@phdthesis{Meule2014,
  author    = {Meule, Adrian},
  title     = {Food craving as a central construct in the self-regulation of eating behavior},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-104597},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Background: Food craving refers to an intense desire to consume a specific kind of food of which chocolate is the most often craved one. It is this intensity and specificity that differentiates food craving from feelings of hunger. Although food craving and hunger often co-occur, an energy deficit is not a prerequisite for experiencing food craving, that is, it can also occur without being hungry. Food craving often precedes and predicts over- or binge eating which makes it a reasonable target in the treatment of eating disorders or obesity. One of the arguably most extensively validated measures for the assessment of food craving are the Food Cravings Questionnaires (FCQs), which measure food craving on a state (FCQ-S) and trait (FCQ-T) level. Specifically, the FCQ-S measures the intensity of current food craving whereas the FCQ-T measures the frequency of food craving experiences in general. The aims of the present thesis were to provide a German measure for the assessment of food craving and to investigate cognitive, behavioral, and physiological correlates of food craving. For this purpose, a German version of the FCQs was presented and its reliability and validity was evaluated. Using self-reports, relationships between trait food craving and dieting were examined. Cognitive-behavioral correlates of food craving were investigated using food-related tasks assessing executive functions. Psychophysiological correlates of food craving were investigated using event-related potentials (ERPs) in the electroencephalogram and heart rate variability (HRV). Possible intervention approaches to reduce food craving were derived from results of those studies. Methods: The FCQs were translated into German and their psychometric properties and correlates were investigated in a questionnaire-based study (articles \#1 \& \#2). The relationship between state and trait food craving with executive functioning was examined with behavioral tasks measuring working memory performance and behavioral inhibition which involved highly palatable food-cues (articles \#3 \& \#4). Electrophysiological correlates of food craving were tested with ERPs during a craving regulation task (article \#5). Finally, a pilot study on the effects of HRV-biofeedback for reducing food craving was conducted (article \#6). Results: The FCQs demonstrated high internal consistency while their factorial structure could only partially be replicated. The FCQ-T also had high retest-reliability which, expectedly, was lower for the FCQ-S. Validity of the FCQ-S was shown by positive relationships with current food deprivation and negative affect. Validity of the FCQ-T was shown by positive correlations with related constructs. Importantly, scores on the subscales of the FCQ-T were able to discriminate between non-dieters and successful and unsuccessful dieters (article \#1). Furthermore, scores on the FCQ-T mediated the relationship between rigid dietary control strategies and low dieting success (article \#2). With regard to executive functioning, high-calorie food-cues impaired working memory performance, yet this was independent of trait food craving and rarely related to state food craving (article \#3). Behavioral disinhibition in response to high-calorie food-cues was predicted by trait food craving, particularly when participants were also impulsive (article \#4). Downregulation of food craving by cognitive strategies in response to high-calorie food-cues increased early, but not later, segments of the Late Positive Potential (LPP) (article \#5). Few sessions of HRV-biofeedback reduced self-reported food cravings and eating and weight concerns in high trait food cravers (article \#6). Conclusions: The German FCQs represent sound measures with good psychometric properties for the assessment of state and trait food craving. Although state food craving increases during cognitive tasks involving highly palatable food-cues, impairment of task performance does not appear to be mediated by current food craving experiences. Instead, trait food craving is associated with low behavioral inhibition in response to high-calorie food-cues, but not with impaired working memory performance. Future studies need to examine if trait food craving and, subsequently, food-cue affected behavioral inhibition can be reduced by using food-related inhibition tasks as a training. Current food craving and ERPs in response to food-cues can easily be modulated by cognitive strategies, yet the LPP probably does not represent a direct index of food craving. Finally, HRV-biofeedback may be a useful add-on element in the treatment of disorders in which food cravings are elevated. To conclude, the current thesis provided measures for the assessment of food craving in German and showed differential relationships between state and trait food craving with self-reported dieting behavior, food-cue affected executive functioning, ERPs and HRV-biofeedback. These results provide promising starting points for interventions to reduce food craving based on (1) food-cue-related behavioral trainings of executive functions, (2) cognitive craving regulation strategies, and (3) physiological parameters such as HRV-biofeedback.},
  subject      = {Craving},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Dignath2014,
  author    = {Dignath, David},
