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Enactive cognition emphasizes co‐constructive roles of humans and their environment in shaping cognitive processes. It is specifically engaged in the mental simulation of behaviors, enhancing the connection between perception and action. Here we investigated the core network of brain regions involved in enactive cognition as applied to mental simulations of physical exercise. We used a neuroimaging paradigm in which participants (N = 103) were required to project themselves running or plogging (running while picking‐up litter) along an image‐guided naturalistic trail. Using both univariate and multivariate brain imaging analyses, we find that a broad spectrum of brain activation discriminates between the mental simulation of plogging versus running. Critically, we show that self‐reported ratings of daily life running engagement and the quality of mental simulation (how well participants were able to imagine themselves running) modulate the brain reactivity to plogging versus running. Finally, we undertook functional connectivity analyses centered on the insular cortex, which is a key region in the dynamic interplay between neurocognitive processes. This analysis revealed increased positive and negative patterns of insular‐centered functional connectivity in the plogging condition (as compared to the running condition), thereby confirming the key role of the insular cortex in action simulation involving complex sets of mental mechanisms. Taken together, the present findings provide new insights into the brain networks involved in the enactive mental simulation of physical exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of digital technologies, online sports betting is spurring a fast‐growing expansion. In this study, we examined how sports betting availability modulates the brain connectivity of frequent sports bettors with [problem bettors (PB)] or without [non‐problem bettors (NPB)] problematic sports betting. We conducted functional connectivity analyses centred on the ventral anterior insular cortex (vAI), a brain region playing a key role in the dynamic interplay between reward‐based processes. We re‐analysed a dataset on sports betting availability undertaken in PB (n = 30) and NPB (n = 35). Across all participants, we observed that sports betting availability elicited positive vAI coupling with extended clusters of brain activation (encompassing the putamen, cerebellum, occipital, temporal, precentral and central operculum regions) and negative vAI coupling with the orbitofrontal cortex. Between‐group analyses showed increased positive vAI coupling in the PB group, as compared with the NPB group, in the left lateral occipital cortex, extending to the left inferior frontal gyrus, the anterior cingulate gyrus and the right frontal pole. Taken together, these results are in line with the central assumptions of triadic models of addictions, which posit that the insular cortex plays a pivotal role in promoting the drive and motivation to get a reward by 'hijacking' goal‐oriented processes toward addiction‐related cues. Taken together, these findings showed that vAI functional connectivity is sensitive not only to gambling availability but also to the status of problematic sport betting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We here investigate the role of risk aversion in COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy. The theoretical effect is ambiguous, as both COVID‐19 infection and vaccination side‐effects involve probabilistic elements. In large‐scale data covering five European countries, we find that vaccine hesitancy falls with risk aversion, so that COVID‐19 infection is perceived as involving greater risk than is vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with impaired gustatory perception may have altered ingestive behaviors, which contribute to unhealthy weight status and disordered eating. Whether and to what extent weight status or eating symptomatology depend on flavor perception is still a controversial issue. Thus, the ability to discriminate among different levels of sweetness/fat content was compared in three studies using two‐alternative forced‐choice tasks and the standardized metrics of signal detection theory (SDT). In Study 1, three body mass index groups were included: underweight, healthy normal weight, and overweight. In Study 2, volunteers were currently‐ill and recovered (anorexia/bulimia nervosa) patients, and two age‐ and weight‐matched control groups. In Study 3, SDT metrics of both populations were compared. Results showed that SDT measures identified difficulties of underweight individuals to discriminate fat levels in sugary products, while patients with eating disorders exhibited outstanding discrimination of fat ingredients. Judgment biases were also detected in both populations. This highlights importance of using SDT methodology in flavor perception research in people with weight−/eating‐related problems. Practical Applications: This paper may serve as a starting point for the establishment of a consensual methodology in the field of flavor perception using the SDT approach. Especially in populations with eating‐ and weight‐related problems, it is both of considerable interest and a necessity to establish and promote standard metrics to provide more consistent and comparable results on the perception of sweet and fat inputs. On the one hand, SDT may be a valuable tool to deal with current methodological limitations and heterogeneity in methods used across studies. On the other, this should