Fernando Gordillo

Reserva cognitiva y déficit en la planificación en pacientes con esclerosis múltiple

La esclerosis multiple afecta el sistema nervioso produciendo alteraciones cognitivas. La memoria es uno de los mas afectados, no obstante la naturaleza o factor primario de alteracion aun no se clarifica. Objetivo: Estudia las diferencias en el procesamiento de la informacion verbal en un grupo de pacientes con esta patologiaa neurologica respecto a un grupo de control sano. Para ello se analizo el desempeno neuropsicologico de 16 pacientes con esclerosis multiple de tipo remitente-recurrente y un grupo de control equiparado en las variables sociodemograficas. A los dos grupos se les aplic? el Test de Aprendizaje Verbal Espana-Complutense, y se realizo una comparacion entre diversos indices de la prueba, ademas de un analisis de correlaciones entre las variables socio-demograficas del grupo experimental para identificar algun factor protector. Resultados: el grupo de esclerosis multiple obtuvo rendimientos inferiores en los indices analizados respecto al de control, ademas de una correlacion positiva entre anos de escolaridad y el inicio de la enfermedad y entre el inicio de la enfermedad y la ocupacion. Los datos encontrados parecen indicar que los pacientes con esclerosis multiple tienen poca capacidad de planificacion, que incide de manera directa en su desempeno en tareas de memoria y aprendizaje.

Role of Surprise in the Discrimination of the Facial Expression of Fear

The facilitating role of the facial expression of surprise in the discrimination of the facial expression of fear was analyzed. The sample consisted of 202 subjects that undertook a forced-choice test in which they had to decide as quickly as possible whether the facial expression displayed on-screen was one of fear, anger or happiness. Variations were made to the prime expression (neutral expression, or one of surprise); the target expression (facial expression of fear, anger or happiness), and the prime duration (50 ms, 150 ms or 250 ms). The results revealed shorter reaction times in the response to the expression of fear when the prime expression was one of surprise, with a prime duration of 50 ms (p = .009) and 150 ms (p = .001), compared to when the prime expression was a neutral one. By contrast, the reaction times were longer in the discrimination of an expression of fear when the prime expression was one of surprise with a prime duration of 250 ms (p < .0001), compared to when the prime expression was a neutral one. This pattern of results was obtained solely in the discrimination of the expression of fear. The discussion focuses on these findings and the possible functional continuity between surprise and fear.

The effect of information bias on the formation of impressions: courtroom implications

Purpose The ability to form impressions allows predicting future behaviour and assessing past conduct by facilitating decision making in different contexts. Both verbal cues (what we know about someone) and non-verbal cues (the emotion expressed) could modulate this process to a different degree. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between these variables and their impact on the formation of impressions within criminal proceedings. Design/methodology/approach An experiment was conducted that involved 142 Mexican students, who evaluated emotional response (happiness, sadness, fear and anger) and personality (emotional stability, kindness, responsibility, sociability and creativity) through the facial expression of a Spanish child-murderer. Two groups were formed for comparative purposes, one of which was provided with information on the murderer (activated information (AI)), while the second group had no related information whatsoever (deactivated information (DI)). Findings The results recorded a higher score for happiness (p=0.037, η2=0.03) and anger (p=0.001, η2=0.08), and a lower one for sadness (p=0.002, η2=0.06), fear (p=0.002, η2=0.07), emotional stability (p<0.001, η2=0.09) responsibility (p<0.001, η2=0.10) and kindness (p=0.01, η2=0.05) in the AI condition compared to the DI condition. Originality/value The formation of impressions is an adaptive process that may be affected by variables that are complex and difficult to control, which within legal proceedings might bias court decisions and compromise the objectivity required of the judiciary.

The Effect of Mortality Salience and Type of Life on Personality Evaluation

Mortality salience, or awareness of the inevitability of one’s own death, generates a state of anxiety that triggers a defense mechanism for the control of thinking that affects different human activities and psychological processes. This study aims to analyze the effect of mortality salience on the formation of impressions. The sample comprised 135 women who made inferences about a woman’s personality from information about her life (type of life, LT: positive, negative), provided through five words, all positive or negative, that appeared surrounding a photograph, together with a sixth word that indicated whether she was “dead” or “alive” at the time (mortality manipulation, MM: dead, alive). The results pointed to a more negative assessment of life (Dead M - Alive M = -1.16, SE = .236, p < .001), emotional stability (Dead M - Alive M = -1.13, SE = .431, p = .010), and responsibility (Dead M - Alive M = -1.14, SE = .423, p = .008) only when the participants had access to negative information about the person assessed, and she was known to be dead. We discuss the results within the framework of Terror Management Theory, and analyze the different effects that the manipulation of mortality has on the formation of impressions depending on the type of information available.