  title     = {Conflict Management},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-103586},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Menschen haben die beeindruckende F{\"a}higkeit zu planen, sich Ziele zu setzen und entsprechend zu handeln. Dies ist aber nicht immer der Fall. Jeder kennt Situationen, in denen Impulse, wie zum Beispiel der Drang noch ein weiteres Bier zu trinken oder stark {\"u}berlernte Verhaltensgewohnheiten, wie zum Beispiel automatisch auf der rechten Straßenseite zu fahren unseren eigentlichen Zielen im Weg stehen. Dieser ´Wettstreit´ zwischen impulsiven oder habituellen Verhaltenstendenzen und zielgerichteten Handlungen wird auch als Konflikt bezeichnet. Solch ein Konflikt tritt st{\"a}ndig in Erscheinung und kann viele Formen annehmen. Daher {\"u}berrascht es nicht weiter, dass die Art und Weise wie Konflikt kontrolliert wird, auch sehr unterschiedlich sein kann. Es scheint offensichtlich, dass Menschen Konflikte ganz verschieden handhaben k{\"o}nnen: Wenn wir eine Konfliktsituation erwarten, k{\"o}nnen wir bereits vorausschauend zus{\"a}tzliche Anstrengungen unternehmen um den Konflikt dann in der Situation ad{\"a}quat zu l{\"o}sen. Alternativ k{\"o}nnen wir solche Situationen auch bereits im Vorfeld vermeiden und umgehen damit die Gefahr, unseren Impulsen nachzugeben. Auch wenn wir mit einer Konfliktsituation bereits konfrontiert sind, k{\"o}nnen wir versuchen durch besondere Anstrengungen diesen Konflikt aufzul{\"o}sen. Schließlich haben wir auch die M{\"o}glichkeit, uns aus der Situation zur{\"u}ckziehen wodurch wir das Risiko minimieren, entgegen unserer eigentlichen Ziele zu handeln. Um diese Variabilit{\"a}t von Konfliktbew{\"a}ltigung besser zu verstehen, versucht die vorliegende Arbeit eine genauere Beschreibung dieser Kontrollprozesse zu geben. Zwei Dimensionen von Kontrollfunktionen werden identifiziert. Diese ergeben sich aus teilweise antagonistischen Erfordernissen an erfolgreiche Handlungskontrolle und beschreiben zum einen die Abw{\"a}gung zwischen Flexibilit{\"a}t und Stabilit{\"a}t, zum Anderen die Abw{\"a}gung zwischen antizipativer Selektion und reaktiver Korrektur. Um zu erkl{\"a}ren, wie diese beiden Dimensionen von Kontrollfunktionen interagieren und wie daraus ein ad{\"a}quater Umgang mit Konflikten entstehen kann, wird das „Conflict Management Framework" eingef{\"u}hrt. Eine Hypothese, die aus diesem Rahmenmodel hervorgeht, beschreibt eine spezifische Strategie mit Konflikt umzugehen, die in dieser Art noch nicht untersucht wurde: Wenn Konflikt erlebt wird, ziehen sich Personen aus dieser Situation zur{\"u}ck und versuchen dadurch dem Konflikt zu entgehen. Der empirische Teil der Arbeit untersucht diese Verhaltensstrategie in Bezug auf Konflikterleben und testet, ob Personen unter bestimmten Bedingungen sich aus Konfliktsituationen zur{\"u}ckziehen. Im Rahmen dieser Untersuchung werden drei Reihen an Experimenten vorgestellt die sowohl Freie-Wahl Paradigmen, Klassifikationsaufgaben unter Zeitdruck, als auch die Aufzeichnung kontinuierlicher Bewegungen umfassen. Es zeigte sich, dass Konflikt motivationale Vermeidungstendenzen hervorruft (Experimente 1 und 2), Entscheidungsverhalten verzerrt, so dass kurzfristig mit Konflikt assoziierte Aufgaben vermieden werden (Experimente 3 und 5), und die Ausf{\"u}hrung von komplexen Handlungen beeinflusst (Experimente 6 und 7). Diese Ergebnisse unterst{\"u}tzen das vorgeschlagene Rahmenmodell und erm{\"o}glichen eine vertiefte Auseinandersetzung mit der Frage, wie unterschiedliche Konfliktbew{\"a}ltigungsstrategien integriert werden k{\"o}nnen. Dazu wird ein konnektionistisches Modell vorgestellt, dass die parallele Anwendung von zwei unterschiedlichen Strategien zur Konfliktbew{\"a}ltigung erm{\"o}glicht und damit die empirischen Befunde der Experimente 3, 4 und 5 erkl{\"a}ren kann. Im verbleibenden Teil der vorliegenden Arbeit werden Fehler einer solchen Integration von Konfliktbew{\"a}ltigungsstrategien analysiert. Es wird diskutiert, in wie fern das vorgeschlagene Rahmenmodell mit spezifischen klinischen St{\"o}rungen vereinbar ist. Außerdem wird darauf eingegangen, wie interindividuelle Unterschiede hinsichtlich der Art und Weise Konflikte zu meistern, mit Hilfe eines solches Modells besser erkl{\"a}rt werden k{\"o}nnten. Schließlich wird ein Versuch unternommen, so genannte Selbstkontroll-Fehler durch eine mangelhafte Dynamik unterschiedlicher Konfliktbew{\"a}ltigungsstrategien zu erkl{\"a}ren.},
  subject      = {Konflikt},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PfisterSchwarzJanczyketal.2013,
  author    = {Pfister, Roland and Schwarz, Katharina A. and Janczyk, Markus and Dale, Rick and Freeman, Jonathan B.},
  title     = {Good things peak in pairs: a note on the bimodality coefficient},
  series = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  volume    = {4},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  issn      = {1664-1078},
  doi       = {10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00700},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190413},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {A commentary on Assessing bimodality to detect the presence of a dual cognitive process by Freeman, J. B., and Dale, R. (2013). Behav. Res. Methods 45, 83-97. doi: 10.3758/s13428-012-0225-x},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FoersterPfisterSchmidtsetal.2013,
  author    = {Foerster, Anna and Pfister, Roland and Schmidts, Constantin and Dignath, David and Kunde, Wilfried},
  title     = {Honesty saves time (and justifications)},
  series = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  volume    = {4},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  issn      = {1664-1078},
  doi       = {10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00473},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190451},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {A commentary on Honesty requires time (and lack of justifications) by Shalvi, S., Eldar, O., and Bereby-Meyer, Y. (2012). Psychol. Sci. 23, 1264-1270. doi: 10.1177/0956797612443835},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MeuleVoegele2013,
