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The current study aims to develop an efficient, reliable and valid assessment, the affective states for online learning scale (ASOLS), for measuring learners’ affective states during online learning using a sample of 173 young learners. The assessment consists of 15 items which assess five affective states, including concentration, motivation, perseverance, engagement, and self-initiative. To improve efficiency, five items (one for each affective state) are randomly selected and presented every 30 min during online learning. In addition, 14 among the participants were further invited to perform on-site online learning, and their affective states were validated by observations conducted by two psychologists. The ASOLS was found to be reliable and valid, with high internal consistency reliabilities and good construct, convergent and criterion validity. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the hypothesized five-factor structure demonstrated a satisfactory fit to the data. Moreover, engagement was found to be positively associated with learning performance. Our findings suggest that the ASOLS provides a useful tool for teachers to identify students in upper primary and junior secondary schools with deficits in affective states and offer appropriate remedy or support. It can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at enhancing students’ affective states during online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore positive and negative emotional experiences during the performance of daily occupations in Persons with Parkinson Disease (PwPD). This cross-sectional study included 32 PwPD and 14 healthy older adults. Participants completed three questionnaires that measured emotional experiences during daily occupations, subjective cognitive complaints, and quality of life. PwPD experienced higher rates of negative affect during all occupations. Lower rates of positive affect were found only during personal care tasks. Additionally, experiences of daily negative affect were positively associated with subjective cognitive complaints and negatively associated with quality of life. Different rates of positive and negative affect are experienced by PwPD during daily occupations. The experience of daily emotions has implications for understanding emotional processing in neurological populations. Occupational therapy practitioners should consider the role of emotions when providing occupation-based interventions for PwPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affect is known to be predictive of and enhanced by higher physical activity (PA) levels in the general population. This secondary analysis aimed to increase the understanding of the bi-directional relationship between PA and core affect (i.e. valence, energetic arousal, and calmness) among adults with higher body weight. Affect and PA were assessed in naturalistic settings via ecological momentary assessment using a mixed sampling scheme from 157 participants (body mass index: 32.99 ± 3.78 kg/m2). Multilevel models revealed that being more physically active in the 15 minutes prior to the assessment predicted an increase in energetic arousal and a decrease in calmness. Subsequently, feeling more energetic and agitated was associated with increased PA within the following 15 minutes. Valence (i.e. pleasure–displeasure) was not associated with PA nor predictive of subsequent PA. Digital PA interventions may target the enhancement of feelings of energy and present psychoeducation about these distinct psychological benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions are dynamic processes; their variability relates to psychological well-being and psychopathology. Affective alterations have been linked to mental diseases like depression, although little is known about how similar patterns occur in healthy individuals. This study investigates the psychophysiological correlations of emotional processing in healthy subjects, specifically exploring the relationship between depressive traits, cognitive distortions, and facial electromyographic (f-EMG) responses during affective transitions. A cohort of 44 healthy participants underwent f-EMG recording while viewing emotional images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Self-report measures included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Cognitive Distortion Scale (CDS). Higher BDI scores were associated with increased EMG activity in the corrugator muscle during transitions between positive and negative emotional states. Cognitive distortions such as Catastrophizing, All-or-Nothing Thinking, and Minimization showed significant positive correlations with EMG activity, indicating that individuals with higher levels of these distortions experienced greater facial muscle activation during emotional transitions. This study's results indicate that there is a bidirectional correlation between depressed features and cognitive distortions and alterations in facial emotional processing, even in healthy subjects. Facial EMG in the context of dynamic affective transitions has the potential to be used as a non-invasive method for detecting abnormal emotional reactions at an early stage. This might help in identifying individuals who are at risk of developing depression and guide therapies to prevent its advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The current study aims to develop an efficient, reliable and valid assessment, the affective states for online learning scale (ASOLS), for measuring learners’ affective states during online learning using a sample of 173 young learners. The assessment consists of 15 items which assess five affective states, including concentration, motivation, perseverance, engagement, and self-initiative. To improve efficiency, five items (one for each affective state) are randomly selected and presented every 30 min during online learning. In addition, 14 among the participants were further invited to perform on-site online learning, and their affective states were validated by observations conducted by two psychologists. The ASOLS was found to be reliable and valid, with high internal consistency reliabilities and good construct, convergent and criterion validity. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the hypothesized five-factor structure demonstrated a satisfactory fit to the data. Moreover, engagement was found to be positively associated with learning performance. Our findings suggest that the ASOLS provides a useful tool for teachers to identify students in upper primary and junior secondary schools with deficits in affective states and offer appropriate remedy or support. It can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at enhancing students’ affective states during online learning.

