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267 The role of disgust sensitivity in blood-injury fears
Abstracts
/International
Journal
other emotions such as disgust. While research is overwhelmed by studies about the psychophysiology of fear, only little is known about the psychophysiology of disgust. Furthermore, it has been postulated that disgust is not a homogeneous phenomenon, but consists of different domains of disgust elicitors (e.g. body products, death, animals, hygiene, food, envelope violations). If this is true, then physiological responses should also differ between these stimuli domains. We conducted an experiment using a picture perception paradigm with 24 males and 23 females (M = 26.4 years, s = 4.4 years) as participants. Each subject viewed 36 pictures displayed on a computer screen. The presentation time was 8 s. Twelve of the pictures were of neutral content, twelve consisted of blood-phobic material, and twelve of the pictures showed contents of various disgust domains (death, excrements, hygiene, food). During the presentation of the pictures physiological measures such as electrodermal activity (EDA), facial electromyogram (EMG, levator labii muscle region), and heart period were recorded. After the first presentation, subjects viewed the pictures again and rated their emotional state on the dimensions valence, arousal, dominance, and on a disgust scale. Looking for physiological indices of disgust, we correlated the verbal report data with the different physiological parameters. We found the highest correlation (r = 0.70) between the disgust rating and the integrated EMG. Further, the different disgust domains could be most easily distinguished by means of the facial EMG.
267 THE ROLE OF DISGUST BLOOD-INJURY FEARS
SENSITIVITY
IN
A. Schienle*, R. Stark and D. Vaitl Department of Clinical and Physiological Psychology, University of Giessen, Otto-Behaghel-Str. 10, 35394 Giessen, Germany Blood-injury phobia is an atypical specific phobia, as the exposure to fear-relevant stimuli not only provokes psychophysiological symptoms of anxiety, but also symptoms that can be interpreted as disgust responses (e.g. nausea, epigastric discomfort, heart rate deceleration, fainting). In order to investigate the role of disgust sensitivity in blood-injury fears, 23 individuals with high (n = 12) and low blood-injury fears (n = 111 viewed a total of 36 pictures depicting disgusting (12), fear-relevant (12), and neutral scenes (12). Each picture was presented for 8 s while the facial electromyogram (EMG) at the levator labii region as specific indicator of disgust responses, as well as heart rate, and skin conductance were recorded. After the presentation, subjects rated the pictures according to valence, arousal, dominance and disgust induction. Exposure to fear-relevant pictures resulted in a stronger EMG response, higher electrodermal activity, and higher dis-
of Psychophysiolog
30 (1998)
95-271
10.5
gust ratings in the high-fear group compared to the low-fear group. As expected for disgust responses, subjects heart periods increased when looking at blood-injury pictures. However, this increase was greater in the low-fear group. In addition, questionnaire data indicated that subjects with strong bloodinjury fears were characterized by a higher sensitivity for different disgust domains (food, body products, death, sex, hygiene).
268 AFFECTIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO SELF-CONFRONTATION WITH COMPUTER DISPLAYED PROFILE IMAGES N.K. Anderson’,‘, D. Amram’ and D.B. Giddon’* ‘Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA ‘Health Programs Intl., Boston, MA, USA As part of a larger project on the anthropometric bases of self/other perception of faces, a smaller study was undertaken to determine the affective and physiological impact of confrontation with a digitized image of one’s own face. Eighteen male and female students (Ss) from the Harvard Medical/ Dental School, were photographed in profile view. At the first of two sessions, Ss completed questionnaires about face/body image, and mood state. Using PhotoshopTM, four extreme distortions were created from these images: retrusive and protrusive chin and lip, and four distortions midway between the veridical and extreme image. Similar distortions were created for two standard neutral Other faces. Following a mental math task and baseline measures, these distorted and veridical images and were then presented to the Ss in a fixed order with PowerPointTM, in four randomized sequences of Self 1, Self 2, Other 1 and Other 2. Recordings of heart rate (HR) heart rate variability (HRV), amplitude of the blood volume pulse (BVP), and oxygen saturation (02) were obtained simultaneously with a SpaceLabsTM pulse oximeter. Concurrently, Ss indicated their affective states from relaxed to tense, concerned to unconcerned and pleasant to unpleasant, on a Likert Scale for each of the stimulus images. All Ss responded to the math task. Consistent with a response hierarchy, each Ss had his own specific pattern of physiologic responses to the self images; i.e., some decreased HR and increased BVP others increased HRV with unchanged BVP, or increased (HR) and decreased BVP; which when averaged across Ss yielded no significant differences. 02 saturation was unchanged. The subjective responses within and between Ss were directly related to the magnitude of the Self distortions and significantly different from the responses to the Other distortions. The clinical significance of these findings is that patients do respond to heretofore unseen profile images of their own face; which may also influence subsequent pcrceptions. Partially supported by NIH/NIDR R44DE02G2 and Health Programs International Inc.