  author    = {Meule, Adrian and V{\"o}gele, Claus},
  title     = {The psychology of eating},
  series = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  volume    = {4},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  issn      = {1664-1078},
  doi       = {10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00215},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190460},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {No abstract available.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{Meule2013,
  author    = {Meule, Adrian},
  title     = {Impulsivity and overeating: a closer look at the subscales of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale},
  series = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  volume    = {4},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  issn      = {1664-1078},
  doi       = {10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00177},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190497},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {No abstract available.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Shiban2013,
  author    = {Shiban, Youssef},
  title     = {Attenuating Renewal following Exposure Therapy : Mechanisms of Exposure in Multiple Contexts and its Influence on the Renewal of Fear: Studies in Virtual Reality},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-76673},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {„Renewal" bezeichnet das Wiederauftreten von Angst nach erfolgreicher Expositionstherapie in Folge einer erneuten Konfrontation mit dem phobischen Stimulus in einem neuen, sich vom Expositionskontext unterscheidenden Kontext. Bouton (1994) zufolge deutet diese Angstr{\"u}ckkehr durch einen Kontextwechsel darauf hin, dass die Angst nicht gel{\"o}scht wurde. Stattdessen wurde w{\"a}hrend der Expositionssitzung eine neue Assoziation gelernt, die das gef{\"u}rchtete Objekt mit „keiner Angst", also den konditionierten Reiz (conditioned stimulus, CS) mit „keinem unkonditionierten Reiz" (no unconditioned stimulus, no US), verbindet. Bouton argumentiert weiter, dass diese Assoziation kontextabh{\"a}ngig ist, wodurch Effekte wie Angst-Renewal erkl{\"a}rt werden k{\"o}nnen. Da in einem neuen Kontext die CS-no US-Assoziation nicht aktiviert wird, wird die Angst auch nicht gehemmt. Die Kontextabh{\"a}ngigkeit der CS-no US-Assoziation wurde in mehreren Studien belegt (Balooch \& Neumann, 2011; Siavash Bandarian Balooch, Neumann, \& Boschen, 2012; Culver, Stoyanova, \& Craske, 2011; Kim \& Richardson, 2009; Neumann \& Kitlertsirivatana, 2010). Aktuell konzentriert sich die Forschung zur Therapie von Angstst{\"o}rungen auf die Frage, wie Angst reduziert und gleichzeitig ein R{\"u}ckfall verhindert werden kann. Hierzu werden verschiedene Expositionsprotokolle untersucht, wie zum Beispiel (1) Exposition in mehreren Kontexten (multiple contexts exposure, MCE), um Renewal zu reduzieren (z.B. Balooch \& Neumann, 2011); (2) verl{\"a}ngerte Exposition (prolonged exposure, PE), um die hemmende Assoziation w{\"a}hrend des Extinktionslernes zu st{\"a}rken (z.B. Thomas, Vurbic, \& Novak, 2009) und (3) Rekonsolidierungs-Updates (reconsolidation update, RU), die den Rekonsolidierungsprozess durch eine kurze Exposition des CS+ vor der eigentlichen Exposition aktualisieren sollen (Schiller et al., 2010). Bisher liegen jedoch nur sehr wenige Studien vor, die diese neuen Expositionsprotokolle an klinischen Stichproben untersucht haben, und - soweit bekannt - keine Studie, welche die Wirkmechanismen dieser Protokolle an einer klinischen Stichprobe erforscht. Die vorliegende Dissertation hat drei Ziele. Das erste Ziel besteht darin zu pr{\"u}fen, ob Expositionstherapie in multiplen Kontexten die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Renewal reduziert. Das zweite Ziel ist die Untersuchung der Mechanismen, die dem Effekt der Exposition in multiplen Kontexten zugrunde liegen und das dritte ist den Kontext im Zusammenhang mit Konditionierung und Extinktion zu konzeptualisieren. Insgesamt wurden drei Studien durchgef{\"u}hrt. Die erste Studie untersuchte den Effekt von Exposition in multiplen Kontexten auf Renewal, die zweite und dritte Studie die Wirkmechanismen von MCE. In der ersten Studie wurden spinnenphobische Probanden (N = 30) viermal mit einer virtuellen Spinne konfrontiert. Die Expositionstrials wurden entweder in einem gleichbleibenden Kontext oder in vier verschiedenen Kontexten durchgef{\"u}hrt. Am Ende der Sitzung absolvierten alle Teilnehmer einen virtuellen Renewaltest, bei dem die virtuelle Spinne in einem neuen Kontext gezeigt wurde, und einen in vivo Verhaltensvermeidungstest (behavioral avoidance test, BAT) mit einer echten Spinne. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass Probanden, welche die vier Expositionstrials in unterschiedlichen Kontexten erfuhren, weniger Angst, sowohl im virtuellen Renewaltest als auch im BAT, erlebten. In dieser Studie konnte die Wirksamkeit von MCE f{\"u}r die Reduktion von Renewal erfolgreich nachgewiesen werden. Studie 2 (N = 35) untersuchte die Wirkmechanismen von MCE in einem differentiellen Konditionierungsparadigma. Die Extinktion wurde in multiplen Kontexten durchgef{\"u}hrt. Hierbei war das Ziel, eine {\"a}hnliche Verminderung von Renewal wie in Studie 1 nachzuweisen. Der Extinktion folgten zwei Tests, mit dem Ziel m{\"o}gliche hemmende Effekte des Kontexts, die w{\"a}hrend der Extinktionsphase erworben wurden, aufzudecken. Bez{\"u}glich des Effektes von MCE wurden drei Hypothesen aufgestellt: (1) Der Extinktionskontext wird mit der Exposition assoziiert, fungiert folglich w{\"a}hrend der Extinktion als Sicherheitssignal und konkurriert daher mit dem Sicherheitslernen des CS. Dies f{\"u}hrt zu einem verminderten Extinktionseffekt auf den CS, wenn die Extinktion nur in einem Kontext durchgef{\"u}hrt wird. (2) Die Elemente im Extinktionskontext (z.B. Raumfarbe, M{\"o}bel) stehen im Zusammenhang mit der CS-no US-Assoziation und erinnern daher an die Extinktion, was zu einer gr{\"o}ßeren Angsthemmung f{\"u}hrt, wenn sie w{\"a}hrend eines Tests gezeigt werden. (3) Nach der emotionalen Prozesstheorie (emotional process theory; Bouton, 1994; Foa et al., 1996) bestimmen die Therapieprozessfaktoren die St{\"a}rke des Renewals. Beispielsweise korrelieren initiale Angstaktivierung, Aktivierung in und zwischen den Sitzungen mit der St{\"a}rke des Renewals. Jedoch waren in dieser Studie keine Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen im Renewaltest zu beobachten, weswegen die Ergebnisse der zwei Nachtests nicht zu interpretieren sind. Das Ziel von Studie 3 (N = 61) war es, das Konzept des Kontexts im Rahmen von Konditionierung und Exposition zu definieren. In Studie 3 wurde das Auftreten der Generalisierungsabnahme (generalization decrement) genutzt, bei der eine konditionierte Reaktion infolge eines Kontextwechsels nur reduziert auftritt. Auf diesem Weg kann Kontext{\"a}hnlichkeit quantifiziert werden. Nach einer Akquisitonsphase in einem Kontext wurden die Teilnehmer in einem von drei verschiedenen Kontexten getestet. Zwei dieser Kontexte unterschieden sich nur in einer Dimension (Anordnung der Objekte vs. Objekteigenschaften). Die dritte Gruppe wurde im Akquisitonskontext getestet und diente als Kontrollgruppe. Es fanden sich jedoch keine Unteschiede zwischen den Gruppen in den Testphasen. Eine m{\"o}gliche Erkl{\"a}rung ist die Neuartigkeit des Testkontextes. Teilnehmer, die nach der Extinktion einem neuen Kontext ausgesetzt waren, erwarteten in einem anderen Kontext eine zweite Extinktionsphase und zeigten daher mehr statt weniger Angst als erwartet.},
  subject      = {Angst},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Reuss2013,
  author    = {Reuß, Heiko},
  title     = {The interplay of unconscious processing and cognitive control},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-76950},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {The aim of this study was both to investigate the influence of cognitive control on unconscious processing, and to investigate the influence of unconscious processing on cognitive control. At first, different mechanisms and accounts to explain unconscious priming are presented. Here, perceptual and motor processes, as well as stimulus-response learning, semantic categorization, and the action trigger account as theories to explain motor priming are discussed. Then, the issue of the potential limits of unconscious processing is presented. Findings that indicate that active current intentions and expertise modulate unconscious processing are illustrated. Subsequently, results that imply an influence of unconsciously presented stimuli that goes beyond motor processes are discussed, with a special focus on inhibition processes, orienting of attention, task set activation, and conflict adaptation. Then I present the results of my own empirical work. Experiment 1 shows that the effective processing of unconsciously presented stimuli depends on expertise, even when potentially confounding difference between the expert and novice groups are controlled. The results of Experiments 2 and 3 indicate that the intention to use particular stimuli is a crucial factor for the effectiveness of these stimuli when they are presented unconsciously. Additionally, these findings show that shifts of attention can be triggered by centrally presented masked arrow cues. Experiments 4 and 5 broaden these results to cue stimuli that are not inherently associated with a spatial meaning. The finding corroborate that typically endogenously controlled shifts of attention can also be induced by unconscious stimuli. Experiments 6 and 7 demonstrate that even a central cognitive control process like task set activation is not contingent on conscious awareness, but can in contrast be triggered through unconscious stimulation. Finally, these results are integrated and I discuss how the concept of cognitive control and the limits of unconscious processing may have to be reconsidered. Furthermore, potential future research possibilities in this field are presented.},
  subject      = {Bewusstsein},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MeuleKueblerBlechert2013,
  author    = {Meule, Adrian and K{\"u}bler, Andrea and Blechert, Jens},
  title     = {Time course of electrocortical food-cue responses during cognitive regulation of craving},
  series = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  volume    = {4},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  number    = {669},
  issn      = {1664-1078},
  doi       = {10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00669},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122566},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {In our current obesogenic environment, exposure to visual food-cues can easily lead to craving and overeating because short-term, pleasurable effects of food intake dominate over the anticipated long-term adverse effects such as weight gain and associated health problems. Here we contrasted these two conditions during food-cue presentation while acquiring event-related potentials (ERPs) and subjective craving ratings. Female participants (n = 25) were presented with either high-calorie (HC) or low-calorie (LC) food images under instructions to imagine either immediate (NOW) or long-term effects (LATER) of consumption. On subjective ratings for HC foods, the LATER perspective reduced cravings as compared to the NOW perspective. For LC foods, by contrast, craving increased under the LATER perspective. Early ERPs (occipital N1, 150-200 ms) were sensitive to food type but not to perspective. Late ERPs (late positive potential, LPP, 350-550 ms) were larger in the HC-LATER condition than in all other conditions, possibly indicating that a cognitive focus on negative long-term consequences induced negative arousal. This enhancement for HC-LATER attenuated to the level of the LC conditions during the later slow wave (550-3000 ms), but amplitude in the HC-NOW condition was larger than in all other conditions, possibly due to a delayed appetitive response. Across all conditions, LPP amplitudes were positively correlated with self-reported emotional eating. In sum, results reveal that regulation effects are secondary to an early attentional analysis of food type and dynamically evolve over time. Adopting a long-term perspective on eating might promote a healthier food choice across a range of food types.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerPlessowKiesel2013,
