@article {3210331, title = {Exploring human and AI emotional support through reframing of negative situations.}, journal = {(under review)}, year = {In Preparation}, abstract = {

Understanding how LLM provide emotional support differently from humans is crucial given the prevalence of AI emotional support. We focused on a highly researched emotion regulation strategy, cognitive reappraisal, the ability to reinterpret emotional situations to impact their intensity (N = 3,740). We compared trained humans and GPT-4 in their ability to perform reappraisal of vignettes (Study 1) and in real-time interactions rated by the person experiencing the reappraisal (Study 2), showing that GPT-4 outperformed humans. Incentivizing humans to produce better reappraisals led to increased time spent on the task but did not close the gap (Study 3). Labeling the reappraisals as produced by AI reduced participants{\textquoteright} evaluation of the effectiveness of the reappraisal, though GPT-4 was still considered more effective (Study 4). Language analysis revealed differences in specific language use that were associated with quality. These results advance our understanding of emotional support provided by humans and AI.

}, url = {https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/fzvd8_v4}, author = {Li, J. and Herderich, A. and Nair, P. and Perry, A. and Goldenberg, A.} } @article {3210322, title = {The empathic accuracy of large language models compared to humans and its contribution to perceived empathy.}, journal = {(under review)}, year = {In Preparation}, abstract = {

Empathy plays a central role in human emotional relationships. Empathic accuracy, the ability to accurately infer another person{\textquoteright}s emotional state, varies by informational modality and, in humans, is often intertwined with emotional and motivational processes. This study examines whether state-of-the-art Large Language Models (LLMs) -\ GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini -\ demonstrate empathic accuracy, and how their accuracy compares to that of humans when presented with only the semantic content (transcripts of recorded videos) of ecological, complex autobiographical emotional narratives. We compared the empathic accuracy of LLMs to that of human participants (N = 127, randomly sampled students, both in-lab and online) who either read the same transcripts or watched the original videos, which enabled them to use facial and bodily expressions, as well as paralinguistic cues, in addition to semantics. LLMs were able to infer emotional states from semantic content alone with a precision that is equal to or surpasses human performance. This was true both generally and when analyzing positive and negative emotions separately. Theoretically, these findings suggest that semantic information alone can support high empathic accuracy, though humans may not fully leverage this potential. Practical implications are discussed regarding the use of LLMs in introspective and emotional contexts, while raising critical concerns about privacy, ethical risks, and the potential reshaping of emotional understanding, intimacy, and human connection in an increasingly AI-mediated world.

}, url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/g6pnq_v1}, author = {Oded, N. and Rubin, M. and Genzer, S. and Perry, A} } @article {3210312, title = {AI-generated empathy: Opportunities, limits, and future directions.}, journal = {(under review following proposal acceptance, Current Directions in Psychological Science)}, year = {In Preparation}, abstract = {

Artificial Intelligence models can generate emotional support messages that people perceive to be highly empathic; however, people also perceive less empathy if they believe that messages were AI-generated. This new focus on how the empathy recipient perceives human-written versus AI-generated empathic responses has recently gained attention.

We review and synthesize recent empirical work using meta-analyses, clarify claims and limitations, and highlight future directions. This emerging literature carries significant implications for fundamental research on empathy, for public discourse as the use of AI for emotional supportrapidly grows, and for policymakers considering regulation and ethical guidance.

}, url = {https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/8n5jw_v1}, author = {Ong, D. and Goldenberg, A. and Inzlicht,M. and Perry, A.} } @article {3187427, title = {I see you: Seeing One\&$\#$39;s Partner during Emotional Communication Enhances the affective Experience and Promotes Prosocial Behavior}, journal = {(under review)}, year = {In Preparation}, abstract = {In our digitally connected world, interpersonal interactions increasingly occur through online platforms offering varied information channels. This research investigates the unique contribution of visual cues to emotional communication, examining both cognitive and affective aspects. We categorize affective experiences into three domains and explore how visual feedback enhances each and promotes prosocial behavior. Across three ecological dyadic studies on Zoom (N = 710), findings show that while visual information does not significantly enhance emotion-assessment accuracy, it shapes the affective experience of communication. Visual cues increased perceptions of listening, togetherness, and empathy, primarily influencing storytellers{\textquoteright} perceptions. Active engagement through body gestures and eye gaze proved crucial in fostering positive interactions, even in online settings. Visual feedback also enhanced prosocial behavior, suggesting that visual elements not only enhance the experience of {\textquotedblleft}being seen,{\textquotedblright} but motivate altruistic actions as well. The results reveal a complex interplay between visual and auditory cues, with vocal responsiveness only partially compensating for absent visual feedback. These findings have significant implications for social relations in a digital world, as the absence or presence of visual cues can profoundly shape the outcomes of our social interactions.}, url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/4j8w3}, author = {Genzer,S and Rum,T and Kramer,U.M and Perry ,A} } @article {3186290, title = {How agency shapes social preferences: Using mouse-tracking to reveal changes in cognitive conflict.}, journal = {(under review)}, year = {In Preparation}, abstract = {Inequity aversion is a fundamental social preference. Concern for others{\textquoteright} welfare is yet another fundamental social preference. What do people prefer when maximizing others{\textquoteright} welfare creates an inequality that disadvantages them? Prior research has shown that people{\textquoteright}s preferences depend on their level of agency, that is, their control over the allocation. Behaviorally, agentic decision makers have been shown to be more likely to prefer allocations that give another person more than them, compared to non-agentic ones. However, the cognitive processes underlying this shift of preference remain unclear. Here, we used mouse-tracking and reaction times to investigate how agency shapes social preferences in such cases. We examined decision conflict, the level of conflict experienced in arriving at a given choice, as a way to uncover whether different underlying social preferences are at play when one has versus does not have agency. We predicted an interaction effect of agency and choice on conflict, where choosing the prosocial option would be associated with less conflict in the Agency condition compared to the No-Agency condition, and that the opposite would be true for the equitable option. In our task, on each of trial, participants were presented with two allocation options: an equitable option (e.g., 50 cents for self, 50 cents for other) and an inequitable and prosocial option, favoring the other participant over oneself (e.g., 50 cents for self, 70 cents for other). Agentic participants chose one option to be implemented, whereas non-agentic participants indicated their preference, knowing that the lab manager had already made the decision. In two studies (N = 586), including a preregistered one, an interaction effect emerged in both mouse trajectory and reaction time analyses. These results suggest that agency alters social preferences during the decision-making process, and challenge traditional inequity aversion models claiming that people inherently dislike inequitable outcomes. Granting agency may be a powerful tool for maximizing social welfare in situations where equity and prosocial behavior are at odds.}, url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/yghnj}, author = {Marciano, D. and Setman-Shachar, S. and Choshen-Hillel, S and Perry, A} } @article {3220314, title = {Overestimation of other\&$\#$39;s emotions: Directional bias in interpersonal emotion perception.}, journal = {Nature Communications}, year = {2026}, abstract = {

Accurately understanding others{\textquoteright} emotional states is fundamental to effective social functioning. While extensive research exists on how humans recognize different emotions, little is known about how people assess emotional intensity. Through a preliminary survey and seven multi-site studies (n = 2866), we demonstrate that despite believing they gauge emotions accurately, systematic discrepancies emerge: individuals tend to rate others{\textquoteright} emotions as more intense than those individuals rate themselves, particularly for negative emotions. This bias persists across text-based interactions, recorded videos, and live conversations, with both strangers and romantic partners. Interestingly, while people report preferring accurate judgments of their own emotional intensity, the discrepancy may serve adaptive functions, predicting higher empathic responses with strangers and greater relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships. These findings advance understanding of discrepancies in interpersonal emotional perception, highlighting their potential adaptive roles and providing insight into how they shape our social world and relationship outcomes.