Objective: Although literature implicates feeling fat in the maintenance of binge‐spectrum eating disorders (EDs; e.g., bulimia nervosa, binge‐ED), research in this area is small, nascent, and relies on retrospective self‐report. The current study sought to understand the temporal pattern of feeling fat and its role as a precipitant and consequence of ED behaviors. Methods: Totally 106 treatment‐seeking adults with binge‐spectrum EDs completed 7–14‐day ecological momentary assessments. They rated feeling fat, negative affect states, and reported on ED behaviors six times per day. Multilevel models evaluated whether feeling fat mediates prospective links between negative affect states and ED behaviors, assessed if negative affect states mediate the prospective association of feeling fat on ED behaviors, and examined the bidirectional prospective association between feeling fat and ED behaviors. Results: Feeling fat was highest in the early morning (6–8:59 a.m.). Individuals with binge‐ED‐spectrum EDs demonstrated greater variability in feeling fat than those with bulimia nervosa‐spectrum EDs who had stable and high levels of feeling fat. Guilt, sadness, anxiety, and the overall NA at Time 2 mediated the prospective associations between at Time 1 feeling fat and Time 3 dietary restraint, actual dietary restriction, and compensatory exercise. There was a bidirectional prospective association between feeling fat and binge eating. Discussion: Feeling fat serves as a proximal predictor and mediator of the prospective association between guilt and binge eating. Feeling fat and binge eating mutually reinforce each other. Public Significance: Little is understood regarding the experience of feeling fat in natural environments among individuals with binge‐spectrum eating disorders. We found that the risk for having the experience of feeling fat is high in the morning and evening. Feeling fat triggers guilt, anxiety, and sadness which in turn, increases engagement in dietary restraint/restriction and compensatory exercise. Feeling fat also triggers binge eating, and binge eating leads to feelings of fatness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As students' affective states can differ between learning that occurs in traditional classrooms when compared with learning that takes place in extended reality and immersive learning environments, it is important to examine the role of affective computing. Therefore, this study aims to provide an overview regarding the use of affective computing in the context of augmented reality, virtual reality, and immersive learning environments and the metaverse. Hence, it examines and presents the state of the art through a review and bibliometric analysis of 188 documents of the existing literature from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) from 2005 to 2023. The study follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement to identify and select relevant to the topic documents. In addition to the analysis of the existing literature, emerging topics and themes are identified and future research directions are presented. The significant role of affective computing within augmented reality and virtual reality environments arose. Their ability to offer engaging and interactive learning experiences while also being able to recognize, monitor, and respond to students' affective states and to consider their emotions, personalities, characteristics, knowledge, and preferences to provide adaptive and personalized learning was evident. Additionally, their potential to enrich educational activities, increase learning outcomes, and support special education emerged. When augmented reality, virtual reality, and immersive learning environments capitalize on affective computing, meaningful learning can occur and self-regulated learning can be promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driving, as a multifaceted daily task, is intricately intertwined with our emotional states. However, the integration of affective states into driving research is conspicuously lacking in the existing literature. The primary goal of this study is to systematically examine and elucidate the relationship between these affective states and driving actions, with a particular focus on driving behavior. The review synthesizes findings from 21 articles that specifically address the interplay between emotional states and driving behaviors. Despite the complexity and variability of the relationship between emotional states and driving, the review highlights that both positive and negative affect are associated with risky and reckless driving behaviors. The synthesis of findings presented in this review serves as a comprehensive and holistic overview of affect-integrated driving studies. Based on the findings, future intervention techniques, such as in-vehicle assistance systems, could be developed to assist drivers in managing their emotional states while driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas grandiose narcissism has generally been found to be related to adaptive affective experiences (i.e., positive affective states), many theoretical conceptualizations have emphasized its associations with characteristics of low affective well-being (i.e., unstable, highly variable affective states). Empirical research on the association of grandiose narcissism with the mean level of and variability in affective states has been inconclusive, as studies have differed considerably in their conceptualizations and measurement of narcissism and affect dynamics and have suffered from methodological limitations. Here, we offer conceptual explanations for previously inconsistent findings, derive diverging hypotheses about different aspects of narcissism and affective well-being, and investigate these hypotheses in two daily diary and three experience-sampling data sets (overall N = 2,125; total measurements = 116,336). As hypothesized, we found diverging associations between agentic and antagonistic aspects of narcissism with affect levels: Whereas narcissistic admiration was related to more pleasant affective states, narcissistic rivalry was related to less pleasant ones. We also obtained some support for diverging effects of admiration and rivalry on affect variability. However, these associations were largely reduced when we corrected for (squared) mean levels of affective valence and arousal. In combination, these findings suggest that only the agentic aspect of grandiose narcissism is conducive to affective well-being, whereas its antagonistic aspect negatively influences affective well-being. Moreover, the assumed associations of grandiose narcissism with volatile affectivity seem to rely heavily on mean-level effects and primarily manifest in experiences of more diverse affective states rather than stronger or more frequent affective fluctuations in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have intimated that cognitions and emotions can change in the lead up to important events. However, previous research has adopted atemporal cross‐sectional designs, making it challenging to understand how cognitions and emotions unfold in the lead up to a competition. In the current study, we extended previous research by examining the temporal patterns of cognitive appraisals, irrational beliefs, and challenge and threat evaluations in predicting pre‐competitive affective states (hedonic balance and anxiety) in the lead up to an actual competition, among competitive elite Indian golfers (N = 107). We adopted a within‐subjects repeated‐measures design and collected data in the lead up to an actual golf tournament, at three timepoints; 1 week