  author    = {Fischer, Rico and Plessow, Franziska and Kiesel, Andrea},
  title     = {The effects of alerting signals in masked priming},
  series = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  volume    = {4},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Psychology},
  number    = {448},
  issn      = {1664-1078},
  doi       = {10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00448},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122581},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Alerting signals often serve to reduce temporal uncertainty by predicting the time of stimulus onset. The resulting response time benefits have often been explained by facilitated translation of stimulus codes into response codes on the basis of established stimulus-response (S-R) links. In paradigms of masked S-R priming alerting signals also modulate response activation processes triggered by subliminally presented prime stimuli. In the present study we tested whether facilitation of visuo-motor translation processes due to alerting signals critically depends on established S-R links. Alerting signals resulted in significantly enhanced masked priming effects for masked prime stimuli that included and that did not include established S-R links fi.e., target vs. novel primes). Yet, the alerting-priming interaction was more pronounced for target than for novel primes. These results suggest that effects of alerting signals on masked priming are especially evident when S-R links between prime and target exist. At the same time, an alerting-priming interaction also for novel primes suggests that alerting signals also facilitate stimulus-response translation processes when masked prime stimuli provide action-trigger conditions in terms of programmed S-R links.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{EhrenfeldHerbortButz2013,
  author    = {Ehrenfeld, Stephan and Herbort, Oliver and Butz, Martin V.},
  title     = {Modular neuron-based body estimation: maintaining consistency over different limbs, modalities, and frames of reference},
  series = {Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience},
  number    = {148},
  doi       = {10.3389/fncom.2013.00148},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122253},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {This paper addresses the question of how the brain maintains a probabilistic body state estimate over time from a modeling perspective. The neural Modular Modality Frame (nMMF) model simulates such a body state estimation process by continuously integrating redundant, multimodal body state information sources. The body state estimate itself is distributed over separate, but bidirectionally interacting modules. nMMF compares the incoming sensory and present body state information across the interacting modules and fuses the information sources accordingly. At the same time, nMMF enforces body state estimation consistency across the modules. nMMF is able to detect conflicting sensory information and to consequently decrease the influence of implausible sensor sources on the fly. In contrast to the previously published Modular Modality Frame (MMF) model, nMMF offers a biologically plausible neural implementation based on distributed, probabilistic population codes. Besides its neural plausibility, the neural encoding has the advantage of enabling (a) additional probabilistic information flow across the separate body state estimation modules and (b) the representation of arbitrary probability distributions of a body state. The results show that the neural estimates can detect and decrease the impact of false sensory information, can propagate conflicting information across modules, and can improve overall estimation accuracy due to additional module interactions. Even bodily illusions, such as the rubber hand illusion, can be simulated with nMMF. We conclude with an outlook on the potential of modeling human data and of invoking goal-directed behavioral control.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SchwarzWieserGerdesetal.2013,
  author    = {Schwarz, Katharina A. and Wieser, Matthias J. and Gerdes, Antje B. M. and M{\"u}hlberger, Andreas and Pauli, Paul},
  title     = {Why are you looking like that? How the context influences evaluation and processing of human faces},
  series = {Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience},
  number    = {4},
  doi       = {10.1093/scan/nss013},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132126},