}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66879-2}, author = {Genzer, S. and Rubin, M. and Sened,H. and Rafaeli, E. and Ochsner, K. and Cohem ,N. and Perry A.} } @article {3203567, title = {Empathy and Interest Towards an Autistic Person and the Effect of Disclosing the Diagnosis}, journal = {Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders}, year = {2025}, abstract = {This study investigates the effects of disclosing an autism diagnosis on non-autistic listeners{\textquoteright} empathy and social interest towards the autistic discloser. In Study 1, participants (non-autistic students in the social sciences/humanities [n = 99; 70\% female]) watched a video of an autistic adult sharing an autobiographical story and reported how they believed the storyteller felt, following an introduction in which the storyteller did or did not disclose their diagnosis. Their evaluation of the storyteller{\textquoteright}s emotions was compared to the storyteller{\textquoteright}s own reports, resulting in an empathic accuracy measure. Participants reported how empathic they felt towards the storyteller and how socially interested they were in them. Studies 2 and 3 replicated the same procedure with STEM students (n = 96; 40\% female), and with non-student adults (n = 76; 50\% female) from diverse professional/occupational backgrounds, with an additional question about working together. In Study 1, participants in the self-disclosure condition demonstrated higher empathic accuracy, reported more empathy, and greater social interest in the storyteller. Study 2 showed a similar trend of higher empathy in the self-disclosure condition but no differences in social interest measures. Interest in working with the storyteller was higher in the self-disclosure condition. In Study 3, participants in the self-disclosure condition demonstrated higher empathy and greater interest in hearing another story and working with the storyteller. An individual{\textquoteright}s self-disclosure of an autism diagnosis improved others{\textquoteright} ability to empathize with them and willingness to work with them. We discuss the complex effect of self-disclosure on social interest in an autistic person.}, url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40202683/}, author = {Rum ,Y. and Genzer, S. and Golan ,O. and Allison ,C. and Baron-Cohen ,S. and Perry ,A.} } @article {3203566, title = {Empathy deficits in women with complex trauma following childhood sexual abuse}, journal = {Journal of Affective Disorders}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) stemming from childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is characterized by profound interpersonal difficulties in later life. Despite the crucial role empathy plays in social functioning, the specific deficits in emotional and cognitive empathy in CPTSD remain understudied. This study employs a rich, naturalistic empathy task to investigate empathic responses among women with CPTSD following childhood sexual abuse. Female participants with CPTSD following CSA and female controls viewed autobiographical videos containing emotional pain, while providing dynamic ratings of their own distress and post-viewing assessments of their own and the targets{\textquoteright} emotions. The results showed that the CPTSD group had higher levels of baseline and sustained anxiety compared to the controls, which is consistent with their heightened distress and hyperarousal clinical profiles. Emotional empathy, operationalized as synchrony between participants{\textquoteright} and targets{\textquoteright} distress ratings, was significantly lower in the CPTSD group, indicating diminished alignment with others{\textquoteright} emotional experiences. Cognitive deficits were evident in the systematic underestimation of targets{\textquoteright} anger. This study significantly contributes to the understanding of empathy deficits in CPTSD following CSA and potentially informs therapeutic strategies targeted for this population. Specifically, the findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving emotional attunement and fostering the recognition and expression of anger may enhance social functioning and therapeutic outcomes for women with complex trauma stemming from childhood sexual abuse.}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032725010717}, author = {Damari ,O. and Heymann ,A. and Perry ,A. and Tiberg,K. and Shlomi ,I. and Golland ,Y.} } @article {3203565, title = {Increasing perceived outgroup heterogeneity following exposure to extreme violence: An intervention tournament in times of war}, journal = {Personality \& Social Psychology Bulletin.}, year = {2025}, url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672251345517}, author = {Ushomirsky, I. and Hasson, Y. and Atia, R. and Attias, N. and Balmas, M. and Endevelt, K. and Perry, A. and Gur, T. and Hameiri, B. and Hebel-Sela, S. and Leshem, O.A. and Malovicki-Yaffe, N. and Manekin, D. and Porat, R. and Saguy, T. and Shuman, E. and Halperin, E.} } @article {3191880, title = {Intergroug Emotions in Intergroup Conflicts: Power Disparities Perspective.}, journal = {The Handbook of Social and Political Conflict}, year = {2025}, pages = {31-45}, publisher = {Wiley Blackwell}, abstract = {

Intergroup emotions play an integral part in conflicts, as they shape both intragroup and intergroup behaviors. These emotions mobilize societies in favor of either war or peace (Cohen-Chen et al., 2014b; Halperin et al., 2011). Lines of research have demonstrated that discrete emotions have been associated with specific outcomes of war/peace processes (Gayer et al., 2009; Halperin et al., 2013; Spanovic et al., 2010). Based on the valence of the emotion, and later on the valence of the outcome associated with it (Cohen-Chen et al., 2020), emotions were divided into constructive and destructive emotions, regardless of the power status of the group, which remains an understudied factor. For example, anger has been considered a destructive emotion motivating violence, whereas empathy had been seen as a constructive emotion mobilizing support for peace (Cheung-Blunden \& Blunden, 2008; Maoz \& McCauley, 2005). In this chapter, we challenge the oversimplistic approach by offering a novel framework that incorporates group power status in the categorization of the instrumentality of emotions.

Previous literature shows that differing realities in asymmetrical conflict also influence group goals and interests (Leshem \& Halperin, 2020). Both high- and low-power groups aim to end war and bloodshed, but power dynamics lead the high-power group to prioritize harmonious relationships and maintain the status quo and, thus, may oppose compromises. This approach safeguards privileges and minimizes resistance. Conversely, the disadvantaged group prioritizes justice, having endured unequal circumstances and seeking to change the status quo by their own means, such as collective action.

The main implication of the fact that high- and low-power groups in conflicts have different goals and aspirations is that, for each group, different emotions play different roles in promoting these goals and aspirations, and consequently, in mobilizing them toward war or peace. To address that complexity, we propose a novel theoretical framework in which these desirable goals have underlying emotions that could be categorized into three units: constructive, destructive, and differential emotions. This model serves as the foundation to develop adjusted intervention tools that take into account the group power status, thus better tackling inequality and fostering peace and social justice among groups in asymmetrical conflicts. For example, by considering the differential effect of anger depending on the power status of the group, intervention tools can be developed to help attain social equality by facilitating concessions among the advantaged and by fostering a quest for equality attainment among the disadvantaged.

}, author = {Kassem,N and Nir,N and Perry,A and Halperin,E} } @article {3191879, title = { Restless nights, cold hearts: Poor sleep causally blunts empathy }, journal = {International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology}, volume = {25}, year = {2025}, pages = {100548}, abstract = {

Poor sleep is pervasive in modern society. Poor sleep is associated with major physical and mental health consequences, as well as with impaired cognitive function. Less is known about the relationship between sleep and emotional and interpersonal behavior. In this work, we investigate whether poor sleep impairs empathy, an important building block of human interaction and prosocial behavior. We aimed to capture the effects of poor sleep on the various aspects of empathy: trait and state, affect and cognition.

Study 1 (n = 155) assessed daily habitual sleep over several days, and global sleep quality in the past month. Participants who reported worse sleep quality exhibited lower empathic caring and perspective-taking traits. Study 2 (n = 347) induced a one-night disruption of sleep continuity to test a causal relationship between sleep and empathy. Participants in the sleep disrupted condition had to briefly wake up five times over the night, whereas the sleep-rested controls slept normally. In the next morning, participants{\textquoteright} empathy and prosocial intentions were assessed. Participants in the sleep disruption condition exhibited lower empathic sensitivity and less prosocial decision-making than sleep-rested controls.

The main contribution of this work is in providing a robust demonstration of the multi-faceted detrimental effects of poor sleep on trait and state empathy. Our findings demonstrate that poor sleep causally impairs empathic response to the suffering of others. These findings highlight the need for greater public attention to adequate sleep, which may impact empathy on a societal level.