before (T1), the night before (T2), and an hour prior (T3). Self‐reported measures of cognitive appraisals, irrational beliefs, challenge and threat evaluations, affect, and anxiety were completed. Also, objective golf performance was collected from participants. Crossed‐lagged path analysis did not find a causal effect for irrational beliefs on any of the variables across the three time points. On the other hand, hierarchical multiple regression analysis determined that changes in irrational beliefs predicted changes in cognitive appraisals, threat evaluation, cognitive and somatic anxiety, and the directional interpretation of anxiety. The findings of temporal patterns in the current research indicated that sport psychologists should consider the dynamic nature of antecedent cognitions and affective states in the lead up to competition, and accordingly provide adequate support to the athletes. Further, limitations and future research is discussed with reference to the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Game platforms have different impacts on player experience in terms of affective states and workloads. By studying these impacts, we can uncover detailed aspects of the gaming experience. Traditionally, understanding player experience has relied on subjective methods, such as self-reported surveys, where players reflect on their experience and effort levels. However, complementing these subjective measures with electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis introduces an objective approach to assessing player experience. In this study, we examined player experiences across PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Meta Quest 2. Using a mixed-methods approach, we merged subjective user assessments with EEG data to investigate brain activity, affective states, and workload during low- and high-stimulation games. We recruited 30 participants to play two games across three platforms. Our findings reveal that there is a statistically significant difference between these three platforms for seven out of nine experience factors. Also, three platforms have different impacts on play experience and brain activity. Additionally, we utilized a linear model to associate player experience aspects such arousal, frustration, and mental workload with different brain regions using EEG data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A meditative ‘technique’ is conceived as a continuum of different affective states involving mind and body jointly. Meditative practices can involve cognitive effort (e.g., focused attention and open-minded techniques), as well as automatic and implicit practices (e.g., transcendental techniques). The NGALSO tantric self-healing meditation technique is a brief, comprehensive meditation technique relying on mind and body connection. In this study, we aimed to investigate the state and the trait neurophysiological correlates of NGALSO meditation practice. First, 19 EEG channels and a 3-lead ECG signal were recorded from 10 expert meditators (more than 7 years of daily meditation) and 10 healthy inexpert participants (controls) who underwent the same meditative procedure. The neuropsychological profiles of experts and controls were compared. Results showed that expert meditators had significantly higher power spectra on alpha, theta and beta, and a higher sympathetic tone with lower parasympathetic tone after meditation. Conversely, the control group had significantly less power spectra on alpha, theta and beta, and a higher parasympathetic tone with lower sympathetic tone after meditation. A machine learning approach also allowed us to classify experts vs. controls correctly by using only EEG Theta bands before or after meditation. ECG results allowed us to show a significantly higher effort by expert meditators vs. controls, thus suggesting that a higher effort is required for this meditation, in line with the principle ‘no pain, no gain’ in body and mind.

Background: Gambling Disorder (GD) is a bio-psycho-social disorder resulting from the interaction of clinical, cognitive, and affective factors. Impulsivity is a crucial factor in addiction studies, as it is closely linked to cognitive distortions in GD by encompassing impulsive choices, motor responses, decision-making, and cognitive biases. Also, emotions, mood, temperament, and affective state are crucial in developing and maintaining GD. Gambling can be used as a maladaptive coping strategy to avoid or escape problems and distress. Methods: The aim of the present study is to explore differences in personality traits and emotion regulation of people suffering from GD, substance-dependent gamblers (SDGs), and healthy controls (HCs). Additionally, the study proposes a new experimental task: the "Gambling Affective Task" (GAT) to investigate the influence of affective priming on risk-taking behaviors. Results: Our findings indicate that participants placed lower bets following positive priming. Additionally, SDGs wagered significantly higher amounts than HCs, regardless of priming type. In general, participants exhibited longer response times after positive priming trials, compared to negative and neutral priming trials. These findings suggest that experiencing positive emotions can act as a protective factor by delaying and lengthening gambling behaviors. By comparing gamblers with and without substance comorbidity, we can gain insight into the exclusive factors of GD and improve our understanding of this disorder. Conclusions: By elucidating the impact of emotional states on risk-taking, the research also provides new insights into the prevention and treatment of GD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on self-determination theory and Schwartz's refined theory of basic individual values, the aim of the study was to examine whether adolescents' personal values might be moderating the relationship between coaches' perceptions of interpersonal styles, and the affect they experience in relation to their basketball practice. A sample of 233 Spanish male basketball players between 13 and 14 years of age (M = 13.97, SD = 0.18) who were participating in a national competition were assessed. The Spanish versions of the Sport Climate Questionnaire (SCQ), the Controlling Coach Behaviors Scale (CCBS), the Portrait Values Questionnaire-Revised (PVQ-R) and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) were used to measure the variables of interest. Results reveal that for players who prioritize self-enhancement values, perceiving their coach as autonomy-supportive significantly reduces their negative affect. Moreover, prioritizing self-transcendence values neutralizes the positive effect of a controlling style on negative affect. This study highlights the relevance of identifying personal values in order to enhance positive affective states. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance for coaches to work using more autonomy-supportive strategies and avoid working with the use of controlling behaviors to promote positive affect and to prevent negative affect in order to avoid possible dropout from the sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overuse injuries, which have a high prevalence in sport, are suggested to result in different affective responses in comparison to traumatic injuries. Affects may also reciprocally act as risk factors for overuse injury. