Jang-Han Lee

Body dissatisfaction levels and gender differences in attentional biases toward idealized bodies

Attentional bias toward idealized bodies (men: muscular; women: thin) may cause upward comparisons and increase body dissatisfaction (BD). We investigated attentional biases of 39 men and 41 women with high and low BD toward muscular male bodies and thin female bodies. An eye-tracker measured gaze durations and fixation frequencies while exposing participants to images of thin, normal, muscular, and fat bodies of the same gender. Results revealed longer and more frequent attention toward muscular bodies in high BD men, and toward thin bodies in high BD women. High BD men and women also rated muscular and thin bodies as more attractive than those with low BD. Although men attended to muscular and women attended to thin bodies, both showed an attentional bias toward body types they rated as more attractive. These findings could provide indirect evidence in explaining the relationship between BD and the social comparison theory with attentional bias.

Effects of Active Navigation on Object Recognition in Virtual Environments

We investigated the importance and efficiency of active and passive exploration on the recognition of objects in a variety of virtual environments (VEs). In this study, 54 participants were randomly allocated into one of active and passive navigation conditions. Active navigation was performed by allowing participants to self-pace and control their own navigation, but passive navigation was conducted by forced navigation. After navigating VEs, participants were asked to recognize the objects that had been in the VEs. Active navigation condition had a significantly higher percentage of hit responses (t (52) = 4.000, p < 0.01), and a significantly lower percentage of miss responses (t (52) = -3.763, p < 0.01) in object recognition than the passive condition. These results suggest that active navigation plays an important role in spatial cognition as well as providing an explanation for the efficiency of learning in a 3D-based program.

Use of eye movement to measure smokers' attentional bias to smoking-related cues.

Smokers have attentional biases towards smoking-related cues, and such cues elicit cravings. Smokers also feel anxious during nicotine deprivation, and anxiety may exacerbate attentional biases toward aversive cues. We examined the attentional bias of smokers (n = 14) and a control group of nonsmokers (n = 16) towards smoking-related and aversive cues. Using an eye-tracking device, we measured eye movement when smoking-related, aversive, and control cues were presented simultaneously. We analyzed the number of initial fixations, and gaze duration, to identify the attentional bias. Smokers initially fixed their gaze on aversive cues, and maintained their gaze longer on smoking-related cues, in comparison to the control group. These results suggest that smokers show biased attentional orientation to smoking-related and aversive cues.

Pain acceptance-based coping in complex regional pain syndrome Type I: daily relations with pain intensity, activity, and mood

This study aimed to examine the temporal patterning of pain acceptance-based coping, activity, and mood in patients with complex regional pain syndrome Type I (CRPS-I), by using a daily diary method. A total of 30 patients with CRPS-I seeking treatment in a tertiary pain management center located in Seoul, Korea participated in the study. Multilevel random effects analyses indicated that (a) engagement in pain acceptance-based coping was significantly associated with lower same-day pain and negative mood and greater same-day activity and positive mood; (b) pain acceptance-based coping predicted increases in activity on the following day; (c) greater pain intensity was significantly associated with lower same-day pain acceptance-based coping and activity and greater same-day negative mood; and (d) pain intensity did not predict pain acceptance-based coping, activity, or mood on the following day. These findings suggest that patients with CRPS-I may benefit from responding to pain with acceptance. Further study and eventual application of this process in CRPS-I may improve upon the success of current approaches to this problem.

Daily Functioning in Chronic Pain: Study of Structural Relations with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, Pain Intensity, and Pain Avoidance

Background This study aimed to evaluate processes from the mutual maintenance model in relation to daily functioning in patients with both chronic pain and a history of a traumatic experience. The mechanism illustrated the structural relations for daily functioning among pain intensity, hyperarousal, re-experiencing, trauma avoidance, and pain avoidance. Methods Archival data (N = 214) was used for this study and data were analyzed for 142 chronic pain patients reporting a traumatic experience and seeking treatment at a tertiary pain clinic in Korea. Results The results indicated that pain intensity, hyperarousal, and pain avoidance had significant direct effects on daily functioning. Also, pain intensity showed significant indirect effects on daily functioning through hyperarousal and pain avoidance; and hyperarousal through pain avoidance. Conclusions Results suggest a direct contribution of high levels of pain, hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD, and pain avoidance behaviors to reduced daily functioning. Also, elevated pain as reminders of the trauma may trigger high levels of hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD. Subsequently, avoidant coping strategies may be used to minimize pain so that the trauma would not be re-experienced, thus inhibiting the activation of hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD. However, prolonged use of such strategies may contribute to decline in daily functioning.

