward threat before being directed toward the endpoint of the chosen action. Altogether, these findings suggest that action selection modulate attention allocation in response to social threat when embedded within realistic social contexts.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders and is characterized by excessive inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity. There is evidence that many children with ADHD experience emotion dysregulation, but little is known about the mechanisms by which children with ADHD develop difficulties with emotion dysregulation. The goal of the present study is to identify early neural and environmental predictors of emotion dysregulation and determine whether these factors interact in contributing to later emotion dysregulation. In this study, children (aged 4-7) with ADHD symptoms and typically developing children participated. Measures of emotion socialization and neural measures of emotion reactivity and regulation were completed at the first visit. Follow-up was conducted 18 months later, and emotion dysregulation was assessed using parent report, child self-report, and observed affect during a frustration task. Supportive and unsupportive emotion socialization, distress reactions, and neural markers of reactivity and regulation (P1, N2, and P3) predicted later emotion dysregulation. Additionally, emotion socialization and neural markers during reactivity interacted in predicting later emotion dysregulation, such that neural markers predicted later emotion dysregulation in the context of low but not high quality emotion socialization. This study has implications for understanding mechanisms by which emotion dysregulation develops in children with ADHD symptoms and will aid in the development of targeted interventions for children with ADHD.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with maladaptive outcomes, including difficulties with emotion regulation (ER). ER difficulties, in turn, increase risk for experiencing physical and mental health problems. Parental emotion socialization is one factor that has been associated with ER skills across development. No known studies, however, have examined whether parental emotion socialization moderates the relationship between ACEs and ER difficulties. In the current study, undergraduates (N = 678) completed questionnaires about their history of ACEs, parental emotion socialization experiences, and current ER difficulties. Correlational results indicated a positive correlation between ACEs and ER difficulties. Results of the hierarchical multiple regression analyses found a significant moderation effect only within the context of distress reaction (DR) parenting. Results suggested that the link between ACEs and adult ER difficulties was stronger in the context of low to moderate DR parenting and relatively weak in circumstances of high DR parenting.

Emotionale Fähigkeiten wie das angemessene emotionale Reagieren auf relevante Ereignisse (Levenson, 1994) und die erfolgreiche Regulation ausgelösten Affekts (Gross, 1998) werden angenommen mit zunehmenden Alter zu steigen (Scheibe & Carstensen, 2010). Dieser Gewinn an emotionaler Kompetenz im Alter wird zum einen auf die mit dem Alter korrelierte Lebenserfahrung (Blanchard-Fields, 2007) und zum anderen auf die im Alter gestiegene Motivation zur Affektoptimierung (Carstensen, 2006) zurückgeführt. Im Alter können emotionale Fähigkeiten in bestimmten Kontexten verringert sein (Charles & Luong, 2013). Es wird angenommen, dass altersbezogene Einschränkungen der kognitiven Leistungsfähigkeit (Lindenberger & Baltes, 1997) sowie der Flexibilität des peripher-physiologischen Systems (Ong, Rothstein & Uchino, 2012) die erfolgreiche Bewältigung starker und anhaltender Belastungssituationen reduzieren (Charles, 2010). Erfolgreiche Emotionsregulation und angemessenes emotionales Erleben im Alter wird häufig mit einer Maximierung positiver Gefühle und einer Minimierung negativer Gefühle assoziiert (Carstensen & Mikels, 2005). Das Erleben negativen Affekts kann jedoch auch als adaptiv betrachtet werden (Labouvie-Vief, 2003), wobei sich die verschiedenen diskreten negativen Emotionen in ihrer altersspezifischen Salienz und Funktionalität unterscheiden können. Während Ärger die im jungen Erwachsenenalter relevanten Prozesse der Zielverfolgung und des Ressourcenaufbaus unterstützt, wird angenommen, dass Traurigkeit und Verachtung den im hohen Erwachsenenalter relevanten Prozessen der Zielablösung und Verlustbewältigung bzw. Verlustvermeidung dienen (Kunzmann, Kappes & Wrosch, 2014). In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden im Rahmen zweier experimenteller Studien mithilfe neu entwickelter negativ-komplexer Filmstimuli ältere Erwachsene (60 - 80 Jahre) und jüngere Erwachsene (20 - 30 Jahre) in ihrer Fähigkeit, mit belastenden Situationen emotional erfolgreich umzugehen, untersucht. In Studie I berichteten 41 Jüngere und 41 Ältere ihr subjektives Erleben an dimensionalen und diskreten Affekt. Es zeigte sich, dass Ältere im Vergleich zu Jüngeren generell mehr negativen Affekt und weniger positiven Affekt empfanden. Hinsichtlich der diskreten Affektebene konnte das erwartete altersspezifische Reaktivitätsmuster festgestellt werden. Traurigkeit und Verachtung zeichneten sich durch eine größere Salienz für Ältere aus, während Ärger für Jüngere besonders salient war. Der von den Älteren berichtete stärkere Anstieg an negativem Affekt kann einerseits ein altersspezifisches Emotionsregulationsdefizit im Umgang mit negativ-komplexen Situationen darstellen, andererseits zeigt das altersspezifische Reaktivitätsmuster der diskreten Emotionen Ärger, Traurigkeit und Verachtung, dass Ältere durchaus in der Lage waren auf die in den Filmen dargebotenen Inhalte angemessen emotional zu reagieren. In Studie II wurden daher 51 Jüngere und 54 Ältere hinsichtlich ihrer Fähigkeit, negativen Affekt mithilfe der Regulationsstrategie positive Neubewertung zu reduzieren, direkt verglichen. Dabei erfolgte die Instruktion zur Emotionsregulation entweder zu Beginn des Films, wenn das emotionale Erregtheitsniveau noch niedrig war, oder zum Ende des Films, wenn das emotionale Erregtheitsniveau bereits stark gestiegen war. Es wurde angenommen, dass sich altersspezifische Emotionsregulationsdefizite vor allem bei hoch ausgelöster emotionaler Erregtheit zeigen sollten. Inkonsistent mit den Erwartungen wurden keine Altersunterschiede hinsichtlich des Emotionsregulationserfolges festgestellt. Beide Altersgruppen konnten im subjektiven Erleben den emotionalen Erregtheitsgrad reduzieren. Außerdem stieg die Anzahl positiver Gedanken und es verringerte sich die Anzahl negativer Gedanken. Allerdings zeigten sich weder für Jüngere noch für Ältere Regulationseffekte im subjektiven Erleben positiven und negativen Affekts sowie hinsichtlich der physiologischen Reaktivität. Das altersspezifische Reaktivitätsmuster in Bezug auf dimensionalen und diskreten Affekt aus Studie I konnte in Studie II repliziert werden. Es lässt sich demnach schlussfolgern, dass das verstärkte Erleben negativer Emotionen im Alter nicht zwangsläufig als Emotionsregulationsdefizit zu interpretieren ist, sondern eine angemessene emotionale Reaktion zur Bewältigung altersspezifischer Entwicklungsherausforderungen darstellt.