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between overuse injury and affects within a longitudinal follow‐up design. Competitive athletes (N = 149) of various sports and levels of competition completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse injury questionnaire (OSTRC‐O) once a week over 10 consecutive weeks. Bivariate unconditional latent curve model analyses with structured residuals were performed to evaluate the associations within and across weeks between OSTRC‐O severity score and affects. Results indicated that OSTRC‐O severity score and positive affects (PA) had a statistically significant negative within‐week relation (r = −24.51, 95% CI = [−33.9, −15.1], p < 0.001). Higher scores of overuse injury were significantly related to lower levels of PA across weeks (ß = −0.02, 95% CI = [−0.04, −0.001], p = 0.044), while the reciprocal effect of PA on overuse injury was not significant (ß = −0.13, 95% CI = [−0.52, 0.26], p = 0.51). No statistically significant association was observed between OSTRC‐O severity score and negative affects, neither within nor across weeks. Our findings suggest that overuse injury may have adverse psychological consequences on the long run through lessened PA and address the need for providing sustainable psychological support focusing upon such PA when working with athletes experiencing overuse injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people engage in a variety of behaviours that can have an impact on their health and safety, including driving and road accidents, which represent a major health issue today. Emotions, and in particular emotional regulation (ER), interact significantly with key elements of driving behaviour, such as risk perception, decision-making, and attention. We carried out a systematic review considering the presence of an association between emotional (dys)regulation and driving behaviour of young adults (18–25 years). A total of 1849 records were selected for screening and, finally, eight full-text articles were included. Two main findings were found: on the one hand, driving anger, unlike other emotional patterns, emerged as a well-defined cause of impairment among young drivers. On the other hand, drivers' risky behaviour seems to be influenced by a heterogeneous set of factors, such as using specific ER strategies or personality traits (e.g., impulsivity). Expressing one's emotions adaptively, improving the ability to accept and be aware of negative emotions, and controlling impulsive behaviour could reduce driving risks in young drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In social interactions, the reciprocity norm implies to adjust one's behavior to that of the other agents. Conversely, behaving according to self-interest involves taking into account the reciprocity principle only if it does not hinder the achievement of one's goals. However, reciprocity and self-interest may conflict with each other, as when returning a kind action involves sacrificing the possibility to achieve a personal objective. The conflict could be exacerbated by some contextual factors, such as competitive pressures. This study investigated, in a competitive interaction context, which principle prevails when the two conflict. To this end, 276 unpaid participants (M = 138) took part in a two-stage experiment entailing a simulated interaction with a fictitious opponent, which behaved selfishly, fairly or altruistically toward them during the first stage. Participants had to decide whether or not to reciprocate the opponent's previous behavior, which in the critical experimental conditions conflicted with the goal to successfully complete the experiment. So, they were faced with a moral dilemma. Competition degree was manipulated to make the conflict between reciprocity and self-interest more or less harsh. Moreover, we tested whether the putative effect of experimental manipulation was mediated by changes in context-related affective states and personal beliefs about morality. Results showed that decision-making was principally influenced by reciprocity. Regardless of the competition degree, participants preferred to engage in reciprocal behavior even when this compromised their personal interest. Affective states and beliefs changed in response to the experimental manipulation, but they did not mediate the effect of the independent variable on decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meditative 'technique' is conceived as a continuum of different affective states involving mind and body jointly. Meditative practices can involve cognitive effort (e.g., focused attention and open-minded techniques), as well as automatic and implicit practices (e.g., transcendental techniques). The NGALSO tantric self-healing meditation technique is a brief, comprehensive meditation technique relying on mind and body connection. In this study, we aimed to investigate the state and the trait neurophysiological correlates of NGALSO meditation practice. First, 19 EEG channels and a 3-lead ECG signal were recorded from 10 expert meditators (more than 7 years of daily meditation) and 10 healthy inexpert participants (controls) who underwent the same meditative procedure. The neuropsychological profiles of experts and controls were compared. Results showed that expert meditators had significantly higher power spectra on alpha, theta and beta, and a higher sympathetic tone with lower parasympathetic tone after meditation. Conversely, the control group had significantly less power spectra on alpha, theta and beta, and a higher parasympathetic tone with lower sympathetic tone after meditation. A machine learning approach also allowed us to classify experts vs. controls correctly by using only EEG Theta bands before or after meditation. ECG results allowed us to show a significantly higher effort by expert meditators vs. controls, thus suggesting that a higher effort is required for this meditation, in line with the principle 'no pain, no gain' in body and mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily movement-based behaviors and sleep are associated with daily mental health outcomes. However, the associations in older adults remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the same-day association between sleep (duration and quality), physical activity (stepping) and sedentary behaviors (sitting and lying), and affect (positive and negative affect) among older adults using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). The data collection period was 14 consecutive days. Sleep logs collected sleep duration, while smartphone surveys collected sleep quality and momentary affects. The ActivPAL4 accelerometers computed daily sedentary and physical activity (PA) times. Affects were regressed on the sleep and movement-based behaviors using two separate mixed-effects models, controlling for demographics. Ninety older adults were included in the analysis: female (n = 56, 62%), white (n = 71, 79%) age (M = 68.16 yrs, SD = 6.47), sedentary time (M = 10.13 hrs/day, SD = 2.00), PA time (M = 1.60 hrs/day, SD = 0.65), sleep duration (M = 8.25 hrs/day, SD = 1.39), and sleep quality (M = 6.92/day, SD = 1.39). More sedentary, PA time, and better sleep quality than usual on a given day were associated with both lower negative affect (bs range = -0.18 – -0.02, ps range = .001 – .025) and higher positive affect (bs range = 0.05 – 0.14, p < .001). The longer sleep duration than usual on a given day was associated with lower negative affect (b = -0.06, p < .001). Participants with overall higher sleep quality than others experienced lower negative affect (b = -0.33, p = .025) and higher positive affect (b = 0.40, p < .001) across the study period. Our findings indicated that spending more time in any movements beyond the daily routine and better sleep quality may benefit older adults’ psychological well-being by enhancing positive affect and reducing negative affect.

