@article{HilgerHaegeZedleretal.2023, author = {Hilger, Kirsten and H{\"a}ge, Anne-Sophie and Zedler, Christina and Jost, Michael and Pauli, Paul}, title = {Virtual reality to understand pain-associated approach behaviour: a proof-of-concept study}, series = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {13}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-40789-z}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357817}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Pain-associated approach and avoidance behaviours are critically involved in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Empirical research suggests a key role of operant learning mechanisms, and first experimental paradigms were developed for their investigation within a controlled laboratory setting. We introduce a new Virtual Reality paradigm to the study of pain-related behaviour and investigate pain experiences on multiple dimensions. The paradigm evaluates the effects of three-tiered heat-pain stimuli applied contingent versus non-contingent with three types of arm movements in naturalistic virtual sceneries. Behaviour, self-reported pain-related fear, pain expectancy and electrodermal activity were assessed in 42 healthy participants during an acquisition phase (contingent movement-pain association) and a modification phase (no contingent movement-pain association). Pain-associated approach behaviour, as measured by arm movements followed by a severe heat stimulus, quickly decreased in-line with the arm movement-pain contingency. Slower effects were observed in fear of movement-related pain and pain expectancy ratings. During the subsequent modification phase, the removal of the pain contingencies modified all three indices. In both phases, skin conductance responses resemble the pattern observed for approach behaviour, while skin conductance levels equal the pattern observed for the self-ratings. Our findings highlight a fast reduction in approach behaviour in the face of acute pain and inform about accompanying psychological and physiological processes. We discuss strength and limitations of our paradigm for future investigations with the ultimate goal of gaining a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms involved in chronic pain development, maintenance, and its therapy.}, language = {en} } @article{LandmannBreilHuesteggeetal.2024, author = {Landmann, Eva and Breil, Christina and Huestegge, Lynn and B{\"o}ckler, Anne}, title = {The semantics of gaze in person perception: a novel qualitative-quantitative approach}, series = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {14}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, number = {1}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-024-51331-0}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-361413}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Interpreting gaze behavior is essential in evaluating interaction partners, yet the 'semantics of gaze' in dynamic interactions are still poorly understood. We aimed to comprehensively investigate effects of gaze behavior patterns in different conversation contexts, using a two-step, qualitative-quantitative procedure. Participants watched video clips of single persons listening to autobiographic narrations by another (invisible) person. The listener's gaze behavior was manipulated in terms of gaze direction, frequency and direction of gaze shifts, and blink frequency; emotional context was manipulated through the valence of the narration (neutral/negative). In Experiment 1 (qualitative-exploratory), participants freely described which states and traits they attributed to the listener in each condition, allowing us to identify relevant aspects of person perception and to construct distinct rating scales that were implemented in Experiment 2 (quantitative-confirmatory). Results revealed systematic and differential meanings ascribed to the listener's gaze behavior. For example, rapid blinking and fast gaze shifts were rated more negatively (e.g., restless and unnatural) than slower gaze behavior; downward gaze was evaluated more favorably (e.g., empathetic) than other gaze aversion types, especially in the emotionally negative context. Overall, our study contributes to a more systematic understanding of flexible gaze semantics in social interaction.}, language = {en} } @article{GottschalkRichterZiegleretal.2019, author = {Gottschalk, Michael G. and Richter, Jan and Ziegler, Christiane and Schiele, Miriam A. and Mann, Julia and Geiger, Maximilian J. and Schartner, Christoph and Homola, Gy{\"o}rgy A. and Alpers, Georg W. and B{\"u}chel, Christian and Fehm, Lydia and Fydrich, Thomas and Gerlach, Alexander L. and Gloster, Andrew T. and Helbig-Lang, Sylvia and Kalisch, Raffael and Kircher, Tilo and Lang, Thomas and Lonsdorf, Tina B. and Pan{\´e}-Farr{\´e}, Christiane A. and Str{\"o}hle, Andreas and Weber, Heike and Zwanzger, Peter and Arolt, Volker and Romanos, Marcel and Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich and Hamm, Alfons and Pauli, Paul and Reif, Andreas and Deckert, J{\"u}rgen and Neufang, Susanne and H{\"o}fler, Michael and Domschke, Katharina}, title = {Orexin in the anxiety spectrum: association of a HCRTR1 polymorphism with panic disorder/agoraphobia, CBT treatment response and fear-related intermediate phenotypes}, series = {Translational Psychiatry}, volume = {9}, journal = {Translational Psychiatry}, doi = {10.1038/s41398-019-0415-8}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227479}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Preclinical studies point to a pivotal role of the orexin 1 (OX1) receptor in arousal and fear learning and therefore suggest the HCRTR1 gene as a prime candidate in panic disorder (PD) with/without agoraphobia (AG), PD/AG treatment response, and PD/AG-related intermediate phenotypes. Here, a multilevel approach was applied to test the non-synonymous HCRTR1 C/T Ile408Val gene variant (rs2271933) for association with PD/AG in two independent case-control samples (total n = 613 cases, 1839 healthy subjects), as an outcome predictor of a six-weeks exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in PD/AG patients (n = 189), as well as with respect to agoraphobic cognitions (ACQ) (n = 483 patients, n = 2382 healthy subjects), fMRI alerting network activation in healthy subjects (n = 94), and a behavioral avoidance task in PD/AG pre- and post-CBT (n = 271). The HCRTR1 rs2271933 T allele was associated with PD/AG in both samples independently, and in their meta-analysis (p = 4.2 × 10-7), particularly in the female subsample (p = 9.8 × 10-9). T allele carriers displayed a significantly poorer CBT outcome (e.g., Hamilton anxiety rating scale: p = 7.5 × 10-4). The T allele count was linked to higher ACQ sores in PD/AG and healthy subjects, decreased inferior frontal gyrus and increased locus coeruleus activation in the alerting network. Finally, the T allele count was associated with increased pre-CBT exposure avoidance and autonomic arousal as well as decreased post-CBT improvement. In sum, the present results provide converging evidence for an involvement of HCRTR1 gene variation in the etiology of PD/AG and PD/AG-related traits as well as treatment response to CBT, supporting future therapeutic approaches targeting the orexin-related arousal system.