facilitate further study of the relationship between oral sensations and unhealthy eating and drinking behaviors to improve individuals' nutritional status and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling behavior has been a core topic of Psychology and the Social Sciences since their respective inception as academic disciplines. This has resulted in a fractured landscape of different theories, all addressing different aspects of behavior. At the same time the need to formalize the design of computer and smartphone applications has spawned the field of User Experience (UX). With the convergence of everyday behavior and the use of mobile devices the overlap between these two fields becomes ever more important. In this paper we present a comprehensive model of behavior, integrating five well‐established theories, with the aim of creating a design framework for smartphone applications that foster motivation and promote the execution of a target behavior. The operationalization of the approach is demonstrated by showing how to design and implement a prototypical application to support healthy and sustainable grocery shopping behavior. While the framework proposed is not limited to this application, it is used to exemplify the relation with previous design approaches, and the concrete implications of the model‐derived framework on its implementation. Our view is that both areas of research can benefit from each other: findings from behavioral theory can inform application design, while at the same time the ubiquitous integration of mobile applications allows to dynamically apply, operationalize, and implement behavioral models into everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent neuroimaging evidence suggests that mindfulness practice may mitigate the biasing influence of prior cognitive and emotional expectations on pain perception. The current study tested this hypothesis using a pain‐cueing paradigm, which has reliably been shown to elicit conditioned hypoalgesic and hyperalgesic effects. Specifically, we aimed to investigate whether the instructed use of a mindfulness compared to a suppression strategy differentially modulates the magnitudes of conditioned hypoalgesia and hyperalgesia. Methods: Sixty‐two healthy non‐meditators were assigned to listen to either brief mindfulness or suppression instructions, in between the conditioning and testing phases of a pain‐cueing task. Participants provided ratings of anticipatory anxiety, pain intensity and pain unpleasantness throughout the task. They also completed trait and state self‐report measures of mindfulness and pain catastrophizing. Results: Results indicated that the paradigm was successful in inducing conditioned hyperalgesic and hypoalgesic effects. Importantly, while we found evidence of cue‐induced hyperalgesia in both groups, only the suppression group reported cue‐induced hypoalgesia. No group differences in pain ratings were found for unconditioned (novel‐cued) stimuli. Conclusions: These findings provide partial support for recently proposed predictive processing models, which posit that mindfulness may lead to a prioritization of current sensory information over previous expectations. We explore potential explanations for the asymmetrical group differences in conditioned hypoalgesia versus conditioned hyperalgesia, and discuss our results in light of recent neuroimaging insights into the neuropsychological mechanisms of mindfulness and expectancy‐driven pain modulation. Significance: The current study provides novel insights into the working mechanisms of mindfulness‐driven pain modulation. Our data suggest that brief mindfulness training may reduce the influence of prior beliefs and expectations on pain perception. This finding adds to growing evidence suggesting that mindfulness may alleviate pain via neuropsychological mechanisms opposite to those typically observed in conditioning/placebo procedures and other cognitive manipulations. These unique mechanisms underline the potential of mindfulness as an alternative to traditional cognitive pain regulatory strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Identifying factors that control food intake is crucial to the understanding and treatment of eating disorders characterized by binge eating. In healthy individuals, stomach distension plays an important role in the development of satiation, but gastric sensations might be overridden in binge eating. The present study investigated the perception of gastric signals (i.e., gastric interoception) and gastric motility in patients experiencing binge‐eating episodes, that is, bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge‐eating disorder (BED). Method: Twenty‐nine patients with BN or BED (ED group) and 32 age‐, sex‐, and BMI‐matched healthy controls (HC group) participated in the study. The onset of satiation and stomach fullness were assessed using a novel 2‐step water load test (WLT‐II). Gastric myoelectrical activity (GMA) was measured by electrogastrography (EGG) before and after ingestion of noncaloric water. Results: Individuals in the ED group drank significantly more water until reporting satiation during the WLT‐II. The percentage of normal gastric myoelectrical power was significantly smaller in the ED group compared to HC, and negatively related to the number of objective binge‐eating episodes per week in patients with BN or BED. Power in the bradygastria range was greater in ED than in HC participants. Discussion: Patients with EDs have a delayed response to satiation compared to HC participants, together with