Ryan Thibodeau

Depression, anxiety, and resting frontal EEG asymmetry: A meta-analytic review.

Emotion-related disturbances, such as depression and anxiety, have been linked to relative right-sided resting frontal electroencephalograph (EEG) asymmetry among adults and infants of afflicted mothers. However, a somewhat inconsistent pattern of findings has emerged. A meta-analysis was undertaken to (a) evaluate the magnitude of effects across EEG studies of resting frontal asymmetry and depression, anxiety, and comorbid depression and anxiety and (b) determine whether certain moderator variables could help reconcile inconsistent findings. Moderate effects of similar magnitude were obtained for the depression and anxiety studies, whereas a smaller effect emerged for comorbid studies. Three moderating variables predicted effect sizes: (a) Shorter EEG recording periods were associated with larger effects among adults, (b) different operationalizations of depression yielded effects of marginally different magnitudes, and (c) younger infant samples showed larger effects than older ones. The current data support a link between resting frontal EEG asymmetry and depression and anxiety and provide a partial account of inconsistent findings across studies.

Trait anger, anger expression, and ambulatory blood pressure: A meta-analytic review

A meta-analysis of 15 studies was conducted to investigate the relationship between trait anger and ambulatory blood pressure. Overall, the experience of anger was significantly and positively associated with systolic blood pressure (r+ = 0.049), but not reliably associated with diastolic blood pressure (r+ = 0.028). After removing an outlier, the expression of anger was found to have a reliable inverse relationship with diastolic blood pressure (r+ = −0.072). No reliable relationship between expression of anger and systolic blood pressure (r+ = −0.041) was found. These results continue to support the modest role of self-reported trait anger and anger expression in blood pressure levels. Several suggestions for future research are discussed, including increasing the focus on the complexity and synergism of these effects.

Approach and withdrawal actions modulate the startle reflex independent of affective valence and muscular effort.

The startle reflex is modulated during processing of pleasant and unpleasant affective cues. One explanation of this finding contends that approach and withdrawal motivational processes are key to explaining the effect. Undergraduates performed arm flexion and arm extension actions shown elsewhere to reliably elicit approach and withdrawal motives, respectively. Results showed that arm extension (a withdrawal action) was associated with the largest startles, followed by a neutral control action and arm flexion (an approach action). This pattern was not attributable to the subjective pleasantness or muscular effort associated with the actions. Results support motivational priming accounts of startle reflex modulation.

Anger Elicitation Using Affective Pictures: An Individual Differences Approach

In emotion research, affective pictures are limited in their ability to elicit discrete emotions. The current study attempted to elicit anger using pictures and a person by image-content interactional strategy. In two studies, undergraduates who varied with respect to concern for animal welfare (person factor) were shown pictures that included several of actual or impending animal harm (image content). Results from Study 1 showed that (1) the link between animal concern and combined emotion outcomes was strongest for animal harm pictures compared to other picture categories and (2) individual differences in animal concern were more strongly linked to anger than other negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, disgust, sadness) while viewing pictures of animal harm. Results from Study 2 showed that animal concern predicted variance in self-reported anger above and beyond that explained by broader constructs (empathy and nurturance) to which it relates. Overall, data suggest that the person by image-content interact...

Defensive Hostility and Cardiovascular Disease: Theoretical and Empirical Bases for an Interpersonal Approach-Avoidance Conflict Perspective

For thousands of years and across different cultural contexts, social, psychological, and physical well-being has been associated with the balance versus imbalance of natural forces within the person [1],[2].As suggested by such ancient physicians as Hippocrates, a linkage between physical health and personality/emotional factors has been evident [3]. During the late nineteenth century, a defense against unconscious, psychological conflict was seen as a cause of the psychosomatic disorder of conversion hysteria (e.g., limb paralysis in the absence of a discernible organic cause; [3]). With respect to the cardiovascular system, William Harvey, in 1628, noted that a “mental disturbance” that induces either pleasant or painful affective states influences activity of the heart, and Sir William Osler, in 1910, characterized cardiac patients as ambitious men who constantly pushed the machinery of the body to its limits [4]. Alexander [5] posited the theory that high blood pressure of unknown origins (essential or primary hypertension) was prevalent among persons oriented to social status and the defensive inhibition of the cognitive and emotive aspects of anger in an effort to avoid interpersonal conflict. With theoretical and methodological advances in physiology, psychology, medicine and sociology, pre-scientific and 19–20th century speculations evolved to a rigorous examination of the scientific basis for the role of the experience, management and expression of emotion in the etiology and pathophysiology of disease. Although inconsistent findings have been reported, a substantial body of evidence shows a link between stressors and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Design and Implementation of an Undergraduate Laboratory Course in Psychophysiology

Most psychology curricula require the completion of coursework on the physiological bases of behavior. However, delivery of this critical content in a laboratory format is somewhat rare at the undergraduate level. To fill this gap, this article describes the design and implementation of an undergraduate laboratory course in psychophysiology at a small, primarily undergraduate institution. I discuss the course goals, course structure, and evidence related to its usefulness and promise. The course appears to successfully illuminate the physiological bases of behavior via the conduct of original psychophysiological research.