Musical sonification therapy is a new technique that can reinforce conventional rehabilitation treatments by increasing therapy intensity and engagement through challenging and motivating exercises. ...The aim of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility and validity of the SonicHand protocol, a new training and assessment method for the rehabilitation of hand function. The study was conducted in 15 healthy individuals and 15 stroke patients. The feasibility of implementation of the training protocol was tested in stroke patients only, who practiced a series of exercises concurrently to music sequences produced by specific movements. The assessment protocol evaluated hand motor performance during pronation/supination, wrist horizontal flexion/extension, and hand grasp without sonification. From hand position data, 15 quantitative parameters were computed evaluating mean velocity, movement smoothness, and angular excursions of hand/fingers. We validated this assessment in terms of its ability to discriminate between patients and healthy subjects, test-retest reliability and concurrent validity with the upper limb section of the Fugl-Meyer scale (FM), the functional independence measure (FIM), and the Box and Block Test (BBT). All patients showed a good understanding of the assigned tasks and were able to correctly execute the proposed training protocol, confirming its feasibility. A moderate-to-excellent intraclass correlation coefficient was found in 8/15 computed parameters. The moderate-to-strong correlation was found between the measured parameters and the clinical scales. The SonicHand training protocol is feasible and the assessment protocol showed good to excellent between-group discrimination ability, reliability, and concurrent validity, thus enabling the implementation of new personalized and motivating training programs employing sonification for the rehabilitation of hand function.
The current study investigated how “health” messages are marketed to men and women on the newsstand covers of two magazines published under the same brand name and by the same company in the United ...States (Rodale, Incorporated). Fifty-four covers of
Men
’
s Health
and
Women
’
s Health
magazine, published between 2006 and 2011, were content analyzed. All captions were coded for message theme, and prominent captions (the caption that covered the greatest amount of surface area on the page) were categorized for type of frame used. The number of objectifying phrases (phrases emphasizing the human body as an object for observation rather than a body with capabilities) used within prominent captions on covers was quantified. Cover portrait images were also assessed for whether models were partially or fully clothed. Findings demonstrated that
Men
’
s
and
Women
’
s Health
were equally likely to display objectifying statements on their covers, but
Women
’
s Health
covers promoted more feminine beauty/thin-ideal messages than
Men
’
s Health
covers; whereas
Men
’
s Health
covers promoted muscularity more than
Women
’
s Health
covers. None of the prominent captions were categorized as reflecting health-related frames for either magazine type. Overall, cover captions fit traditional gender-role stereotypes. Implications are discussed.
Despite their widespread use during the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks hinder abilities to interpret facial expressions. Yet, they can also reduce the appearance of characteristics that are used to ...categorize individuals into racial groups, such as Afrocentric features. The color of a face mask might also promote associations with certain types of behavior and professional occupations (e.g., blue surgical mask connoting physician stereotypes; black masks potentially being associated with criminality). This study assessed whether the presence and color of a face mask impacted perceptions of a target male of varying race. White participants (N = 250) were presented with an African American or White male adult face from the Chicago Face Database (of equal age and attractiveness) wearing a blue or black surgical mask, or no mask (Photoshopped onto the face) and rated the man on emotions (happy, sad, angry) as well as how trustworthy, threatening, and attractive the target appeared. Targets wearing a blue surgical mask were judged as more trustworthy and attractive than those wearing no mask (perhaps due to association with medical professions), but these judgements were not qualified by race, despite the African American target's selection based on Afrocentric features. The color black on a face mask did not exacerbate negative perceptions of targets, perhaps suggesting a decline effect in previously demonstrated associations between this color and criminal actions. Unlike previous research performed at the beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic on cloth masks shown to potentially exacerbate racial biases, surgical masks (pleated and made of polymeric materials), appear to lessen potential stereotyping of Black relative to White men.
The results of research investigating the effects of violent videogames have been inconsistent. Some evidence suggests that exposure to violent videogames decreases physiological arousal and results ...in desensitization to subsequent exposure to violent stimuli. Other research does not support these findings. This study examined physiological and affective desensitization to violent videogame play. Participants played a violent or non-violent videogame and then viewed aggressive, pleasant, and neutral images. Participants’ negative affect in response to the images was assessed by examining activity in the brow muscle region (i.e., corrugator supercilii), heart rate (HR), self-reported affect, and self-reported arousal. Based on previous research regarding the General Aggression Model (GAM), we expected that participants who played the violent videogame would demonstrate desensitization as evidenced by less reactivity in the corrugator supercilii region and less HR reactivity in response to violent images than participants who played the nonviolent videogame. We also expected that participants who played the violent videogame would rate the aggressive images as less aversive than those who played the nonviolent game. Contrary to our expectations, the findings were not consistent with the hypotheses based on the GAM.