A functional analysis of deception detection of a mock crime using infrared thermal imaging and the Concealed Information Test

The purpose of this study was to utilize thermal imaging and the Concealed Information Test to detect deception in participants who committed a mock crime. A functional analysis using a functional ANOVA and a functional discriminant analysis was conducted to decrease the variation in the physiological data collected through the thermal imaging camera. Participants chose between a non-crime mission (Innocent Condition: IC), or a mock crime (Guilty Condition: GC) of stealing a wallet in a computer lab. Temperature in the periorbital region of the face was measured while questioning participants regarding mock crime details. Results revealed that the GC showed significantly higher temperatures when responding to crime relevant items compared to irrelevant items, while the IC did not. The functional ANOVA supported the initial results that facial temperatures of the GC elevated when responding to crime relevant items, demonstrating an interaction between group (guilty/innocent) and relevance (relevant/irrelevant). The functional discriminant analysis revealed that answering crime relevant items can be used to discriminate guilty from innocent participants. These results suggest that measuring facial temperatures in the periorbital region while conducting the Concealed Information Test is able to differentiate the GC from the IC.

Psychometric evaluation of the sleep hygiene index: a sample of patients with chronic pain

BackgroundSleep Hygiene Index (SHI) was designed to assess sleep hygiene. Although the SHI has shown adequate psychometric properties in a nonclinical sample, it has not been validated in a sample with chronic pain. Also, its factor structure, measurement error, and incremental validity over and above other factors affecting sleep quality have not been investigated in a nonclinical sample. Thus, this present study aimed to extend prior psychometric investigation of the SHI. Specifically, we evaluated the factor structure, measurement error, and incremental validity as well as the reliabilities and concurrent validity of the SHI in a sample with chronic pain.MethodsA total of 161 patients seeking treatment in a tertiary pain center located in Seoul, Korea participated. To explore the factor structure of the SHI, we performed an exploratory factor analysis using principal component with varimax. Cronbach’s alphas and intraclass correlation coefficients were computed to investigate internal consistency and 2-week test-retest stability of the SHI, respectively. Measurement error was estimated using standard error of measurement and minimum detectable change (MDC) of the SHI. For concurrent validity, Pearson correlations were calculated to examine the relations between the SHI and outcome measures including background variables. Also for incremental validity, a hierarchical multiple regression was performed in relation to sleep quality.ResultsResults indicated that two-factor solution is most appropriate; sleep disturbing behavior and environment (B/E) and irregular sleep-wake schedule. Results also showed that the internal consistencies and test–retest stability estimates of the SHI were deemed acceptable. At the 95% confidence level, the MDCs were 5.75 for ‘sleep disturbing B/E,’ 3.65 for ‘irregular sleep-wake schedule,’ and 7.49 points for total. The SHI was significantly correlated with age, depression, pain-related anxiety, and sleep quality. Also, sleep quality was significantly predicted by the irregular sleep-wake schedule subscale of the SHI, over and above background variables, pain intensity, depression, pain-related anxiety.ConclusionsThe SHI has the reliability, measurement error, and concurrent and incremental validity support for assessing sleep hygiene in a sample with chronic pain.

Attentional bias to violent images in survivors of dating violence

This study investigated the time-course characteristics of attentional bias, such as vigilance and maintenance, towards violent stimuli in dating violence (DV) survivors. DV survivors with PTSD symptoms (DV-PTSD group; n=14), DV survivors without PTSD symptoms (Trauma Control group; n=14), and individuals who were never exposed to dating violence (NDV group; n=15) viewed slides that presented four categories of images (violent, dysphoric, positive, and neutral) per slide, for ten seconds. Our results revealed that the DV-PTSD group spent more time on violent stimuli than did the Trauma Control or NDV groups. The DV survivors, both with and without PTSD symptoms, spent more time on dysphoric stimuli and less time on happy stimuli than did the NDV group. In addition to the effects of PTSD, researchers should also be considering the effects of simple traumatic exposure.

The effects of valence and arousal on time perception in individuals with social anxiety

Time distortion in individuals with social anxiety has been defined as the seemingly slower passage of time in social situations and is related to both arousal and valence. Consequently, adaptive behavior is disrupted and interpersonal situations avoided. We explored the effects of valence and arousal on time distortion in individuals with social anxiety. Participants were assigned to two groups, High Anxiety (HA) and Low Anxiety (LA), presented with four types of facial expression stimuli (positive-high arousal, positive-low arousal, negative-high arousal, and negative-low arousal), and asked to estimate the duration of stimulus presentation. Results indicated that, relative to other stimuli, the HA and LA groups perceived longer presentation for high-arousal negative and low-arousal positive stimuli, respectively. These findings suggest that anxious individuals’ time distortion was more severe in situations that evoked high arousal and involved negative emotion.

Detection of concealed information: combining a virtual mock crime with a P300-based Guilty Knowledge Test.

The present study examined the detection of concealed information by combining a virtual mock crime with a P300-based Guilty Knowledge Test (GKT). Thirty-eight male participants were assigned to one of two groups: a guilty group that committed a mock crime to conceal a lost roll of bills in a computer simulation of a virtual library and an innocent group that was free from concealed information. Remarkably, the guilty group reacted with stronger P300 peak amplitudes to crime-relevant than to irrelevant stimuli, whereas the innocent group had similar P300 responses between crime-relevant and irrelevant stimuli. Deception-related cognitive activity based on P300 was revealed as a valid marker to differentiate between guilty and innocent. This is a highly empirical study combining a virtual mock crime with a P300-based GKT to detect deception. These results may be applied to a variety of areas dealing with not only forensic investigation but also health and medical research concerning deception as a symptom.