}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1697260025000067}, author = {Gordon-Hecker,T and Choshen-Hillel,S and Ben-Simon,E and P. Walker,M and Perry,A and Gileles-Hillel,A} } @article {3191878, title = { Intellectual Humility Predicts Empathic Accuracy and Empathic Resilience }, journal = {Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Three preregistered studies (N\ = 533) investigated the relationship between intellectual humility (IH) and cognitive and emotional empathy. Study 1 (n\ = 212) revealed a positive association between IH and empathic accuracy (EA), especially toward the outgroup. Study 2 (n\ = 112) replicated the significant association between IH and EA. Study 3 (n\ = 209) employed a manipulation to enhance IH to demonstrate causality. We found evidence for an indirect effect, wherein the manipulation increased state IH, which was associated with greater EA. A mini meta-analysis revealed that, on average, individuals with higher levels of IH exhibit increased EA, showing a greater understanding of others{\textquoteright} emotional states. Moreover, IH predicts empathic resilience{\textemdash}buffering against personal distress while maintaining or increasing empathic concern for others. These findings highlight the positive influence of IH on empathy, emphasizing its potential for fostering deeper connections and better understanding in social interactions.}, url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01461672241313427?casa_token=avi9EWq9VpMAAAAA\%3AcfRFQODBvrIhHeaghT6nYJ7SZMMww-ErH9ERCRTiuWbL7ruzKiHCPmkGt2eXMMm2XZD6gdDDrxYjPA}, author = {Lehmann,M and Genzer,S and Kassem,N and Van Tongeren,D.R and Perry,A} } @article {3186289, title = {Comparing the value of perceived human versus AI-generated empathy}, journal = {Nature Human Behaviour}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

Artificial intelligence (AI) and specifically large language models demonstrate remarkable social{\textendash}emotional abilities, which may improve human{\textendash}AI interactions and AI{\textquoteright}s emotional support capabilities. However, it remains unclear whether empathy, encompassing understanding, {\textquoteleft}feeling with{\textquoteright} and caring, is perceived differently when attributed to AI versus humans. We conducted nine studies (n = 6,282) where AI-generated empathic responses to participants{\textquoteright} emotional situations were labelled as provided by either humans or AI. Human-attributed responses were rated as more empathic and supportive, and elicited more positive and fewer negative emotions, than AI-attributed ones. Moreover, participants{\textquoteright} own uninstructed belief that AI had aided the human-attributed responses reduced perceived empathy and support. These effects were replicated across varying response lengths, delays, iterations and large language models and were primarily driven by responses emphasizing emotional sharing and care. Additionally, people consistently chose human interaction over AI when seeking emotional engagement. These findings advance our general understanding of empathy, and specifically human{\textendash}AI empathic interactions.

}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02247-w}, author = {Rubin, M and Li, J. Z and Zimmerman, F and Ong, D. C and Goldenberg, A and Perry, A} } @article {3189470, title = {Psychologists should study basic social cognition processes within the context of sexual interactions}, journal = {Nature Communications psychology}, volume = {2}, year = {2024}, pages = {Article 116}, abstract = {Research in psychology has long underscored the significance of contextual influence on social cognition processes and behavior. However, the exploration of sexual interactions as a unique context affecting these processes has largely been neglected by previous research, despite their prominent role in our daily lives and potentially consequential outcomes. We outline the relevance of various basic social cognition processes to sexual interactions and propose a line of research integrating theoretical insights and methodologies from social cognition research with those from sex and relationship research. We elaborate on theoretical and applied contributions to both fields}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-024-00160-y?utm_source=rct_congratemailt\&utm_medium=email\&utm_campaign=oa_20241204\&utm_content=10.1038/s44271-024-00160-y}, author = {Markovitch,N and Perry,A and Kleiman,T} } @article {3181797, title = {Heterogeneous empathic reactions and their associations with adherence and prosocial behaviors during a pandemic}, journal = {Current Psychology}, year = {2024}, abstract = {The present research utilized the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study to explore the motives driving individuals to adhere to recommended health standards. One month into the first lockdown and eight months before the availability of vaccinations, a large sample of 1,263 individuals completed measures of empathic concern and personal distress in response to a person who contracted the virus. In addition, we measured their COVID-related behaviors, relating to benefitting another person (i.e., donation), the self (i.e., physical hygiene), or both self and other (i.e., physical distancing). Consistent with the\ Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis\ (Batson et al.,\ 2015), we found that individuals who experience higher empathic concern, maintain greater physical distance and physical hygiene and act more generously. We further found that individuals who experienced high personal distress were less likely to act generously, albeit more likely to maintain personal hygiene and physical distance. These findings suggest that compliance with health recommendations can be encouraged by eliciting empathic concern or personal distress. Yet, compliance per se is not prosocial behavior. Any intervention aiming to increase prosocial motivation should focus on enhancing empathic concern while minimizing personal distress.}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-024-06343-4?utm_source=rct_congratemailt\&utm_medium=email\&utm_campaign=oa_20240806\&utm_content=10.1007\%2Fs12144-024-06343-4}, author = {Israelashvili ,J and Perry, A} } @article {3181796, title = {Sex Bias in Pain Management Decisions}, journal = {PNAS}, volume = {121}, year = {2024}, pages = {e2401331121}, abstract = {In the pursuit of mental and physical health, effective pain management stands as a cornerstone. Here, we examine a potential sex bias in pain management. Leveraging insights from psychological research showing that females{\textquoteright} pain is stereotypically judged as less intense than males{\textquoteright} pain, we hypothesize that there may be tangible differences in pain management decisions based on patients{\textquoteright} sex. Our investigation spans emergency department (ED) datasets from two countries, including discharge notes of patients arriving with pain complaints (N = 21,851). Across these datasets, a consistent sex disparity emerges. Female patients are less likely to be prescribed pain-relief medications compared to males, and this disparity persists even after adjusting for patients{\textquoteright} reported pain scores and numerous patient, physician, and ED variables. This disparity extends across medical practitioners, with both male and female physicians prescribing less pain-relief medications to females than to males. Additional analyses reveal that female patients{\textquoteright} pain scores are 10\% less likely to be recorded by nurses, and female patients spend an additional 30 min in the ED compared to male patients. A controlled experiment employing clinical vignettes reinforces our hypothesis, showing that nurses (N = 109) judge pain of female patients to be less intense than that of males. We argue that the findings reflect an undertreatment of female patients{\textquoteright} pain. We discuss the troubling societal and medical implications of females{\textquoteright} pain being overlooked and call for policy interventions to ensure equal pain treatment.}, url = {https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2401331121}, author = {Guzikevits, M and Gordon- Hecker ,T and Rekhtman ,D and Salameh ,S and Perry ,A and Gileles-Hillel ,A.* and Choshen-Hillel ,S.* and Shayo,M and Israel ,S and Gozal, D} } @article {3181071, title = {Does it matter if empathic AI has no empathy?}, journal = {Nature Machine Intelligence}, volume = {6}, year = {2024}, pages = {496-497}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-024-00841-7}, author = {Shteynberg, G and Halpern, J. and Sadovnik, A and Garthoff, J and Perry, A. and Hay, J. and Fairweather, A.} } @article {3180314, title = {Considering The role of human empathy in AI-driven therapy}, journal = {JMIR Mental Health}, volume = {11}, year = {2024}, pages = {e56529}, abstract = {Recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) language models have elevated the vision of using conversational AI support for mental health, with a growing body of literature indicating varying degrees of efficacy. In this paper, we ask when, in therapy, it will be easier to replace humans and, conversely, in what instances, human connection will still be more valued. We suggest that empathy lies at the heart of the answer to this question. First, we define different aspects of empathy and outline the potential empathic capabilities of humans versus AI. Next, we consider what determines when these aspects are needed most in therapy, both from the perspective of therapeutic methodology and from the perspective of patient objectives. Ultimately, our goal is to prompt further investigation and dialogue, urging both practitioners and scholars engaged in AI-mediated therapy to keep these questions and considerations in mind when investigating AI implementation in mental health.}, url = {https://mental.jmir.org/2024/1/e56529/}, author = {Rubin, M and Arnon, H and Huppert, J D and Perry, A} } @article {3180313, title = {Beyond Physical Sensations: Investigating Empathy and Prosocial Behavior in Vicarious-Pain Responders}, journal = { Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience}, volume = {19}, year = {2024}, pages = {nsae039}, abstract = {