•Examined physiological and affective desensitization to one violent videogame.•Participants played a (non)violent videogame then looked at aggressive images.•Examined physiological and affective desensitization to one violent video game.•Participants did not differ in self-reported affect or arousal.•The violent, compared to the nonviolent, videogame did not produce desensitization.
The current study sought to better understand the utility of two strategies—perspective-taking and facial mimicry—proposed to increase empathic responding. Thirty-seven female participants were ...presented an interpersonal situation (a betrayal) that would elicit the use of empathic responding to achieve conflict resolution between friends. Each participant was given instructions to partake in either perspective-taking, facial mimicry, or to remain neutral (control condition). The results demonstrated that individuals who engaged in perspective-taking reported significantly higher state empathy than the control condition, but there was no significant difference in state empathy between the mimicry and control condition. Also, those who engaged in either strategy reported significantly higher self-other overlap relative to those not instructed to engage in a particular strategy. Importantly, self-other overlap mediated the association between the instructional sets and state empathy. Both strategies are arguably means of enhancing interpersonal understanding.
Little is known about how fat talk - a verbal expression of body image concerns - functions within romantic relationships. This study used vignettes about a fictional couple to examine how varied ...levels of a woman's fat talk were perceived by participants as affecting a fictional couple's relationship and sexual satisfaction. Participants were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and included 239 heterosexual people (127 men, 112 women) with long-term relationship experience. Using a 3 (Level of Body Talk: Excessive vs. Minimal Fat Talk vs. Self-Accepting Talk) × 2 (Participant Gender: Male vs. Female) × 2 (Perspective: Husband vs. Wife) between-subjects design, participants read a vignette where the target woman used varying levels of body talk when speaking with her partner. Afterwards, participants completed a series of questionnaires to report on their perceptions of the couple's relationship and sexual satisfaction. Supporting hypotheses, results indicated that participants in the Excessive Fat Talk condition perceived lower relationship and sexual satisfaction levels than the Minimal Fat Talk and Self-Accepting Body Talk conditions. No differences emerged between those exposed to the Self-Accepting and Minimal Fat Talk vignette dialog. Male participants reported lower perceived relationship quality and sexual satisfaction than women participants. Research in this area is in its infancy, and more is needed (especially with actual couples) to better understand how fat talk, as a behavioral function of poor body image, impacts relationship functioning.
•Vignette study where participants reported perceptions of couple's satisfaction.•Target woman used excessive fat talk (FT), minimal FT, or accepting body talk.•Couple perceived as least satisfied when target woman used excessive FT.•Similar satisfaction perceptions emerged for minimal FT vs. accepting body talk.
Despite independent evidence that reminiscing about positive events has positive emotional benefits, and that laughter plays a role in seemingly successful relationships, there is a lack of empirical ...research examining how reminiscing about laughter might influence relationship well being. Specifically, the current study assessed whether reminiscing about shared laughter would increase relationship satisfaction among romantic couples. Fifty-two couples were randomly assigned to one of four reminiscing conditions and completed pre- and post-manipulation assessments of relationship satisfaction. As predicted, couples who reminisced about events involving shared laugher reported higher relationship satisfaction at the post-manipulation satisfaction assessment as compared to couples in the three control conditions. The effect was not attributed to positive mood induction as mood scores across groups were similar. Results show preliminary support for the notion that reminiscing about laughter may have a more potent influence on relationship well being than reminiscing about other positive events.PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
Vignettes were used to assess gender differences in likelihood of hearing others engage in and perceived pressure to join in positive, negative (fat talk), and self-accepting body talk. An ...age-representative sample of 4,014 adult women and men voluntarily responded to an emailed “Health and Wellness” survey from an internet polling company with whom they had pre-registered. Women reported more likelihood of hearing fat-talk scenarios and greater pressure to participate in them compared to men. Only a subset of participants reported frequent exposure to and pressure to join in fat talk. Demographic predictors of pressure to engage in fat talk were also examined. This was the first survey to examine body talk among older adults.
Attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has previously been associated with less satisfaction and success in romantic relationships. This study compares conflict resolution and ...problem‐solving behaviors in young adult romantic couples either having one partner with ADHD combined type (C‐couples), having one partner identified with ADHD inattentive type (IA‐couples), or in which neither partner has an ADHD diagnosis (nondiagnosed ND couples). Self‐reports of current and childhood ADHD symptoms corroborated diagnostic status and speaker and listener behaviors, coded via the Rapid Couples Interaction Scoring System (Gottman, 1996), were the primary dependent variables. Analyses revealed greater negativity and less positivity in C‐couples’ behavior during a conflict resolution task, relative to IA and ND couples, and this corresponded with couples’ relational satisfaction. IA‐couples emitted relational behavior that was largely similar to ND couples. Findings support that relational impairment exists in C‐couples, and to some degree, contrast with previous research suggesting that individuals with predominant inattention experience greater social impairment in adulthood than those with other types of ADHD.
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