}, language = {en} } @article{KirschKunde2023, author = {Kirsch, Wladimir and Kunde, Wilfried}, title = {Changes in body perception following virtual object manipulation are accompanied by changes of the internal reference scale}, series = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {13}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-34311-8}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357876}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Changes in body perception often arise when observers are confronted with related yet discrepant multisensory signals. Some of these effects are interpreted as outcomes of sensory integration of various signals, whereas related biases are ascribed to learning-dependent recalibration of coding individual signals. The present study explored whether the same sensorimotor experience entails changes in body perception that are indicative of multisensory integration and those that indicate recalibration. Participants enclosed visual objects by a pair of visual cursors controlled by finger movements. Then either they judged their perceived finger posture (indicating multisensory integration) or they produced a certain finger posture (indicating recalibration). An experimental variation of the size of the visual object resulted in systematic and opposite biases of the perceived and produced finger distances. This pattern of results is consistent with the assumption that multisensory integration and recalibration had a common origin in the task we used.}, language = {en} } @article{SuchotzkiGamer2018, author = {Suchotzki, Kristina and Gamer, Matthias}, title = {Alcohol facilitates detection of concealed identity information}, series = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {8}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, number = {7825}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-018-25811-z}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-176662}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The Concealed Information Test (CIT) is a well-validated means to detect whether someone possesses certain (e.g., crime-relevant) information. The current study investigated whether alcohol intoxication during CIT administration influences reaction time (RT) CIT-effects. Two opposing predictions can be made. First, by decreasing attention to critical information, alcohol intoxication could diminish CIT-effects. Second, by hampering the inhibition of truthful responses, alcohol intoxication could increase CIT-effects. A correlational field design was employed. Participants (n = 42) were recruited and tested at a bar, where alcohol consumption was voluntary and incidental. Participants completed a CIT, in which they were instructed to hide knowledge of their true identity. BAC was estimated via breath alcohol ratio. Results revealed that higher BAC levels were correlated with higher CIT-effects. Our results demonstrate that robust CIT effects can be obtained even when testing conditions differ from typical laboratory settings and strengthen the idea that response inhibition contributes to the RT-CIT effect.}, language = {en} } @article{MusselHewig2019, author = {Mussel, Patrick and Hewig, Johannes}, title = {A neural perspective on when and why trait greed comes at the expense of others}, series = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {9}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-019-47372-5}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-231652}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Depending on the point of view, conceptions of greed range from being a desirable and inevitable feature of a well-regulated, well-balanced economy to the root of all evil - radix omnium malorum avaritia (Tim 6.10). Regarding the latter, it has been proposed that greedy individuals strive for obtaining desired goods at all costs. Here, we show that trait greed predicts selfish economic decisions that come at the expense of others in a resource dilemma. This effect was amplified when individuals strived for obtaining real money, as compared to points, and when their revenue was at the expense of another person, as compared to a computer. On the neural level, we show that individuals high, compared to low in trait greed showed a characteristic signature in the EEG, a reduced P3 effect to positive, compared to negative feedback, indicating that they may have a lack of sensitivity to adjust behavior according to positive and negative stimuli from the environment. Brain-behavior relations further confirmed this lack of sensitivity to behavior adjustment as a potential underlying neuro-cognitive mechanism which explains selfish and reckless behavior that may come at the expense of others.}, language = {en} } @article{HuesteggePieczykolanKoch2023, author = {Huestegge, Lynn and Pieczykolan, Aleks and Koch, Iring}, title = {A Gestalt account of human behavior is supported by evidence from switching between single and dual actions}, series = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {13}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-47788-0}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357862}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The question of how behavior is represented in the mind lies at the core of psychology as the science of mind and behavior. While a long-standing research tradition has established two opposing fundamental views of perceptual representation, Structuralism and Gestalt psychology, we test both accounts with respect to action representation: Are multiple actions (characterizing human behavior in general) represented as the sum of their component actions (Structuralist view) or holistically (Gestalt view)? Using a single-/dual-response switch paradigm, we analyzed switches between dual ([A + B]) and single ([A], [B]) responses across different effector systems and revealed comparable performance in partial repetitions and full switches of behavioral requirements (e.g., in [A + B] → [A] vs. [B] → [A], or [A] → [A + B] vs. [B] → [A + B]), but only when the presence of dimensional overlap between responses allows for Gestalt formation. This evidence for a Gestalt view of behavior in our paradigm challenges some fundamental assumptions in current (tacitly Structuralist) action control theories (in particular the idea that all actions are represented compositionally with reference to their components), provides a novel explanatory angle for understanding complex, highly synchronized human behavior (e.g., dance), and delimitates the degree to which complex behavior can be analyzed in terms of its basic components.}, language = {en} }