Empathy, the capacity to share others{\textquoteright} emotional experiences, has been proposed as a key motivation for altruistic behavior in both humans and animals. Sharing another{\textquoteright}s emotional experience may generate a self-embodied simulation of their emotional state, fostering understanding and promoting prosocial behavior. Vicarious pain responders report sensing physical pain when observing others in pain. Whether this ability extends to emotional experiences remains unexplored. Using both questionnaires and ecologically valid behavioral tasks, we explored whether vicarious pain responders differ from nonresponders in empathic abilities and prosocial behavior. Participants watched video clips of people describing a negative emotional life event. We operationalized several empathic abilities and responses (empathic accuracy, affective synchrony, emotional reaction, and empathic motivation) based on participants{\textquoteright} and targets{\textquoteright} responses during and after watching the videos. Participants were also engaged in a donation task measuring tendency for prosocial behavior. Findings reveal that compared to nonresponders, vicarious pain responders exhibit enhanced empathic accuracy, intensified emotional reactions to others{\textquoteright} emotional pain, and a greater motivation to communicate with the target. This study marks the first behavioral evidence showcasing vicarious pain responders{\textquoteright} empathic abilities, reactions, and motivation in response to nonphysical pain of others, expanding our knowledge of this phenomenon and its association with broader empathic abilities.

}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/19/1/nsae039/7697683?login=true}, author = {Ben Adiva, Y and Genzer, S and Perry, A} } @article {3180312, title = {Bonding versus Fragmentation: What Shapes Disadvantaged Intragroup Empathy in Advantaged Contexts}, journal = {Group Processes \& Intergroup Relations}, year = {2024}, abstract = {

Abstract

Intragroup empathy is vital for resilience. However, it is often impaired in advantaged-dominated environments when one adopts advantaged-group characteristics to climb the social ladder. The current work examines contextual factors that may affect intragroup empathy: the motivation behind adopting the advantaged-group characteristics, and negative encounters with members of the advantaged group. We hypothesized that coercively, versus willingly, adopting advantaged-group characteristics will increase intragroup empathy both when the outcomes are negative and positive. We further hypothesized that a negative encounter with an advantaged-group member would increase intragroup empathy, compared to no encounter. In three studies, Palestinian students in Israeli academia were assigned to read scripts depicting the academic experience of a Palestinian student adopting advantaged-group characteristics. We tested (a) the effects of motivation following a negative outcome (N\ = 182); (b) the effects following a positive outcome (N\ = 205); and (c) the interaction between a negative encounter with an advantaged-group member and motivation, and its effect on intragroup empathy (N\ = 282). Intragroup empathy was higher in the coerced condition compared to the free-willing condition both for negative and positive outcomes. A negative encounter with an advantaged-group member increased intragroup empathy in the willing condition. By illuminating contextual variables that shape intragroup empathy, this research shows that impairment in intragroup empathy is not inevitable. This work may serve as a foundation for future interventions.