  pages     = {438-445},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Perception and evaluation of facial expressions are known to be heavily modulated by emotional features of contextual information. Such contextual effects, however, might also be driven by non-emotional aspects of contextual information, an interaction of emotional and non-emotional factors, and by the observers' inherent traits. Therefore, we sought to assess whether contextual information about self-reference in addition to information about valence influences the evaluation and neural processing of neutral faces. Furthermore, we investigated whether social anxiety moderates these effects. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, participants viewed neutral facial expressions preceded by a contextual sentence conveying either positive or negative evaluations about the participant or about somebody else. Contextual influences were reflected in rating and fMRI measures, with strong effects of self-reference on brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and right fusiform gyrus. Additionally, social anxiety strongly affected the response to faces conveying negative, self-related evaluations as revealed by the participants' rating patterns and brain activity in cortical midline structures and regions of interest in the left and right middle frontal gyrus. These results suggest that face perception and processing are highly individual processes influenced by emotional and non-emotional aspects of contextual information and further modulated by individual personality traits.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HalderHammerKleihetal.2013,
  author    = {Halder, Sebastian and Hammer, Eva Maria and Kleih, Sonja Claudia and Bogdan, Martin and Rosenstiel, Wolfgang and Birbaumer, Niels and K{\"u}bler, Andrea},
  title     = {Prediction of Auditory and Visual P300 Brain-Computer Interface Aptitude},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  number    = {2},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130327},
  pages     = {e53513},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Objective Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide a non-muscular communication channel for patients with late-stage motoneuron disease (e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)) or otherwise motor impaired people and are also used for motor rehabilitation in chronic stroke. Differences in the ability to use a BCI vary from person to person and from session to session. A reliable predictor of aptitude would allow for the selection of suitable BCI paradigms. For this reason, we investigated whether P300 BCI aptitude could be predicted from a short experiment with a standard auditory oddball. Methods Forty healthy participants performed an electroencephalography (EEG) based visual and auditory P300-BCI spelling task in a single session. In addition, prior to each session an auditory oddball was presented. Features extracted from the auditory oddball were analyzed with respect to predictive power for BCI aptitude. Results Correlation between auditory oddball response and P300 BCI accuracy revealed a strong relationship between accuracy and N2 amplitude and the amplitude of a late ERP component between 400 and 600 ms. Interestingly, the P3 amplitude of the auditory oddball response was not correlated with accuracy. Conclusions Event-related potentials recorded during a standard auditory oddball session moderately predict aptitude in an audiory and highly in a visual P300 BCI. The predictor will allow for faster paradigm selection. Significance Our method will reduce strain on patients because unsuccessful training may be avoided, provided the results can be generalized to the patient population.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KleihKuebler2013,
  author    = {Kleih, Sonja C. and K{\"u}bler, Andrea},
  title     = {Empathy, motivation, and P300-BCI performance},
  series = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},
  number    = {642},
  doi       = {10.3389/fnhum.2013.00642},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130559},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Motivation moderately influences brain-computer interface (BCI) performance in healthy subjects when monetary reward is used to manipulate extrinsic motivation. However, the motivation of severely paralyzed patients, who are potentially in need for BCI, could mainly be internal and thus, an intrinsic motivator may be more powerful. Also healthy subjects who participate in BCI studies could be internally motivated as they may wish to contribute to research and thus extrinsic motivation by monetary reward would be less important than the content of the study. In this respect, motivation could be defined as "motivation-to-help." The aim of this study was to investigate, whether subjects with high motivation for helping and who are highly empathic would perform better with a BCI controlled by event-related potentials (P300-BCI). We included N = 20 healthy young participants na{\"i}ve to BCI and grouped them according to their motivation for participating in a BCI study in a low and highly motivated group. Motivation was further manipulated with interesting or boring presentations about BCI and the possibility to help patients. Motivation for helping did neither influence BCI performance nor the P300 amplitude. Post hoc, subjects were re-grouped according to their ability for perspective taking. We found significantly higher P300 amplitudes on parietal electrodes in participants with a low ability for perspective taking and therefore, lower empathy, as compared to participants with higher empathy. The lack of an effect of motivation on BCI performance contradicts previous findings and thus, requires further investigation. We speculate that subjects with higher empathy who are good perspective takers with regards to patients in potential need of BCI, may be more emotionally involved and therefore, less able to allocate attention on the BCI task at hand.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MusselGoeritzHewig2013,
  author    = {Mussel, Patrick and G{\"o}ritz, Anja S. and Hewig, Johannes},
  title     = {The value of a smile: Facial expression affects ultimatum-game responses},
  series = {Judgment and Decision Making},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Judgment and Decision Making},
  number    = {3},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-129639},