The thesis presents the concept of emotion regulation in connection with music and its listening. It deals with the theoretical definition of emotions and in the context of emotion regulation supports the process model following the theory of appraisal. For further description we choose reappraisal strategy, with which is also worked in this research study in the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), which analyses 215 responses from 215 respondents by collecting online study data and finding that three variables predict this strategy, namely discharge (VE), entertainment (Z) and revival (R) of the used questionnaire Music in Mood Regulation (MMR). Furthermore, a negative correlation was found in the strategy of suppression with life satisfaction and a positive correlation of reappraisal with life satisfaction. The thesis by its research outcomes supports connection of ER concept together with mood regulation by music.

Emotion recognition from facial expressions has been thoroughly explored and explained through decades of research, but emotion recognition from vocal expressions has yet to be fully explained. This project builds on previous experimental approaches to create a large audio corpus of acted vocal emotion. With a large enough sample size, both in number of speakers and number of recordings per speaker, new hypotheses can be explored for differentiating emotions. Recordings from 131 subjects were collected and made available in an online corpus under a Creative Commons license. Thirteen acoustic features from 120 subjects were used as dependent variables in a MANOVA model to differentiate emotions. As a comparison, a simple neural network model was evaluated for its predictive power. Additional recordings intended to exhaust possible ways to express emotion are also explored. This new corpus matches some features found in previous studies for each of the four emotions included (anger, fear, happiness, and sadness).

Emotions are a central part of our lives and the ability to effectively regulate them is central to well-being. Although a lot of research shows the beneficial role of sleep on emotional reactivity and regulation, little is known about how dream emotions relate to emotional reactivity and regulation. The current study investigated how dreams with high vs low levels of self-rated negative dream affect related to next-day waking emotional reactivity and regulation. Participants kept a home dream diary until reporting dreams on five days. They also reported dream and wake emotions and performed an online emotional reactivity and regulation task. Opposing predictions were derived from the continuity hypothesis and from the emotion regulation theories of dreaming. However, no significant differences were found between emotional reactivity and regulation on mornings following dreams with high vs low negative affect. Thus, no support was provided for the direct predictions made from the two theories. Nevertheless, morning wake affect differed significantly as a function of dream emotions. Specifically, participants reported significantly higher levels of positive emotions on mornings after a dream low, rather than high, in negative affect. Similarly, wake morning negative affect was higher following dreams high, rather than low, in negative affect. Thus, the results support a form of affective continuity between dreams and morning wakefulness.

No description available.

The opponent process theory of emotion [Solomon, R.L., and Corbit, J.D. (1974). An opponent-process theory of motivation: I. Temporal dynamics of affect. Psychological Review, 81, 119-143.] predicts a temporary reversal of emotional valence during the recovery from emotional stimulation. We hypothesized that this affective contrast would be apparent in asymmetrical activity patterns in the frontal lobes, and would be more apparent for left frontally active individuals. The present study tested this prediction by examining EEG asymmetries during and after blocked presentations of aversive pictures selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). 12 neutral images, 12 aversive images, and 24 neutral images were presented in blocks. Participants who were right frontally active at baseline did not show changes in EEG asymmetry while viewing aversive slides or after cessation. Participants left frontally active at baseline, however, exhibited greater relative left frontal activity after aversive stimulation than before stimulation. Asymmetrical activity patterns in the frontal lobes may relate to affect regulatory processes, including contrasting opponent after-reactions to aversive stimuli.