abnormal GMA. Repeated binge‐eating episodes may induce disturbances to gastric motor function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprecedented development and ubiquity of sports betting constitute an emerging public health concern. It is crucial to provide markers that could help to better identify people experiencing sports betting-related harms. The current study investigated whether problem gambling status, sports betting passion, and trait-self-control modulate brain reactivity to sports betting cues. Sixty-five frequent sports bettors (35 "nonproblem bettors" and 30 "problem bettors") were exposed to cues representing real upcoming sport events (with varying levels of winning confidence) that were made available or blocked for betting, during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recording. Sports betting passion and trait-self-control were assessed using self-report scales. Sport events nonavailable for betting elicited higher insular and striatal activation in problem bettors, as compared with nonproblem bettors. Within a large cluster encompassing the ventral striatum, hippocampus, and amygdala, lower trait-self-control was associated with increased brain reactivity to sport events with high levels of winning confidence that were nonavailable for betting. No significant effect of sports betting passion was observed. These findings suggest that sports bettors' brain reactivity to gambling unavailability might be a relevant marker of sports betting-related harms, as well as of blunted trait-self-control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and often accompanied by cognitive and emotional problems. Adaptation to fibromyalgia may therefore also rely on one's ability to regulate emotional problems. In this study, we examined two indices of emotion regulation, that is, (a) affective instability, involving frequent large fluctuations in self‐reported affect, and (b) resting heart rate variability (HRV). Methods: Participants were 46 patients with fibromyalgia (Mage = 45.4 years; 39 females) and 46 matched healthy controls (Mage = 44.9 years; 37 females). Heart rate was monitored under resting conditions to derive HRV. Subsequently, participants completed an electronic end‐of‐day diary for 14 consecutive days assessing daily levels of pain, disability, negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA). Affective instability was operationalized as the mean square of successive differences in daily mood. Results: Results indicate increased levels of NA instability and reduced levels of HRV in patients with fibromyalgia in comparison with healthy controls. Furthermore, HRV and NA instability were inversely related. Finally, in patients, higher NA instability was related to increased pain disability. Conclusions: Current findings support the idea that patients with fibromyalgia are confronted with fluctuating emotions. These results may have important implications for treatment as they provide support for the use of emotion regulation skills training in patients with fibromyalgia to impact upon NA instability. Significance: This study provides novel insight in the link between emotion regulation indices,that is, heart‐rate variability and negative affective (NA) instability, in patients with fibromyalgia, and presents evidence for differences in both emotion regulation indices between patients with fibromyalgia and healthy people. Furthermore, results link increased NA instability with increased levels of daily disability in patients with fibromyalgia. Together, these findings offer support for a key role of emotion regulation in fibromyalgia outcomes, providing pathways for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binge‐watching (i.e., watching multiple episodes of a TV series back‐to‐back) has become standard viewing practice. Yet, this phenomenon has recently generated concerns regarding its potential negative outcomes on the long run. The presumed addictive nature of this behavior has also received increasing scientific interest, with preliminary findings reporting associations between binge‐watching, self‐control impairments, and heightened impulsivity. Nevertheless, previous studies only relied on self‐report data. The current preregistered study therefore investigated whether non‐problematic and problematic binge‐watchers differ not only in self‐report but also in experimental measures of behavioral impulsivity. Based on their viewing characteristics, 60 TV series viewers were allocated to one of three predetermined groups: non‐binge‐watchers, trouble‐free binge‐watchers (absence of negative impact) and problematic binge‐watchers (presence of negative impact). Participants performed tasks assessing response inhibition (Stop‐Signal Task) and impulsive reward seeking (Delay Discounting Task), and completed self‐reported questionnaires on sociodemographics, affect, symptoms of problematic binge‐watching, and impulsive personality traits. According to the preregistered analytic plan, one‐way analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were computed to compare the predetermined groups. With gender being controlled for, no differences were identified in self‐report impulsivity and response inhibition abilities. Trouble‐free binge‐watchers reported higher rates of delay discounting than non‐binge‐watchers. Although preliminary, our results challenge the notion that problematic binge‐watching is characterized by the same neuropsychological impairments as in addictive disorders as, contrary to our preregistered hypotheses, no differences emerged