Investigating the Neural Systems That Support the Beneficial Effects of Positive Emotion on Stress Regulation
Condition: Behavior
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      For this study, community participants will visit the PI's psychophysiology lab for a single
      experimental session. In this study, participants will complete pre-task questionnaires
      (trait measures), and a brief mood measure, followed by a task training in which a research
      assistant describes and gives examples of cognitive reappraisal in response to negative
      images. Participants are then randomly assigned to positive or neutral emotion induction
      conditions, to be delivered by virtual reality. Then, participants complete an event-related,
      picture-based cognitive reappraisal task for 30-45 minutes, during which skin conductance
      level will be collected. Following the task, participants will once again respond to a mood
      measure, and answer a series of questions regarding the task they have completed, including
      difficulty of regulation, or any images that were personally relevant.

      The investigators predict that the positive emotion induction will result in powerful effects
      on self-reported emotion and skin conductance, which may or may not interact with the
      cognitive reappraisal condition.
    

Detailed description: 
      For the studies, participants will be recruited via paper and electronic flyers on campus and
      in the surrounding communities. Interested participants will be screened via phone, email
      and/or web form to assess eligibility according to criteria listed elsewhere. Should
      participants qualify, they will be invited to complete a single laboratory session in the
      PI's psychophysiology lab.

      Once arriving at the laboratory, participants will complete the consent process, in which a
      research assistant trained in ethical principles regarding human subjects research will
      answer any questions about the consent form and verbally reinforce the key rights of the
      participants outlined there. Once both parties are satisfied, consent forms will be signed.

      Participants will sit with a trained research assistant/experimenter who will give an
      overview of the entire session, and then begin training for the cognitive reappraisal task.
      This training takes 10-15 minutes. During the training, the experimenter will offer several
      possible reappraisals of negative images and allow the participants to offer their own as
      well, providing encouragement and feedback. During this training, the experimenter will also
      go over the method of encouragement and feedback. During this training, the experimenter will
      also go over the method of responding (using the VR equipment). Participants will be reminded
      during training that they may stop the experiment at any point if the pictures are too
      upsetting.

      Immediately following task training, participants will make a general mood rating using the
      PANAS. Then, they will be randomly assigned to a positive or neutral mood induction, to be
      delivered by 10 minutes exploring a positive (beach scene) or neutral (office scene) VR
      environment using a headset with integrated audio. After the VR exploration, participants
      will complete the reappraisal task. The task will take just under 20 minutes.
    

Intervention name(s): Positive Emotion Induction; Neutral Emotion Induction
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Participants are expected to have a positive emotional response to the more positive beach scene.; Participants are expected to have a neutral emotional response to the neutral office scene.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: cognition; reappraisal