The success of the animal in coping with challenges, and in harnessing opportunities to thrive, is central to its welfare. Functional capacity describes the capacity of molecules, cells, organs, body systems, the whole animal, and its community to buffer against the impacts of environmental perturbations. This buffering capacity determines the ability of the animal to maintain or regain functions in the face of environmental perturbations, which is recognised as resilience. The accuracy of physiological regulation and the maintenance of homeostatic balance underwrite the dynamic stability of outcomes such as biorhythms, feed intake, growth, milk yield, and egg production justifying their assessment as indicators of resilience. This narrative review examines the influence of environmental enrichments, especially during developmental stages in young animals, in building functional capacity and in its subsequent expression as resilience. Experience of enriched environments can build skills and competencies across multiple functional domains including but not limited to behaviour, immunity, and metabolism thereby increasing functional capacity and facilitating resilience within the context of challenges such as husbandry practices, social change, and infection. A quantitative method for measuring the distributed property of functional capacity may improve its assessment. Methods for analysing embedded energy (emergy) in ecosystems may have utility for this goal. We suggest functional capacity provides the common thread that links environmental enrichments with an ability to express resilience and may provide a novel and useful framework for measuring and reporting resilience. We conclude that the development of functional capacity and its subsequent expression as resilience is an aspect of positive animal welfare. The emergence of resilience from system dynamics highlights a need to shift from the study of physical and mental states to the study of physical and mental dynamics to describe the positive dimension of animal welfare.

The study aimed to identify coach behavior profiles and explore whether athletes from distinct profiles significantly differed on coping and affects experienced within 2 hr before the competition and during the competition (measuring them 2 hr after the competition). A sample of 306 French athletes (Mage = 22.24; SD = 4.91; 194 men and 112 women) participated in the study. The results revealed the emergence of two profiles: (a) a coaching engaged profile that stands out for moderate physical training and planning, technical skills, mental preparation, goal setting, competition strategies, personal rapport, and moderate negative personal rapport; and (b) a less engaged coaching profile with low physical training and planning, technical skills, mental preparation, goal setting, competition strategies, personal rapport, and moderate negative personal rapport. Memberships of coach behavior profiles were not confounded by athletes' practice experience, athlete's gender, and coach experience. Results of latent profile analyses with Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem method (BCH) method revealed that coping and affective states significantly differed across the coach behavior profiles. As a whole, the less engaged coaching profile engenders the worst outcomes in competition. In conclusion, the detection of less adaptive coaching profiles would be crucial to prevent negative outcomes in athletes during the competition. This might be using intervention programs adapted to the peculiarities of athletes from a particular coach behavior profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this 14-day study, we tested whether Latinx adolescents' (Mage  = 12.76 years, 52% female; 52% U.S. born; N = 21) and parents' (95% female; 24% U.S. born) daily discrimination experiences were associated with their own and other's daily affective states. Results indicated that on days when adolescents reported discrimination, they reported higher negative affect and marginally lower positive affect and, interestingly, parents reported higher positive affect. On average (i.e., across the 2-week period), adolescents' discrimination was associated with higher adolescent negative affect and lower parent positive affect. Together, findings suggest that Latinx adolescents' discrimination experiences are linked to their own affective states and their parents'. Results underscore how discrimination is linked to the affective states present in family contexts.

There is a critical need to develop and validate non-invasive animal-based indicators of affective states in livestock species, in order to integrate them into on-farm assessment protocols, potentially via the use of precision livestock farming (PLF) tools. One such promising approach is the use of vocal indicators. The acoustic structure of vocalizations and their functions were extensively studied in important livestock species, such as pigs, horses, poultry, and goats, yet cattle remain understudied in this context to date. Cows were shown to produce two types of vocalizations: low-frequency calls (LF), produced with the mouth closed, or partially closed, for close distance contacts, and open mouth emitted high-frequency calls (HF), produced for long-distance communication, with the latter considered to be largely associated with negative affective states. Moreover, cattle vocalizations were shown to contain information on individuality across a wide range of contexts, both negative and positive. Nowadays, dairy cows are facing a series of negative challenges and stressors in a typical production cycle, making vocalizations during negative affective states of special interest for research. One contribution of this study is providing the largest to date pre-processed (clean from noises) dataset of lactating adult multiparous dairy cows during negative affective states induced by visual isolation challenges. Here, we present two computational frameworks-deep learning based and explainable machine learning based, to classify high and low-frequency cattle calls and individual cow voice recognition. Our models in these two frameworks reached 87.2 and 89.4% accuracy for LF and HF classification, with 68.9 and 72.5% accuracy rates for the cow individual identification, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to explain what it means that bodily expressions are perceivable per se, as Direct Perception (DP) accounts seem to assume. They claim that we have direct access to the mentality of others through the perception of their expressions (§§1-2). And yet, a few issues might render DP's grounds unsteady (§3). To avoid such risk, a more detailed account of how bodily expressions are perceivable can be of help. Our goal is not that of proposing an alternative to the current accounts of DP, but to explore an element of the latter that has been taken for granted: the perceptibility of expressions per se. Our thesis is that bodily expressions are a subset of gestalt structures. To account for this, we deal with what gestalts are (§4.1) and we investigate whether their features can be found in bodily expressions (§4.2). If bodily expressions are a subset of gestalt structures, then they are directly perceived and not inferred from their elements. We claim that conceiving bodily expressions as gestalt structures can give a steadier ground to DP's accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voice highlights important issues in the workplace, but it may be malfunctional if recipients do not possess