}, url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13684302241262253}, author = {Kassem, N and Halperin, E and Perry, A} } @article {3180311, title = {Empathy for the pain of others: Sensitivity to the individual, not to the collective}, journal = {Journal of Experimental Social Psychology}, volume = {110}, year = {2024}, pages = {104561}, abstract = {Groups of people in pain evoke our empathic reactions. Yet how does one empathize with a group? Here, we aim to identify psychological mechanisms that underlie empathic reactions to groups. We theorize that because empathy is an egocentric process routed through the self, people are strongly attuned to the impact on each individual, and less so to the number of individuals affected. In five pre-registered experiments, involving different types of stimuli and valences of the outcomes, we repeatedly find that participants{\textquoteright} level of empathy depends on the pain experienced by each individual, but not on the number of individuals in the group. The experiments support our hypothesis. They also add to alternative explanations such as psychophysical numbing and strategic regulation of negative emotions, providing valuable insights into the phenomenon of scope insensitivity. The findings also bear implications for the ongoing debate on the role of empathy in public policy decisions.}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002210312300118X}, author = {Gordon, T. and Yaniv, I. and Perry, A.* and Choshen-Hillel, S*} } @article {3203568, title = { Grasp-specific high-frequency broadband mirror neuron activity during reach-and-grasp movements in humans }, journal = {Cerebral Cortex,}, volume = {33}, year = {2023}, pages = {6291-6298}, abstract = {Broadly congruent mirror neurons, responding to any grasp movement, and strictly congruent mirror neurons, responding only to specific grasp movements, have been reported in single-cell studies with primates. Delineating grasp properties in humans is essential to understand the human mirror neuron system with implications for behavior and social cognition. We analyzed electrocorticography data from a natural reach-and-grasp movement observation and delayed imitation task with 3 different natural grasp types of everyday objects. We focused on the classification of grasp types from high-frequency broadband mirror activation patterns found in classic mirror system areas, including sensorimotor, supplementary motor, inferior frontal, and parietal cortices. Classification of grasp types was successful during movement observation and execution intervals but not during movement retention. Our grasp type classification from combined and single mirror electrodes provides evidence for grasp-congruent activity in the human mirror neuron system potentially arising from strictly congruent mirror neurons.}, url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36562997/}, author = {Dreyer ,A. and Michalke ,L. and Perry ,A. and Chang ,E. and Lin ,J. and Knight ,R. and Rieger ,J.} } @inbook {3180319, title = {Empathy: From Perception to Understanding and Feeling Others\’ Emotions}, booktitle = {Elements in Perception}, year = {2023}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, organization = {Cambridge University Press}, abstract = {Empathy provides a cognitive and emotional bridge that connects individuals and promotes prosocial behavior. People empathize with others via two complementary perceptual routes: Cognitive Empathy or the ability to accurately recognize and understand others{\textquoteright} emotional states, and Affective Empathy or the ability to {\textquoteright}feel with{\textquoteright} others. This Element reviews past and current research on both cognitive and affective empathy, focusing on behavioral, as well as neuroscientific research. It highlights a recent shift towards more dynamic and complex stimuli which may capture better the nature of real social interaction. It expands on why context is crucial when perceiving others{\textquoteright} emotional state, and discusses gender differences, biases affecting our understanding of others, and perception of others in clinical conditions. Lastly, it highlights proposed future directions in the field}, author = {Genzer, S and Ben Adiva, Y and Perry, A} } @article {3180310, title = {Intonation Units in spontaneous speech evoke a neural response}, journal = {The Journal of Neuroscience}, volume = {43}, year = {2023}, pages = {8189-8200}, abstract = {Spontaneous speech is produced in chunks called intonation units (IUs). IUs are defined by a set of prosodic cues and presumably occur in all human languages. Recent work has shown that across different grammatical and sociocultural conditions IUs form rhythms of \~{}1 unit per second. Linguistic theory suggests that IUs pace the flow of information in the discourse. As a result, IUs provide a promising and hitherto unexplored theoretical framework for studying the neural mechanisms of communication. In this article, we identify a neural response unique to the boundary defined by the IU. We measured the EEG of human participants (of either sex), who listened to different speakers recounting an emotional life event. We analyzed the speech stimuli linguistically and modeled the EEG response at word offset using a GLM approach. We find that the EEG response to IU-final words differs from the response to IU-nonfinal words even when equating acoustic boundary strength. Finally, we relate our findings to the body of research on rhythmic brain mechanisms in speech processing. We study the unique contribution of IUs and acoustic boundary strength in predicting delta-band EEG. This analysis suggests that IU-related neural activity, which is tightly linked to the classic Closure Positive Shift (CPS), could be a time-locked component that captures the previously characterized delta-band neural speech tracking.}, url = {https://www.jneurosci.org/content/43/48/8189.abstract}, author = {Inbar, M and Genzer, S. and Perry, A and Grossman, E and Landau, A. N.} } @article {3180309, title = {Mood congruency affects physiological synchrony but not empathic accuracy in a naturalistic empathy task}, journal = {Biological Psychology}, volume = {184}, year = {2023}, pages = {108720}, abstract = {Empathy is a crucial aspect of our daily lives, as it enhances our wellbeing and is a proxy for prosocial behavior. It encompasses two related but partially distinct components: cognitive and affective empathy. Both are susceptible to context, biases and an individual{\textquoteright}s physiological state. Few studies have explored the effects of a person{\textquoteright}s mood on these empathy components, and results are mixed. The current study takes advantage of an ecological, naturalistic empathy task {\textendash} the empathic accuracy (EA) task {\textendash} in combination with physiological measurements to examine and differentiate between the effects of one{\textquoteright}s mood on both empathy components. Participants were induced with positive or negative mood and presented videos of targets narrating autobiographical negative stories, selected from a Chinese empathy dataset that we developed (now publicly available). The stories were conveyed in audio-only, visual-only and full-video formats. Participants rated the target{\textquoteright}s emotional state while watching or listening to their stories, and physiological measures were taken throughout the process. Importantly, similar measures were taken from the targets when they narrated the stories, allowing a comparison between participants{\textquoteright} and targets{\textquoteright} measures. We found that in audio-only and visual-only conditions, participants whose moods were congruent with the target showed higher physiological synchrony than those with incongruent mood, implying a mood-congruency effect on affective empathy. However, there was no mood effect on empathic accuracy (reflecting cognitive empathy), suggesting a different influence of mood on the two empathy components}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051123002405}, author = {Pan, H and Chen, Z and Jospe, K and Gao, Q and Sheng, J and Gao, Z and Perry, A} } @article {3180308, title = {AI will never convey the essence of human empathy}, journal = {Nature Human Behaviour}, volume = {7}, year = {2023}, pages = {1808-1809}, abstract = {Empathy generated by artificial intelligence (AI) is convincing and well received until recipients realize that it is artificial {\textemdash} a phenomenon that I term the {\textquoteleft}artificial-empathy paradox{\textquoteright}. I explain this phenomenon by examining the three subcomponents of human empathy and the gaps between each of them and AI from the perspective of the empathy recipient. I propose that as AI revolutionizes much of our lives, empathy will persist as one of a few domains that are more highly valued in their human form. I argue that what seems to be a limitation of human empathizers {\textemdash} the fact that they are biological beings with finite energy resources for care and support {\textemdash} is why their empathy will surpass that of AI.