Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Previous research has investigated the link between emotional processing and internalizing symptomatology. The current study aimed to identify unique patterns of neural activation in response to two different empathy-related tasks. In addition, this study examined whether specific profiles of neural activity and task performance were predictive of internalizing symptomatology. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to assess concurrent neural activity by measuring blood oxygenation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during two cognitive tasks. The first task was the Frith-Happe Stimulus Set, which consisted of triangles interacting in various ways. This task measured Theory of Mind, which is one’s ability to understand the mental states of another person – or in this case, inanimate triangles. The second task was the EU Empathy Stimuli, which consisted of vignettes of individuals engaging in social interactions. After each vignette, participants were asked to identify the emotion each individual was feeling. Following the conclusion of these tasks, participants completed self-report questionnaires pertaining to various forms of internalizing psychopathology. Analysis consisted of comparing unique patterns of concurrent neural activation with participants’ performance on both tasks. Subsequently, patterns of neural activation and task performance were associated with internalizing symptoms. We hypothesized elevated patterns of neural activation during both the Frithe-Happe and EU tasks to be significantly associated with both greater task accuracy and internalizing symptomatology. Such correlations may shed light on the cost that inefficient use of neural and cognitive resources for empathy processing exerts on internalizing symptomatology.
Recommended Citation
Young, Alexandra, "290-Concurrent Neural Activity Predicting Empathy Processing Task Accuracy and Symptomatology" (2024). GREAT Day Posters. 82.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2024/posters-2024/82
290-Concurrent Neural Activity Predicting Empathy Processing Task Accuracy and Symptomatology
Previous research has investigated the link between emotional processing and internalizing symptomatology. The current study aimed to identify unique patterns of neural activation in response to two different empathy-related tasks. In addition, this study examined whether specific profiles of neural activity and task performance were predictive of internalizing symptomatology. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to assess concurrent neural activity by measuring blood oxygenation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during two cognitive tasks. The first task was the Frith-Happe Stimulus Set, which consisted of triangles interacting in various ways. This task measured Theory of Mind, which is one’s ability to understand the mental states of another person – or in this case, inanimate triangles. The second task was the EU Empathy Stimuli, which consisted of vignettes of individuals engaging in social interactions. After each vignette, participants were asked to identify the emotion each individual was feeling. Following the conclusion of these tasks, participants completed self-report questionnaires pertaining to various forms of internalizing psychopathology. Analysis consisted of comparing unique patterns of concurrent neural activation with participants’ performance on both tasks. Subsequently, patterns of neural activation and task performance were associated with internalizing symptoms. We hypothesized elevated patterns of neural activation during both the Frithe-Happe and EU tasks to be significantly associated with both greater task accuracy and internalizing symptomatology. Such correlations may shed light on the cost that inefficient use of neural and cognitive resources for empathy processing exerts on internalizing symptomatology.