the adequate mastery to act on the feedback received. Our research draws on the control value theory of emotions to explain how appraisals and affective processes shape employees' adaptive or maladaptive responses to challenge‐oriented voices from their coworkers. We contend that constructive (destructive) coworker voice activates a positive (negative) affective state more strongly in recipients who perceive higher (vs. lower) behavioral control because they will attribute greater personal responsibility over the voice content. We also expect the affective states to predict interpersonal citizenship behavior and work withdrawal behavior more strongly in recipients with lower (vs. higher) emotional control due to their greater susceptibility to the influences of affective states. The results from three‐wave, multi‐source data collected from 307 insurance sales representatives support most of our hypotheses, except that perceived behavioral control does not moderate the link between destructive coworker voice and employee negative affective state. The findings extend voice literature by taking a recipient perspective on how and why they react differently to constructive or destructive coworker voice, and offer practical suggestions for facilitating optimal behavioral responses to coworker voice in an applied setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily movement-based behaviors and sleep are associated with daily mental health outcomes. However, the associations in older adults remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the same-day association between sleep (duration and quality), physical activity (stepping) and sedentary behaviors (sitting and lying), and affect (positive and negative affect) among older adults using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). The data collection period was 14 consecutive days. Sleep logs collected sleep duration, while smartphone surveys collected sleep quality and momentary affects. The ActivPAL4 accelerometers computed daily sedentary and physical activity (PA) times. Affects were regressed on the sleep and movement-based behaviors using two separate mixed-effects models, controlling for demographics. Ninety older adults were included in the analysis: female (푛 = 56, 62%), white (푛 = 71, 79%) age (푀 푀 = 68.16 yrs, 푆퐷 = 6.47), sedentary time (푀 = 10.13 hrs/ day, 푆퐷 = 2.00), PA time (푀 = 1.60 hrs/day, 푆퐷 = 0.65), sleep duration (푀 = 8.25 hrs/day, 푆퐷 = 1.39), and sleep quality (푀 = 6.92/day, 푆퐷 = 1.39). More sedentary, PA time, and better sleep quality than usual on a given day were associated with both lower negative affect (bs range = -0.18 - -0.02, ps range = .001 - .025) and higher positive affect (bs range = 0.05 - 0.14, 푝 < .001). The longer sleep duration than usual on a given day was associated with lower negative affect (b = -0.06, 푝 < .001). Participants with overall higher sleep quality than others experienced lower negative affect (b = -0.33, 푝 = .025) and higher positive affect (b = 0.40, 푝 < .001) across the study period. Our findings indicated that spending more time in any movements beyond the daily routine and better sleep quality may benefit older adults’ psychological well-being by enhancing positive affect and reducing negative affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze how pedagogical practices and affective states during emergency remote teaching influence professors' perspectives on their capabilities and the professor-student relationship. Method: We used a nonexperimental quantitative design, collecting data through an online survey during the first year of the pandemic. Participants were recruited using a non-probability sampling method. A total of 636 university professors from Chilean universities participated. We performed descriptive and correlation analyses between variables. Also, to gain a deeper understanding of the factors influencing perceptions of the professors' competence and the professor-student relationship, we conducted linear regression models. Results: A higher perception of pedagogical competence was related to male professors reporting a high evaluation of teaching quality and a high diversification of assessment strategies. A better professor-student relationship was related to female professors reporting a high level of tutoring activities and activities in which students work collaboratively. Additionally, unpleasant affective states were experienced at a higher rate by younger and female professors. Conclusions: Variables that make up the perception of professor competence and the professor-student relationship were identified, relating to gender and pedagogical practices, such as diversification of assessment strategies, tutoring, and collaborative activities. Implications: The results can guide future institutional actions to improve conditions and establish guidelines for quality virtual education in the post-pandemic scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract Background Despite reporting the positive effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on endurance performance, very few studies have investigated its efficacy in anaerobic short all-out activities. Moreover, there is still no consensus on which brain areas could provide the most favorable effects on different performance modalities. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the effects of anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) targeting the primary motor cortex (M1) or left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on physical performance, psychophysiological responses, and cognitive function in repeated all-out cycling. Methods In this randomized, crossover, and double-blind study, 15 healthy physically active men underwent a-tDCS targeting M1 or the left DLPFC or sham tDCS in separate days before performing three bouts of all-out 30s cycling anaerobic test. a-tDCS was applied using 2 mA for 20 min. Peak power, mean power, fatigue index, and EMG of the quadriceps muscles were measured during each bout. Heart rate, perceived exertion, affective valence, and arousal were recorded two minutes after each bout. Color-word Stroop test and choice reaction time were measured at baseline and after the whole anaerobic test. Results Neither tDCS montage significantly changed peak power, mean power, fatigue index, heart rate, affective valence, arousal, and choice reaction time (p> 0.05). a-tDCS over DLPFC significantly lowered RPE of the first bout (compared to sham; p = 0.048, Δ = -12.5%) and third bout compared to the M1 (p = 0.047, Δ = -12.38%) and sham (p = 0.003, Δ = -10.5%), increased EMG of the Vastus Lateralis muscle during the second (p = 0.016, Δ = + 40.3%) and third bout (p = 0.016, Δ = + 42.1%) compared to sham, and improved the score of color-word Stroop test after the repeated all-out task (p = 0.04, Δ = + 147%). The qualitative affective response (valence and arousal) was also higher under the M1 and DLPFC compared to the sham. Conclusion We concluded that tDCS targeting M1 or DLPFC does not improve repeated anaerobic performance. However, the positive effect of DLPFC montage on RPE, EMG, qualitative affective responses, and cognitive function is promising and paves the path for future research using different tDCS montages to see any possible effects on anaerobic performance. Trial registration This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Razi University (IR.RAZI.REC.1400.023) and registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT id: IRCT20210617051606N5; Registration Date: 04/02/2022).