}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01675-w}, author = {Perry, A} } @article {3180306, title = {The relationship between empathy and executive functions among young adolescents}, journal = {Developmental Psychology}, volume = {59}, year = {2023}, pages = {2021-2036}, abstract = {Empathy and\ executive functions\ (EFs) are multimodal\ constructs\ that enable individuals to cope with their environment. Both abilities develop throughout\ childhood\ and are known to contribute to\ social behavior\ and\ academic\ performance in young adolescents. Notably, mentalizing and EF activate shared frontotemporal brain areas, which in previous studies of adults led researchers to suggest that at least some aspects of\ empathy\ depend on intact EF mechanisms. Despite the substantial development that empathy and EF undergo during\ adolescence, no study to date has systematically examined the associations between components of empathy and EF in this age group. Here, we explore these associations using data from an online battery of tasks, collected as part of a\ longitudinal\ twin study\ (N\ = 593;\ Mage\ 11.09 {\textpm} 0.2; 53.46\% female, Israeli adolescents from Jewish decent). Using a\ confirmatory factor analysis, we quantified the associations between the main components of empathy (mentalizing and interpersonal concern) and of EF (working memory\ [WM],\ inhibition\ and shifting [IaS]). We found that WM was related to both mentalizing and interpersonal concern, whereas IaS were related to mentalizing but not to interpersonal concern. We also discuss the genetic and environmental contributions to\ individual differences\ in each factor. Our findings show both\ similarities\ and differences from previous findings in adults, suggesting that the ongoing brain\ maturation\ processes and environmental age-dependent experiences in adolescence may affect the developing relation between cognitive and\ emotional development. These results have implications for better understanding and treating clinical populations demonstrating\ executive\ or emotional deficits, specifically during adolescence.}, url = {https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2024-13806-001.html}, author = {Mairon, N and Abramson, L and Knafo-Noam, A and Perry, A and Nahum, M} } @article {3180300, title = {Effects of social presence on behavioral, neural, and physiological aspects of empathy for pain}, journal = {Cerebral Cortex}, volume = {33}, year = {2023}, pages = {9954-9970}, abstract = {In mediated interactions (e.g. video calls), less information is available about the other. To investigate how this affects our empathy for one another, we conducted an electroencephalogram study, in which 30 human participants observed 1 of 5 targets undergoing painful electric stimulation, once in a direct interaction and once in a live, video-mediated interaction. We found that observers were as accurate in judging others{\textquoteright} pain and showed as much affective empathy via video as in a direct encounter. While mu suppression, a common neural marker of empathy, was not sensitive to others{\textquoteright} pain, theta responses to others{\textquoteright} pain as well as skin conductance coupling between participants were reduced in the video-mediated condition. We conclude that physical proximity with its rich social cues is important for nuanced physiological resonance with the other{\textquoteright}s experience. More studies are warranted to confirm these results and to understand their behavioral significance for remote social interactions}, url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37462059/}, author = {Petereit, P and Weiblen, R and Perry, A and Kr{\"a}mer, U. M.} } @article {3156199, title = {Midfrontal theta as an index of conflict strength in approach-approach vs. Avoidance-avoidance conflicts}, journal = {Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The seminal theory of motivational conflicts distinguishes between approach{\textendash}approach (AP-AP) conflicts, in which a decision is made between desirable alternatives, and avoidance{\textendash}avoidance (AV-AV) conflicts, in which a decision is made between undesirable alternatives. The behavioral differences between AP-AP and AV-AV conflicts are well documented: abundant research showed that AV-AV conflicts are more difficult to resolve than AP-AP ones. However, there is little to no research looking into the neural underpinnings of the differences between the two conflict types. Here, we show that midfrontal theta, an established neural marker of conflict, distinguished between the two conflict types such that midfrontal theta power was higher in AV-AV conflicts than in AP-AP conflicts. We further demonstrate that higher midfrontal theta power was associated with shorter decision times on a single-trial basis, indicating that midfrontal theta played a role in promoting successful controlled behavior. Taken together, our results show that AP-AP and AV-AV conflicts are distinguishable on the neural level. The implications of these results go beyond motivational conflicts, as they establish midfrontal theta as a measure of the continuous degree of conflict in subjective decisions.}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/18/1/nsad038/7231216}, author = {Levy, A. and Enisman, M. and Perry, A. and Kleiman, T} } @article {3156201, title = {Social and moral psychology of COVID-19 across 69 countries}, journal = {Scientific Data}, volume = {10(1)}, year = {2023}, pages = {272}, abstract = {The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all domains of human life, including the economic and social fabric of societies. One of the central strategies for managing public health throughout the pandemic has been through persuasive messaging and collective behaviour change. To help scholars better understand the social and moral psychology behind public health behaviour, we present a dataset comprising of 51,404 individuals from 69 countries. This dataset was collected for the International Collaboration on Social \& Moral Psychology of COVID-19 project (ICSMP COVID-19). This social science survey invited participants around the world to complete a series of moral and psychological measures and public health attitudes about COVID-19 during an early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (between April and June 2020). The survey included seven broad categories of questions: COVID-19 beliefs and compliance behaviours; identity and social attitudes; ideology; health and well-being; moral beliefs and motivation; personality traits; and demographic variables. We report both raw and cleaned data, along with all survey materials, data visualisations, and psychometric evaluations of key variables.}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-023-02080-8}, author = {Azevedo, F. and Pavlovic, T. and ... and Perry, A. and ... and Boggio, Paulo S. and Sampaio, Waldir M.} } @article {3203564, title = {Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning.}, journal = {PNAS nexus}, volume = {1}, year = {2022}, pages = {093}, abstract = {At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 became a global problem. Despite all the efforts to emphasize the relevance of preventive measures, not everyone adhered to them. Thus, learning more about the characteristics determining attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic is crucial to improving future interventions. In this study, we applied machine learning on the multinational data collected by the International Collaboration on the Social and Moral Psychology of COVID-19 (N\ =\ 51,404) to test the predictive efficacy of constructs from social, moral, cognitive, and personality psychology, as well as socio-demographic factors, in the attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic. The results point to several valuable insights. Internalized moral identity provided the most consistent predictive contribution{\textemdash}individuals perceiving moral traits as central to their self-concept reported higher adherence to preventive measures. Similar results were found for morality as cooperation, symbolized moral identity, self-control, open-mindedness, and collective narcissism, while the inverse relationship was evident for the endorsement of conspiracy theories. However, we also found a non-neglible variability in the explained variance and predictive contributions with respect to macro-level factors such as the pandemic stage or cultural region. Overall, the results underscore the importance of morality-related and contextual factors in understanding adherence to public health recommendations during the pandemic.}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/1/3/pgac093/6631580}, author = {Pavlovic, T. and Azevedo, F. and De, K. and Ria{\~n}o-Moreno, J.C. and ... and Perry, A. and Keudel, O. and ... and Magli{\'c}, M. and Gkinopoulos, T.} } @article {3150573, title = {Are there positive effects of having a sibling with special needs? Empathy and prosociality of twins of children with non-typical development.}, journal = {Child Development}, volume = {93(4)}, year = {2022}, pages = {1121-1128}, abstract = {This study examined whether typically developing (TD) twins of non-TD children demonstrate enhanced empathy and prosociality. Of 778 Hebrew-speaking Israeli families who participated in a twin study, 63 were identified to have a non-TD child with a TD twin, and 404 as having both twins TD. TD twins of non-TD children (27\% males) were compared to the rest of the cohort of TD children (46\% males) on measures of empathy and prosociality. Participants were 11\ years old. TD twins of non-TD children scored significantly higher than TD twins of TD children in a measure of cognitive empathy (d\ =\ .43). No differences were found in emotional empathy and prosociality. The specificity of the positive effect on cognitive empathy is discussed.}, url = {https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.13740?casa_token=aKn{\textendash}ZPAXU4AAAAA\%3ABHR12zL-jeYQSloHB2w1JgJ6TrytS59xA-Xe6TZx6lveqsr4aOzFeDRxv1VkdjiJGKAbt8MqbOripJ-b}, author = {Rum, Y. and Genzer, S. and Markovitch, N. and Jenkins, J. and Perry, A. and Knafo-Noam, A.} } @article {3144627, title = {Grasp-specific high-frequency broadband mirror neuron activity during reach-and-grasp movements in humans}, journal = {Cerebral Cortex}, year = {2022}, abstract = {