between non‐problematic and problematic binge‐watchers regarding self‐control variables considered as hallmarks of the latter. These results suggest the need for formulating and testing alternative conceptualizations of problematic binge‐watching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have more emotional difficulties than typically developing (TD) children. Of all the factors that impact children's emotional development, parents, and the way they interact with their children, are of crucial importance. The present study compared the amount of parent–child interactions among 35 dyads of parents and their children with ASD and 41 dyads of parents and their TD children, aged between 3 and 13 years, during a frustration‐eliciting situation. We further examined whether children's alexithymia is linked to parent–child interactions and whether parent–child interactions are linked to children's emotional difficulties. We found that parents of children with ASD interacted significantly less with their children than parents of TD children. This reduced interaction was better explained by children's alexithymia than by children's ASD diagnosis. Finally, parent–child interaction mediated the relationship between children's ASD diagnosis and children's emotion regulation ability, as well as some aspects of children's emotional reactivity but only if not accounting for children's alexithymia levels. Our results demonstrate the determinant role children's alexithymia plays on parent–child interactions and on how these interactions are linked to children's difficulties in emotion regulation and emotional reactivity. Results are discussed in light of how parent–child interactions and the emotional ability of children with ASD can be improved by targeting children's alexithymia. Autism Res 2019, 12: 458–468 © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lay Summary: In the present research, we found that parents of children with autism interact less with their children compared to parents of typically developing children. We also found that this decreased interaction is linked to children's difficulties to recognize, describe, and distinguish emotions, a triad of difficulties known as alexithymia. Furthermore, parents' interaction with their children explains emotional reactivity and emotion regulation problems in children with autism. However, if we take into consideration children's alexithymia, then parents' interaction with their children is not related to their children's emotional difficulties in reactivity and regulation. Therefore, to improve the interaction between parents and their children with autism, and the emotional development of these children, we recommend interventions that teach children with autism how to recognize, describe, and distinguish emotions in themselves and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Interoceptive accuracy (IAc), that is, the ability to accurately perceive one's own bodily signals, is widely assumed to be a trait, although experimental manipulations such as stress may affect IAc. We used structural equation modeling to estimate the reliability of IAc, and the proportions of individual differences in IAc, explained by a trait and occasion‐specific effects of situation and person‐situation interactions. We assessed IAc in 59 healthy participants (40 women, MAge = 23.4 years) on three consecutive measurement occasions, approximately 1 week apart, in a rest and poststress condition, using a heartbeat counting and a heartbeat discrimination task. The results showed fair temporal stability (intraclass correlation coefficients ≥ 0.38) and good reliability (Mdn = .63; range .49–.83) for both methods. While around 40% of the variance of a single IAc measurement could be explained by a trait, approximately 27% was accounted for by occasion‐specific effects of situation and person‐situation interaction. These results suggest that IAc measures are relatively consistent and that situations and person‐situation interactions impact IAc as measured at a certain point in time. An aggregation across at least two measurements is recommended when using IAc as a trait variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Autonomic nervous system function is altered in eating disorders. We aimed to quantify differences in resting state vagal activity, indexed by high-frequency heart rate variability comparing patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and healthy controls. Methods A systematic search of the literature to identify studies eligible for inclusion and meta-analytical methods were applied. Meta-regression was used to identify potential covariates. Results Eight studies reporting measures of resting high-frequency heart rate variability in individuals with BN ( n = 137) and controls ( n = 190) were included. Random-effects meta-analysis revealed a sizeable main effect ( Z = 2.22, p = .03; Hedge's g = 0.52, 95% CI [0.06;0.98]) indicating higher resting state vagal activity in individuals with BN. Meta-regression showed that body mass index and medication intake are significant covariates. Discussion Findings suggest higher vagal activity in BN at rest, particularly in unmedicated samples with lower body mass index. Potential mechanisms underlying these findings and implications for routine clinical care are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutritional state (i.e., fasting or nonfasting) may affect the processing of interoceptive signals, but mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. We investigated 16 healthy women on two