There is a critical need to develop and validate non-invasive animal-based indicators of affective states in livestock species, in order to integrate them into on-farm assessment protocols, potentially via the use of precision livestock farming (PLF) tools. One such promising approach is the use of vocal indicators. The acoustic structure of vocalizations and their functions were extensively studied in important livestock species, such as pigs, horses, poultry, and goats, yet cattle remain understudied in this context to date. Cows were shown to produce two types of vocalizations: low-frequency calls (LF), produced with the mouth closed, or partially closed, for close distance contacts, and open mouth emitted high-frequency calls (HF), produced for long-distance communication, with the latter considered to be largely associated with negative affective states. Moreover, cattle vocalizations were shown to contain information on individuality across a wide range of contexts, both negative and positive. Nowadays, dairy cows are facing a series of negative challenges and stressors in a typical production cycle, making vocalizations during negative affective states of special interest for research. One contribution of this study is providing the largest to date pre-processed (clean from noises) dataset of lactating adult multiparous dairy cows during negative affective states induced by visual isolation challenges. Here, we present two computational frameworks—deep learning based and explainable machine learning based, to classify high and low-frequency cattle calls and individual cow voice recognition. Our models in these two frameworks reached 87.2 and 89.4% accuracy for LF and HF classification, with 68.9 and 72.5% accuracy rates for the cow individual identification, respectively.

The emotional valence hypothesis suggests an increased left-brain hemisphere activation during positive situations and vice versa during negative situations. Since facial thermal asymmetries may reflect lateralised brain activity, we investigated this in dairy calves subjected to hot-iron disbudding (Disbudded; n = 12) as a model of negative affective states. As affective responses can vary due to previous experiences, we examined whether calves that had (ExpObs; n = 12) and had not (InexObs; n = 12) experienced disbudding differed in their thermal response to a conspecific being disbudded, and whether calf response to the researcher (approaching, moving away, not moving) was associated with thermal asymmetries. We made thermographic recordings of each calf on three days: Day before disbudding (D1); Disbudding day (D2); and Day after disbudding (D3), and at two different times: Disbudding time/1400(T1) and Afternoon/1700(T2). Data were analysed using multilevel models. Calves had warmer left ears on D2 compared to higher temperatures on the right ear on D1, suggesting higher right-hemisphere activity on D2. ExpObs calves had higher left-eye temperatures when observing a conspecific being disbudded (D2×T1) than InexObs calves that had warmer right eyes, but this reversed on the following day (D3×T1). Calves avoiding the researcher had warmer left eyes whereas those approaching him had warmer right eyes, suggesting greater activation of the right hemisphere in the former. This study provides initial evidence of temperature asymmetries when observing or experiencing a negative event. Further work is required to confirm and build upon these early findings. The study highlights the potential for future development of methods using infrared thermography as a proxy measure of affective valence.

Theoretically, affective states have always been conceived as complex phenomena enabling individuals to respond flexibly and dynamically to environmental demands. Methodologically, the novel field of Affect Dynamics has started to analyze affective states as inherently dynamic and interdependent phenomena by focusing on how and why they fluctuate over time. Fluctuations of affective states can also be conceived as a function of individuals’ ability to flexibly modulate their responses according to environmental demands. However, this ability has been sparsely investigated in different disciplines and domains, thus, engendering a plethora of terms and models. In this conceptual analysis, we first aimed to disentangle the puzzle of flexibility by outlining the distinctive cross-domain features of this concept, thus providing a novel comprehensive operationalization. We termed this novel unitary concept “mental flexibility,” the general ability to variably adapt to environmental demands. Then, we outlined the interplay between individuals’ mental flexibility and affect dynamics by proposing a novel psychometric model of affect dynamics, using Markovian chain.

This study examined whether emotions induced by reading before sleep influence sleep quality in young and older adults. Sixty older adults (64–75 years) and 60 young adults (18–35 years) were randomly assigned to three conditions: positive reading, neutral reading, and control. The reading groups read a short story at bedtime, whereas the control group kept its routine. Participants completed measures of affective states, subjective sleep parameters, and self-reported sleep quality related to emotions over 7 consecutive days. Older adults reported much longer sleep latency and lower sleep efficiency than young adults. In both reading conditions, older adults reported reduced sleep latencies compared to the control group. In the positive reading condition, older adults reported an increased sleep duration compared to younger adults and the other conditions. Young and older adults in the positive condition showed better self-reported sleep quality than those in the neutral conditions, regardless of age. Reading at bedtime appears to reduce older adults' time to fall asleep and increase their sleep duration. Positive emotions induced by reading short stories at bedtime seem to be a sleep-promoting factor that improves bedtime and wake time in young and older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 24-week aerobic exercise training program on daily psychological processes and occurrence of stressors in a group of previously physically underactive family caregivers of patients with dementia. As part of the Fitness, Aging, and STress (FAST) randomized controlled trial, 68 participants (F = 55; M = 13) were randomized to either a staff-supported, 24-week aerobic training (N = 34) program or waitlist control (N = 34) group. Approximately 2 weeks prior to randomization, ecological momentary assessments were completed 6 times per day for 7 days and again in the 24th week of the trial to assess exposure to levels of momentary positive affect, negative affect, rumination, control, and the occurrence of stressors throughout the day. These secondary analyses with data from 56 of the participants revealed that the intervention group showed a significantly larger increase in daily positive affect and perceptions of control compared to control participants over the course of the intervention. A treatment effect was also found for negative affect and rumination, whereby both decreased to a greater extent in the intervention group when compared with participants in the control condition. The 24-week aerobic training program had significant impacts on daily psychological processes in family caregivers, deepening our understanding of the robust effects of exercise on mental health.