Broadly congruent mirror neurons, responding to any grasp movement, and strictly congruent mirror neurons, responding only to specific grasp movements, have been reported in single-cell studies with primates. Delineating grasp properties in humans is essential to understand the human mirror neuron system with implications for behavior and social cognition. We analyzed electrocorticography data from a natural reach-and-grasp movement observation and delayed imitation task with 3 different natural grasp types of everyday objects. We focused on the classification of grasp types from high-frequency broadband mirror activation patterns found in classic mirror system areas, including sensorimotor, supplementary motor, inferior frontal, and parietal cortices. Classification of grasp types was successful during movement observation and execution intervals but not during movement retention. Our grasp type classification from combined and single mirror electrodes provides evidence for grasp-congruent activity in the human mirror neuron system potentially arising from strictly congruent mirror neurons.

}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/cercor/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/cercor/bhac504/6958636?redirectedFrom=fulltext}, author = {Alexander M Dreyer and Leo Michalke and Perry, Anat and Edward F Chang and Jack J Lin and Robert T Knight and Jochem W Rieger} } @article {3125225, title = {Impaired empathic accuracy following damage to the left hemisphere}, journal = {Biological Psychology}, volume = {172}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Failing to understand others accurately can be extremely costly. Unfortunately, events such as strokes can lead to a decline in emotional understanding. Such impairments have been documented in stroke patients and are widely hypothesized to be related to right-hemisphere lesions, as well as to the amygdala, and are thought to be driven in part by attentional biases, for example, less fixation on the eyes. Notably, most of the previous research relied on measurements of emotional understanding from simplified cues, such as facial expressions or prosody. We hypothesize that chronic damage to the left hemisphere could hinder empathic accuracy and emotion recognition in naturalistic social settings that require complex language comprehension, even after a patient regains core language capacities. To assess this notion, we use an empathic accuracy task and eye-tracking measurements with chronic stroke patients with either right (N\ =\ 13) or left (N\ =\ 11) hemispheric damage{\textemdash}together with aged-matched controls (N\ =\ 15){\textemdash}to explore the patients{\textquoteright} understanding of others{\textquoteright} affect inferred from stimuli that separates audio and visual cues. While we find that patients with right-hemisphere lesions showed visual attention bias compared to the other two groups, we uncover a disadvantage for patients with left-hemisphere lesions in empathic accuracy, especially when only auditory cues are present. These results suggest that patients with left-hemisphere damage have long-lasting difficulties comprehending real-world complex emotional situations.}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051122001235}, author = {Jospe, Karine and Genzer, Shir and Ong, Desmond and Zaki, Jamil and Soroker, Nachum and Perry, Anat} } @article {3125225, title = {Mu rhythm suppression over sensorimotor regions is associated with greater empathic accuracy. Social Cognitive \& Affective Neuroscience.}, journal = {Social Cognitive \& Affective Neuroscience}, year = {2022}, abstract = {When people encounter others{\textquoteright} emotions, they engage multiple brain systems, including parts of the sensorimotor cortex associated with motor simulation. Simulation-related brain activity is commonly described as a {\textquoteleft}low-level{\textquoteright} component of empathy and social cognition. It remains unclear whether and how sensorimotor simulation contributes to complex empathic judgments. Here, we combine a naturalistic social paradigm with a reliable index of sensorimotor cortex-based simulation: electroencephalography suppression of oscillatory activity in the mu frequency band. We recruited participants to watch naturalistic video clips of people ({\textquoteleft}targets{\textquoteright}) describing emotional life events. In two experiments, participants viewed these clips (i) with video and sound, (ii) with only video or (iii) with only sound and provided continuous ratings of how they believed the target felt. We operationalized {\textquoteleft}empathic accuracy{\textquoteright} as the correlation between participants{\textquoteright} inferences and targets{\textquoteright} self-report. In Experiment 1 (US sample), across all conditions, right-lateralized mu suppression tracked empathic accuracy. In Experiment 2 (Israeli sample), this replicated only when using individualized frequency-bands and only for the visual stimuli. Our results provide novel evidence that sensorimotor representations{\textemdash}as measured through mu suppression{\textemdash}play a role not only in low-level motor simulation, but also in higher-level inferences about others{\textquoteright} emotions, especially when visual cues are crucial for accuracy.}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/scan/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/scan/nsac011/6523391}, author = {Genzer, Shir and Ong, D. C. and Zaki, J. and Perry, Anat} } @article {3125225, title = {National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic}, journal = {Nature Communications}, volume = {13}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1,\ N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19\ pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = -0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics.}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-27668-9}, author = {Van Bavel, Jay J. and Cichocka, Aleksandra and Valerio Capraro and ... and Perry, Anat and ... and Rolf A. Zwaan and Boggio, Paulo S. and Cislak, Aleksandra} } @article {3125225, title = {Physicians prescribe fewer analgesics during night shifts than day shifts}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {119}, year = {2022}, pages = {e2200047119}, abstract = {*shared senior author
Adequate pain management is one of the biggest challenges of the modern healthcare system. Physician perception of patient subjective pain, which is crucial to pain management, is susceptible to a host of potential biases. Here we explore the timing of physicians{\textquoteright} work as a previously unrecognized source of systematic bias in pain management. We hypothesized that during night shifts, sleep deprivation, fatigue, and stress would reduce physicians{\textquoteright} empathy for others{\textquoteright} pain, leading to underprescription of analgesics for patient pain relief. In study 1, 67 resident physicians, either following a night shift or not, performed empathy for pain assessment tasks and simulated patient scenarios in laboratory conditions. As predicted, following a night shift, physicians showed reduced empathy for pain. In study 2, we explored this phenomenon in medical decisions in the field. We analyzed three emergency department datasets from Israel and the United States that included discharge notes of patients arriving with pain complaints during 2013 to 2020 (n = 13,482). Across all datasets, physicians were less likely to prescribe an analgesic during night shifts (compared to daytime shifts) and prescribed fewer analgesics than generally recommended by the World Health Organization. This effect remained significant after adjusting for patient, physician, type of complaint, and emergency department characteristics. Underprescription for pain during night shifts was particularly prominent for opioids. We conclude that night shift work is an important and previously unrecognized source of bias in pain management, likely stemming from impaired perception of pain. We consider the implications for hospitals and other organizations employing night shifts.}, url = {https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2200047119}, author = {Choshen-Hillel, S. and Sadras, I. and Gordon-Hecker , T. and Genzer, S. and Israel S and Gozal, D. and Caruso , E. M. and Perry, A.* and Gileles-Hillel A*} } @article {3125225, title = {To feel and talk in a language of conflict: Distinctive emotional experience and expression of bilinguals in a conflict area}, journal = {Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development}, year = {2022}, pages = {1-18}, abstract = {Research conducted on emotionality in bilinguals suggests that language use modulates emotional expression. The current study examines bilingual disadvantaged minority members{\textquoteright} emotional experience and expression as shaped by the group relations in a conflict area. We hypothesised that, in general, greater emotionality will be found in one{\textquoteright}s native language. Moreover, since the second language is imposed and acquired in a negative context, there may be differential effects on negative and positive language. A novel ecological paradigm was used: Twenty-eight Palestinian citizens of Israel were videotaped while recounting emotional stories in both Arabic (L1) and Hebrew (L2), resulting in 212 videos. Two studies followed: In Study 1 we compared participants{\textquoteright} emotional ratings (1a) and analyzed the content of emotional expression (1b). In Study 2, American participants rated emotional expressiveness. In Study 1, an interaction effect was found between language and valence, with less positive emotions and expressions in L2. In Study 2, a general difference in expressiveness was found in favour of L1. These studies show an effect of power disparities on the emotional load of the second language, thus highlighting the emotional costs of using a second language acquired in a conflict area.}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01434632.2022.2081697}, author = {Kassem, Nur and Rum, Yonat and Perry, Anat} } @article {3125225, title = {Gender bias in academia: A lifetime problem that needs solutions}, journal = {Neuron}, volume = {109}, year = {2021}, pages = {2047-2074}, abstract = {Despite increased awareness of the lack of gender equity in academia and a growing number of initiatives to address issues of diversity, change is slow, and inequalities remain. A major source of inequity is gender bias, which has a substantial negative impact on the careers, work-life balance, and mental health of underrepresented groups in science. Here, we argue that gender bias is not a single problem but manifests as a collection of distinct issues that impact researchers{\textquoteright} lives. We disentangle these facets and propose concrete solutions that can be adopted by individuals, academic institutions, and society.}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627321004177}, author = {Llorens, A. and Tzovara, A. and Bellier, L. and Bhaya-Grossman, I and Bidet-Caulet, A and Chang, W. K and ... and Perry, A and ... and Dronkers, N. F} } @article {3125225, title = {The influence of anger on empathy and theory of mind}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {16}, year = {2021}, pages = {e0255068.}, abstract = {Social cognition allows humans to understand and predict other people{\textquoteright}s behavior by inferring or sharing their emotions, intentions and beliefs. Few studies have investigated the impact of one{\textquoteright}s own emotional state on understanding others. Here, we tested the effect of being in an angry state on empathy and theory of mind (ToM). In a between-groups design we manipulated anger status with different paradigms in three studies (autobiographical recall (N = 45), negative feedback (N = 49), frustration (N = 46)) and checked how this manipulation affected empathic accuracy and performance in the EmpaToM. All paradigms were successful in inducing mild anger. We did not find the expected effect of anger on empathy or ToM performance but observed small behavioral changes. Together, our results validate the use of three different anger induction paradigms and speak for rather weak behavioral effects of mild state anger on empathy and ToM.}, url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0255068}, author = {Weiblen, Ronja and Noam Mairon and Krach, S{\"o}ren and et al} } @article {3125225, title = {Nuancing perspective: Feedback shapes the understanding of another\’s emotion}, journal = {Social Psychology}, volume = {52}, year = {2021}, pages = {238-249}, abstract = {Two experiments manipulated participants{\textquoteright} familiarity with another person and examined their performance in future understanding of that person{\textquoteright}s emotions. To gain familiarity, participants watched several videos of the target sharing experiences and rated her emotions. In the Feedback condition, perceivers learned about the actual emotions the target felt. In the Control condition, perceivers completed identical recognition tasks but did not know the target{\textquoteright}s own emotion ratings. Studies (N total= 398; one preregistered) found that the Feedback group was more accurate than the Control in future understanding of the target{\textquoteright}s emotions. Results provide a proof-of-concept demonstration that brief preliminary learning about past emotional experiences of another person can give one a more accurate understanding of the person in the future.(PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved.}, url = {https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-76743-002}, author = {Israelashivili, Jacob and Perry, Anat} } @article {3125224, title = {Behavioral and EEG Measures Show no Amplifying Effects of Shared Attention on Attention or Memory}, journal = {nature}, volume = {10}, year = {2020}, pages = {8458}, abstract = {Shared attention experiments examine the potential differences in function or behavior when stimuli are experienced alone or in the presence of others, and when simultaneous attention of the participants to the same stimulus or set is involved. Previous work has found enhanced reactions to emotional stimuli in social situations, yet these changes might represent enhanced communicative or motivational purposes. This study examines whether viewing emotional stimuli in the presence of another person influences attention to or memory for the stimulus. Participants passively viewed emotionally-valenced stimuli while completing another task (counting flowers). Each participant performed this task both alone and in a shared attention condition (simultaneously with another person in the same room) while EEG signals were measured. Recognition of the emotional pictures was later measured. A significant shared attention behavioral effect was found in the attention task but not in the recognition task. Compared to event-related potential responses for neutral pictures, we found higher P3b response for task relevant stimuli (flowers), and higher Late Positive Potential (LPP) responses for emotional stimuli. However, no main effect was found for shared attention between presence conditions. To conclude, shared attention may therefore have a more limited effect on cognitive processes than previously suggested.}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-65311-7}, author = {Noam Mairon and Nahum, Mor and Stolk, Arjen and Knight, Robert T. and Perry, Anat} } @article {3125225, title = {The contribution of linguistic and visual cues to physiological synchrony and empathic accuracy}, journal = {Cortex}, volume = {132}, year = {2020}, pages = {296-308}, abstract = {There is an ongoing debate concerning the contribution of different aspects of empathy to achieving an accurate understanding of others. In this study, we aimed to better comprehend the roles of experience sharing and mentalizing using a modified empathic-accuracy task. We analyzed the unique contribution of each of these mechanisms with an explicit cognitive report as well as an affective physiological synchrony measurement. First, we recorded the emotional autobiographical stories told by participants ({\textquotedblleft}targets{\textquotedblright}, N\ =\ 28). Then, the targets watched their own videos as their heart rate (HR) was measured, and they reported on both a continuous and a discrete emotion scale what they felt while relaying the story. Next, we collected HR data from new participants ({\textquotedblleft}observers{\textquotedblright}, N\ =\ 72) as they similarly rated the targets{\textquoteright} valence and discrete emotional states. In order to test the contribution of sensorimotor cues and contextual cues to empathic accuracy, observers viewed some videos with audio, others without audio, and listened to a third set of only the audio. We hypothesized that empathic accuracy{\textemdash}a cognitive measure that is a proxy for mentalizing and is operationalized by the correlation between a target{\textquoteright}s reported emotions and an observer{\textquoteright}s inference of those emotions{\textemdash}would be greater when linguistic information is present. We also hypothesized that physiological synchrony, a proxy for experience sharing, would be greater in the video-only condition, which was limited to sensorimotor cues to infer the other{\textquoteright}s emotional state. Indeed, we found that empathic accuracy was greater when auditory information was present, and that HR synchrony was more prevalent when visual cues were presented alone. Having both information streams together did not enhance accuracy, yet it was the only condition in which both behavioral empathic-accuracy measures correlated with HR synchrony. This study provides evidence that separate experience sharing and mentalizing pathways are active in the same task.}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010945220303233}, author = {Jospe, Karin and Genzer, Shir and klein Selle, Nathalie and Ong, Desmond and Zaki, Jamil and Perry, Anat} } @article {3125222, title = {Different neural activations for an approaching friend versus stranger: Linking personal space to numerical cognition}, journal = {Brain and Behaviour}, volume = {10}, year = {2020}, pages = {e01613}, abstract = {