  pages     = {381-385},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {In social interaction, the facial expression of an opponent contains information that may influence the interaction. We asked whether facial expression affects decision-making in the ultimatum game. In this two-person game, the proposer divides a sum of money into two parts, one for each player, and then the responder decides whether to accept the offer or reject it. Rejection means that neither player gets any money. Results of a large-sample study support our hypothesis that offers from proposers with a smiling facial expression are more often accepted, compared to a neutral facial expression. Moreover, we found lower acceptance rates for offers from proposers with an angry facial expression.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{EderRothermundDeHouwer2013,
  author    = {Eder, Andreas B. and Rothermund, Klaus and De Houwer, Jan},
  title     = {Affective Compatibility between Stimuli and Response Goals: A Primer for a New Implicit Measure of Attitudes},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  number    = {11},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0079210},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-129872},
  pages     = {e79210},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {We examined whether a voluntary response becomes associated with the (affective) meaning of intended response effects. Four experiments revealed that coupling a keypress with positive or negative consequences produces affective compatibility effects when the keypress has to be executed in response to positively or negatively evaluated stimulus categories. In Experiment 1, positive words were evaluated faster with a keypress that turned the words ON (versus OFF), whereas negative words were evaluated faster with a keypress that turned the words OFF (versus ON). Experiment 2 showed that this compatibility effect is reversed if an aversive tone is turned ON and OFF with keypresses. Experiment 3 revealed that keypresses acquire an affective meaning even when the association between the responses and their effects is variable and intentionally reconfigured before each trial. Experiment 4 used affective response effects to assess implicit ingroup favoritism, showing that the measure is sensitive to the valence of categories and not to the valence of exemplars. Results support the hypothesis that behavioral reactions become associated with the affective meaning of the intended response goal, which has important implications for the understanding and construction of implicit attitude measures.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AndreattaMuehlbergerGlotzbachSchoonetal.2013,
  author    = {Andreatta, Marta and M{\"u}hlberger, Andreas and Glotzbach-Schoon, Evelyn and Pauli, Paul},
  title     = {Pain predictability reverses valence ratings of a relief-associated stimulus},
  series = {Front in Systems Neuroscience},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Front in Systems Neuroscience},
  number    = {53},
  doi       = {10.3389/fnsys.2013.00053},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-129275},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Relief from pain is positively valenced and entails reward-like properties. Notably, stimuli that became associated with pain relief elicit reward-like implicit responses too, but are explicitly evaluated by humans as aversive. Since the unpredictability of pain makes pain more aversive, this study examined the hypotheses that the predictability of pain also modulates the valence of relief-associated stimuli. In two studies, we presented one conditioned stimulus \((_{FORWARD}CS+)\) before a painful unconditioned stimulus (US), another stimulus \((_{BACKWARD}CS+)\) after the painful US, and a third stimulus (CS-) was never associated with the US. In Study 1, \(_{FORWARD}CS+\) predicted half of the USs while the other half was delivered unwarned and followed by \(_{BACKWARD}CS+\). In Study 2, all USs were predicted by \(_{FORWARD}CS+\) and followed by \(_{BACKWARD}CS+\). In Study 1 both \(_{FORWARD}CS+\) and \(_{BACKWARD}CS+\) were rated as negatively valenced and high arousing after conditioning, while \(_{BACKWARD}CS+\) in Study 2 acquired positive valence and low arousal. Startle amplitude was significantly attenuated to \(_{BACKWARD}CS+\) compared to \(_{FORWARD}CS+\) in Study 2, but did not differ among CSs in Study 1. In summary, predictability of aversive events reverses the explicit valence of a relief-associated stimulus.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KopfDreslerReichertsetal.2013,
  author    = {Kopf, Juliane and Dresler, Thomas and Reicherts, Philipp and Herrmann, Martin J. and Reif, Andreas},
  title     = {The Effect of Emotional Content on Brain Activation and the Late Positive Potential in a Word n-back Task},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0075598},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-96687},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Introduction There is mounting evidence for the influence of emotional content on working memory performance. This is particularly important in light of the emotion processing that needs to take place when emotional content interferes with executive functions. In this study, we used emotional words of different valence but with similar arousal levels in an n-back task. Methods We examined the effects on activation in the prefrontal cortex by means of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and on the late positive potential (LPP). FNIRS and LPP data were examined in 30 healthy subjects. Results Behavioral results show an influence of valence on the error rate depending on the difficulty of the task: more errors were made when the valence was negative and the task difficult. Brain activation was dependent both on the difficulty of the task and on the valence: negative valence of a word diminished the increase in activation, whereas positive valence did not influence the increase in activation, while difficulty levels increased. The LPP also differentiated between the different valences, and in addition was influenced by the task difficulty, the more difficult the task, the less differentiation could be observed. Conclusions Summarized, this study shows the influence of valence on a verbal working memory task. When a word contained a negative valence, the emotional content seemed to take precedence in contrast to words containing a positive valence. Working memory and emotion processing sites seemed to overlap and compete for resources even when words are carriers of the emotional content.