/International
Journal
other emotions such as disgust. While research is overwhelmed by studies about the psychophysiology of fear, only little is known about the psychophysiology of disgust. Furthermore, it has been postulated that disgust is not a homogeneous phenomenon, but consists of different domains of disgust elicitors (e.g. body products, death, animals, hygiene, food, envelope violations). If this is true, then physiological responses should also differ between these stimuli domains. We conducted an experiment using a picture perception paradigm with 24 males and 23 females (M = 26.4 years, s = 4.4 years) as participants. Each subject viewed 36 pictures displayed on a computer screen. The presentation time was 8 s. Twelve of the pictures were of neutral content, twelve consisted of blood-phobic material, and twelve of the pictures showed contents of various disgust domains (death, excrements, hygiene, food). During the presentation of the pictures physiological measures such as electrodermal activity (EDA), facial electromyogram (EMG, levator labii muscle region), and heart period were recorded. After the first presentation, subjects viewed the pictures again and rated their emotional state on the dimensions valence, arousal, dominance, and on a disgust scale. Looking for physiological indices of disgust, we correlated the verbal report data with the different physiological parameters. We found the highest correlation (r = 0.70) between the disgust rating and the integrated EMG. Further, the different disgust domains could be most easily distinguished by means of the facial EMG.
267 THE ROLE OF DISGUST BLOOD-INJURY FEARS
SENSITIVITY
IN
A. Schienle*, R. Stark and D. Vaitl Department of Clinical and Physiological Psychology, University of Giessen, Otto-Behaghel-Str. 10, 35394 Giessen, Germany Blood-injury phobia is an atypical specific phobia, as the exposure to fear-relevant stimuli not only provokes psychophysiological symptoms of anxiety, but also symptoms that can be interpreted as disgust responses (e.g. nausea, epigastric discomfort, heart rate deceleration, fainting). In order to investigate the role of disgust sensitivity in blood-injury fears, 23 individuals with high (n = 12) and low blood-injury fears (n = 111 viewed a total of 36 pictures depicting disgusting (12), fear-relevant (12), and neutral scenes (12). Each picture was presented for 8 s while the facial electromyogram (EMG) at the levator labii region as specific indicator of disgust responses, as well as heart rate, and skin conductance were recorded. After the presentation, subjects rated the pictures according to valence, arousal, dominance and disgust induction. Exposure to fear-relevant pictures resulted in a stronger EMG response, higher electrodermal activity, and higher dis-
of Psychophysiolog
30 (1998)
95-271
10.5
gust ratings in the high-fear group compared to the low-fear group. As expected for disgust responses, subjects heart periods increased when looking at blood-injury pictures. However, this increase was greater in the low-fear group. In addition, questionnaire data indicated that subjects with strong bloodinjury fears were characterized by a higher sensitivity for different disgust domains (food, body products, death, sex, hygiene).
268 AFFECTIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO SELF-CONFRONTATION WITH COMPUTER DISPLAYED PROFILE IMAGES N.K. Anderson’,‘, D. Amram’ and D.B. Giddon’* ‘Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA ‘Health Programs Intl., Boston, MA, USA As part of a larger project on the anthropometric bases of self/other perception of faces, a smaller study was undertaken to determine the affective and physiological impact of confrontation with a digitized image of one’s own face. Eighteen male and female students (Ss) from the Harvard Medical/ Dental School, were photographed in profile view. At the first of two sessions, Ss completed questionnaires about face/body image, and mood state. Using PhotoshopTM, four extreme distortions were created from these images: retrusive and protrusive chin and lip, and four distortions midway between the veridical and extreme image. Similar distortions were created for two standard neutral Other faces. Following a mental math task and baseline measures, these distorted and veridical images and were then presented to the Ss in a fixed order with PowerPointTM, in four randomized sequences of Self 1, Self 2, Other 1 and Other 2. Recordings of heart rate (HR) heart rate variability (HRV), amplitude of the blood volume pulse (BVP), and oxygen saturation (02) were obtained simultaneously with a SpaceLabsTM pulse oximeter. Concurrently, Ss indicated their affective states from relaxed to tense, concerned to unconcerned and pleasant to unpleasant, on a Likert Scale for each of the stimulus images. All Ss responded to the math task. Consistent with a response hierarchy, each Ss had his own specific pattern of physiologic responses to the self images; i.e., some decreased HR and increased BVP others increased HRV with unchanged BVP, or increased (HR) and decreased BVP; which when averaged across Ss yielded no significant differences. 02 saturation was unchanged. The subjective responses within and between Ss were directly related to the magnitude of the Self distortions and significantly different from the responses to the Other distortions. The clinical significance of these findings is that patients do respond to heretofore unseen profile images of their own face; which may also influence subsequent pcrceptions. Partially supported by NIH/NIDR R44DE02G2 and Health Programs International Inc.