separate days: when satiated (standardized food intake) and after an 18-h food deprivation period. On both days, heartbeat-evoked potentials ( HEPs) and cardiac and autonomic nervous system activation indices (heart rate, normalized low frequency heart rate variability [ nLF HRV]) were assessed. The HEP is an EEG pattern that is considered an index of cortical representation of afferent cardiovascular signals. Average HEP activity ( R wave +455-595 ms) was enhanced during food deprivation compared to normal food intake. Cardiac activation did not differ between nutritional conditions. Our results indicate that short-term food deprivation amplifies an electrophysiological correlate of the cortical representation of visceral-afferent signals originating from the cardiovascular system. This effect could not be attributed to increased cardiac activation, as estimated by heart rate and nLF HRV, after food deprivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies suggest in line with dual process models that interoceptive skills affect controlled decisions via automatic or implicit processing. The 'framing effect' is considered to capture implicit effects of task-irrelevant emotional stimuli on decision-making. We hypothesized that cardiac awareness, as a measure of interoceptive skills, is positively associated with susceptibility to the framing effect. Forty volunteers performed a risky-choice framing task in which the effect of loss versus gain frames on decisions based on identical information was assessed. The results show a positive association between cardiac awareness and the framing effect, accounting for 24% of the variance in the framing effect. These findings demonstrate that good interoceptive skills are linked to poorer performance in risky choices based on ambivalent information when implicit bias is induced by task-irrelevant emotional information. These findings support a dual process perspective on decision-making and suggest that interoceptive skills mediate effects of implicit bias on decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rumination has been defined as a mode of responding to distress that involves passively focusing one's attention on symptoms of distress without taking action. This dysfunctional response style intensifies depressed mood, impairs interpersonal problem solving, and leads to more pessimistic future perspectives and less social support. As most of these results were obtained from younger people, it remains unclear how age affects ruminative thinking. Three hundred members of the general public ranging in age from 15 to 87 years were asked about their ruminative styles using the Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ), depression and satisfaction with life. A Mokken Scale analysis confirmed the two-factor structure of the RSQ with brooding and reflective pondering as subcomponents of rumination. Older participants (63 years and older) reported less ruminative thinking than other age groups. Life satisfaction was associated with brooding and highest for the earlier and latest life stages investigated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study investigated cognitive mediation of clinical improvement in patients with agoraphobia (N=427) or social phobia (N=98) receiving high-density exposure therapy in a naturalistic clinical treatment setting. Methods: Patients were assessed before therapy, 6 weeks after the end of therapy, and 1 year thereafter, using a self-report assessment battery. Lower level mediation analyses provided support for the notion that cognitive changes partially mediate clinical improvement after exposure therapy. Results: Changes in cognitions relating to physical catastrophes mediated treatment outcome only for patients with agoraphobia, whereas changes in cognitions about loss of control mediated outcome for both agoraphobia and social phobia patients. Changes in relationship satisfaction did not mediate symptomatic improvement. Conclusions: The results extend previous findings by demonstrating mediation in an unselected clinical sample and by providing evidence for the specificity of mediation effects. They further support the importance of cognitive changes in cognitive–behavior therapy. Depression and Anxiety, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore associations between family structure, children's body mass index (BMI), and eating behaviors of children and their mothers. Method: Fifty-seven mothers and their children took part in an experimental study. BMI of children was measured. Mothers were asked to provide self-report data on sociodemographic background, mental health, and eating behaviors about themselves and their children. Parent-child-dyads represented their family structure using the Family System Test. Results: We found negative associations in typical family situations between family hierarchy and children's BMI, mothers' emotional eating and mothers' restrained eating. Family cohesion and restrained eating of the children were also negatively correlated. We obtained positive associations in typical and conflict family situations between family cohesion and external eating of the children. Discussion: We found indications that family structure is associated with overweight and with eating behavior in children and their mothers. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the role of cognitive appraisal in emotional responses. Psychological and physiological reactions to a distressing film; Ratings of psychological distress and physical sensations; Theoretical significance to psychology.