Abstract Aim We intended to elucidate the relationship between mentalizing capacity and affective states by investigating the mediatory role of emotion dysregulation. Methods A sample of nonclinical Iranian adults (N = 445) completed a battery of online self‐report measures comprising the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Mentalization Scale (MentS), and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Results Correlational analyses demonstrated that self‐ and other‐related mentalizing were significantly and inversely associated with emotion dysregulation, which in turn was strongly linked with positive and negative affects. Using structural equation modeling, the results delineated emotion dysregulation as a mediator between self‐ and other‐related mentalizing and affective states, predicting higher negative and lower positive affects. However, motivation to mentalize failed to predict positive affects and only contributed to lower negative affects directly. Conclusion Mentalizing capacity was found to be indirectly linked with affective states through emotion dysregulation; hence, along with the previously substantiated association between emotion dysregulation and affective states and the partially established relationship between mentalizing capacity and affective states, we propose mentalizing incapacity to be at fault in the development of affective difficulties.

An affective state of a learner in E-learning has gained enormous interest. The prediction of the emotional state of a learner can enhance the outcome of learning by including designated mediation. Many techniques are developed for anticipating emotional states using video, audio, and bio-sensors. Still, examining video, and audio will not confirm secretiveness and is exposed to security issues. Here the creator devises a fusion technique, to be specific Squirrel Search and Rider optimization-grounded Deep LSTM for affect prediction.The Deep LSTM is trained to exercise the new fusion SS-ROA. Then, the SS-ROA-grounded Deep LSTM classifies the states like frustration, confusion, engagement, wrathfulness, and so on. It is based on the interaction log data of the E-learner. In conclusion, the course and student ID, predicted state, test marks, and course completion status are taken as result information to find out the correlations. The new algorithm gives the best performance in comparison to other present methods with the highest prediction accurateness of 0.962 and the most noteworthy connection of 0.379 respectively. After discovering affective states, students may get the advantage of getting real comments from a teacher for improving one's performance during learning. However, such systems should also give feedback about the learner's affective state or passion because it greatly affects the student's encouragement toward better learning.

Bearing in mind the educational process has its cognitive and non-cognitive determinants, this article emphasizes the significance of early childhood educators' emotions in their work with children and focuses on the analysis of their positivity. A total of 152 pre-service and in-service early childhood educators participated in this study. The participants self-evaluated using the Positive and Negative Affective Schedule scale daily for 13 days. The results showed that participants most frequently felt interested, active, determined, and awake. They felt ashamed and hostile the least frequently. Therefore, they experienced more positive emotions than negative ones with a relatively high positivity ratio. The pre-service educators experienced negative emotions more frequently and had a lower positivity ratio than in-service educators. This article emphasizes the importance of providing support to pre- and in-service early childhood educators in the domain of their affective states during their initial education and professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite reporting the positive effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on endurance performance, very few studies have investigated its efficacy in anaerobic short all-out activities. Moreover, there is still no consensus on which brain areas could provide the most favorable effects on different performance modalities. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the effects of anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) targeting the primary motor cortex (M1) or left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on physical performance, psychophysiological responses, and cognitive function in repeated all-out cycling. Methods: In this randomized, crossover, and double-blind study, 15 healthy physically active men underwent a-tDCS targeting M1 or the left DLPFC or sham tDCS in separate days before performing three bouts of all-out 30s cycling anaerobic test. a-tDCS was applied using 2 mA for 20 min. Peak power, mean power, fatigue index, and EMG of the quadriceps muscles were measured during each bout. Heart rate, perceived exertion, affective valence, and arousal were recorded two minutes after each bout. Color-word Stroop test and choice reaction time were measured at baseline and after the whole anaerobic test. Results: Neither tDCS montage significantly changed peak power, mean power, fatigue index, heart rate, affective valence, arousal, and choice reaction time (p> 0.05). a-tDCS over DLPFC significantly lowered RPE of the first bout (compared to sham; p=0.048, Δ=-12.5%) and third bout compared to the M1 (p=0.047, Δ=-12.38%) and sham (p=0.003, Δ=-10.5%), increased EMG of the Vastus Lateralis muscle during the second (p=0.016, Δ= +40.3%) and third bout (p=0.016, Δ= +42.1%) compared to sham, and improved the score of color-word Stroop test after the repeated all-out task (p=0.04, Δ= +147%). The qualitative affective response (valence and arousal) was also higher under the M1 and DLPFC compared to the sham. Conclusion: We concluded that tDCS targeting M1 or DLPFC does not improve repeated anaerobic performance. However, the positive effect of DLPFC montage on RPE, EMG, qualitative affective responses, and cognitive function is promising and paves the path for future research using different tDCS montages to see any possible effects on anaerobic performance. Trial registration: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Razi University (IR.RAZI.REC.1400.023) and registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT id: IRCT20210617051606N5; Registration Date: 04/02/2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of flow, a state of complete absorption in an intrinsically rewarding activity, has played a pivotal role in advancing notions of human well‐being beyond minimising suffering towards promoting flourishing and thriving. While flow has played a fundamental role in human positive psychology, it has not yet been explored in non‐human animals, leaving an enormous void in our understanding of intrinsic motivation in animals. As ethology and related fields keep progressing in uncovering complex cognitive and affective capacities of non‐human animals, we propose the time is ripe to translate the concept of flow to animals. We start by embedding flow in the topic of intrinsic motivation and describe its impact on positive human psychology and potentially positive animal welfare. We then disambiguate flow from related concepts discussed in the animal literature. Next, we derive experimental approaches in animals from the canonical characteristics of flow in humans and provide guidelines for both inducing and assessing flow by focusing on two characteristics that do not necessarily depend on self‐report, namely resistance to distraction and time distortion. Not all aspects of the human flow experience are (yet) translatable, but those that are may improve quality of life in captive non‐human animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]