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PlatteHerbertPaulietal.2013,
  author    = {Platte, Petra and Herbert, Cornelia and Pauli, Paul and Breslin, Paul A. S.},
  title     = {Oral Perceptions of Fat and Taste Stimuli Are Modulated by Affect and Mood Induction},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0065006},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-96421},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {This study examined the impact of three clinical psychological variables (non-pathological levels of depression and anxiety, as well as experimentally manipulated mood) on fat and taste perception in healthy subjects. After a baseline orosensory evaluation, 'sad', 'happy' and 'neutral' video clips were presented to induce corresponding moods in eighty participants. Following mood manipulation, subjects rated five different oral stimuli, appearing sweet, umami, sour, bitter, fatty, which were delivered at five different concentrations each. Depression levels were assessed with Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and anxiety levels were assessed via the Spielberger's STAI-trait and state questionnaire. Overall, subjects were able to track the concentrations of the stimuli correctly, yet depression level affected taste ratings. First, depression scores were positively correlated with sucrose ratings. Second, subjects with depression scores above the sample median rated sucrose and quinine as more intense after mood induction (positive, negative and neutral). Third and most important, the group with enhanced depression scores did not rate low and high fat stimuli differently after positive or negative mood induction, whereas, during baseline or during the non-emotional neutral condition they rated the fat intensity as increasing with concentration. Consistent with others' prior observations we also found that sweet and bitter stimuli at baseline were rated as more intense by participants with higher anxiety scores and that after positive and negative mood induction, citric acid was rated as stronger tasting compared to baseline. The observation that subjects with mild subclinical depression rated low and high fat stimuli similarly when in positive or negative mood is novel and likely has potential implications for unhealthy eating patterns. This deficit may foster unconscious eating of fatty foods in sub-clinical mildly depressed populations.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PauliGlotzbachSchoonAndreattaetal.2013,
  author    = {Pauli, Paul and Glotzbach-Schoon, Evelyn and Andreatta, Marta and Reif, Andreas and Ewald, Heike and Tr{\"o}ger, Christian and Baumann, Christian and Deckert, J{\"u}rgen and M{\"u}hlberger, Andreas},
  title     = {Contextual fear conditioning in virtual reality is affected by 5HTTLPR and NPSR1 polymorphisms: effects on fear-potentiated startle},
  series = {Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience},
  doi       = {10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00031},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-96516},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {The serotonin (5-HT) and neuropeptide S (NPS) systems are discussed as important genetic modulators of fear and sustained anxiety contributing to the etiology of anxiety disorders. Sustained anxiety is a crucial characteristic of most anxiety disorders which likely develops through contextual fear conditioning. This study investigated if and how genetic alterations of the 5-HT and the NPS systems as well as their interaction modulate contextual fear conditioning; specifically, function polymorphic variants in the genes coding for the 5-HT transporter (5HTT) and the NPS receptor (NPSR1) were studied. A large group of healthy volunteers was therefore stratified for 5HTTLPR (S+ vs. LL carriers) and NPSR1 rs324981 (T+ vs. AA carriers) polymorphisms resulting in four genotype groups (S+/T+, S+/AA, LL/T+, LL/AA) of 20 participants each. All participants underwent contextual fear conditioning and extinction using a virtual reality (VR) paradigm. During acquisition, one virtual office room (anxiety context, CXT+) was paired with an unpredictable electric stimulus (unconditioned stimulus, US), whereas another virtual office room was not paired with any US (safety context, CXT-). During extinction no US was administered. Anxiety responses were quantified by fear-potentiated startle and ratings. Most importantly, we found a gene × gene interaction on fear-potentiated startle. Only carriers of both risk alleles (S+/T+) exhibited higher startle responses in CXT+ compared to CXT-. In contrast, anxiety ratings were only influenced by the NPSR1 polymorphism with AA carriers showing higher anxiety ratings in CXT+ as compared to CXT-. Our results speak in favor of a two level account of fear conditioning with diverging effects on implicit vs. explicit fear responses. Enhanced contextual fear conditioning as reflected in potentiated startle responses may be an endophenotype for anxiety disorders.},
  language  = {en}
}