Introduction

Typically, humans place themselves at a preferred distance from others. This distance is known to characterize human spatial behavior. Here, we focused on neurocognitive conditions that may affect interpersonal distances. The current study investigated whether neurocognitive deficiencies in numerical and spatial knowledge may affect social perception and modulate personal space.

Method

In an event-related potential (ERP) study, university students with developmental dyscalculia (DD) and typically developing control participants were given a computerized version of the comfortable interpersonal distance task, in which participants were instructed to press the spacebar when they began to feel uncomfortable by the approach of a virtual protagonist.

Results

Results showed that students with deficiencies in numerical and spatial skills (i.e., DD) demonstrated reduced variability in their preferred distance from an approaching friend. Importantly, DD showed decreased amplitude of the N1 wave in the friend condition.

Conclusion

These results suggest that people coping with deficiencies in spatial cognition have a less efficient allocation of spatial attention in the service of processing personal distances. Accordingly, the study highlights the fundamental role of spatial neurocognition in organizing social space.

}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/brb3.1613}, author = {Rubinstein, Orly and Corem, Nachshon and Perry, Anat and Gold, Miri and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone} } @article {3125223, title = {Empathic Accuracy in Clinical Populations}, journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry}, volume = {11}, year = {2020}, pages = {457}, abstract = {Empathy, broadly defined as the ability to understand the other and to share others{\textquoteright} emotions, motivates prosocial behavior and underlies successful interpersonal relations. Dysfunctions in this ability may cause fundamental difficulties in social communication. Empathy has been measured in various ways, from self-report questionnaires to laboratory objective performance tests. Empathic accuracy (EA), i.e., the ability to accurately empathize, is measured using more complex and ecological paradigms, such as asking participants to infer filmed interactions, or having people narrate personal emotional stories then assessing the correspondence between the perceiver and the target of empathy as the criteria for empathic ability. This measure is particularly useful in the study of clinical populations, where deconstructing the multifaceted concept of empathy may contribute to a more complete understanding of specific clinical profiles. This paper presents a scoping review of the literature on EA in clinical populations, and on EA and clinical traits and states in nonclinical or high-risk populations. Following an exhaustive literature search, 34 studies were found eligible to be included in this review. The largest category was studies focused on EA in people with schizophrenia (31\%; 11 papers), followed by studies focused on EA in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and autistic traits in a nonclinical population (22\%; 8 papers). Studies were also found on EA and depression tendencies, psychopathy, social anxiety, behavior disorders, and personality disorders, and a few other clinical conditions. The included studies varied on research aims, designs, sample sizes, and male:female ratios. The overall synthesized results suggest that EA is reduced in schizophrenia and ASD. In other clinical populations, the number of studies was very limited. We urge researchers to further examine EA in these less-studied populations. The review reveals a general underrepresentation of female participants in studies on EA in clinical populations. We suggest that future research address understudied clinical populations, such as those diagnosed with psychopathy. Subject, target, and situational variables should also be considered, with special attention to gender differences (and similarities), the association between EA abilities and adaptive functioning, and the study of individuals with clinical conditions as targets, not just observers, in EA tasks.}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00457/full}, author = {Rum, Yonat and Perry, Anat} } @article {82359, title = {Mirroring in the human brain: Deciphering the spatial and temporal patterns of the human mirror neuron system, an ECoG study}, journal = {Cerebral Cortex}, volume = {3}, year = {2018}, pages = {1039-1048}, abstract = {Embodied theories of cognition emphasize the central role of sensorimotor transformations in the representation of others{\textquoteright} actions. Support for these theories is derived from the discovery of the mirror neuron system (MNS) in primates, from noninvasive techniques in humans, and from a limited number of intracranial studies. To understand the neural dynamics of the human MNS, more studies with precise spatial and temporal resolutions are essential. We used electrocorticography to define activation patterns in sensorimotor, parietal and/or frontal neuronal populations, during a viewing and grasping task. Our results show robust high gamma activation for both conditions in classic MNS sites. Furthermore, we provide novel evidence for 2 different populations of neurons: sites that were only active for viewing and grasping ({\textquotedblleft}pure mirroring{\textquotedblright}) and sites that were also active between viewing and grasping, and perhaps serve a more general attentional role. Lastly, a subgroup of parietal electrodes showed earlier peaks than all other regions. These results highlight the complexity of spatial-temporal patterns within the MNS and provide a critical link between single-unit research in monkeys and noninvasive techniques in human.}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article/28/3/1039/2964652?login=true}, author = {Perry, Anat and Stiso, Jennifer and Chang, Edward F. and Lin, Jack J. and Parvizi, Josef and Knight, Robert.T.} } @article {78558, title = {The role of oxytocin in implicit personal space regulation - an fMRI study.}, journal = {Psychoneuroendocrinology}, volume = {91}, year = {2018}, pages = {206-215}, abstract = {Personal space, defined as the distance individuals choose to maintain between themselves and others, is an indicator of affiliation and closeness. Most paradigms that measure personal space preferences involve explicit choice and therefore fail to examine the implicit aspects of such preferences. In the current study, we sought to investigate an implicit form of interpersonal space that is more closely related to real-life situations involving affiliation. We studied the effects of oxytocin (OT) on neural networks that involve affiliation and tested the impact on personal space preferences. In a double-blind placebo-controlled study, we asked participants to choose between two rooms that differed only in the distances between two stimuli. The stimuli were either social stimuli (two chairs) or non-social stimuli (table and plant). The behavioral results showed that OT caused participants to choose a closer space in social blocks but did not affect their choices in non-social blocks. Imaging results revealed an interaction between stimulus and treatment (OT/PL) in the dorsal striatum, an area that is related to approach motivation and is part of the reward circuitry. Specifically, OT increased activity in the dorsal striatum in the social blocks and decreased this activity in the non-social blocks. The results of the study strengthen the social salience theory regarding OT, indicating that OT does not uniformly affect all social responses and that context has a determining impact on our behavior.}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453017313136}, author = {Cohen, Daniela and Perry, Anat and Mayseless, Naama and Kleinmintz, Oded and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone} } @article {12229215920170401, title = {Effects of prefrontal cortex damage on emotion understanding: EEG and behavioural evidence.}, journal = {Brain: A Journal of Neurology}, volume = {140}, year = {2017}, pages = {1086 - 1099}, abstract = {Humans are highly social beings that interact with each other on a daily basis. In these complex interactions, we get along by being able to identify others{\textquoteright} actions and infer their intentions, thoughts and feelings. One of the major theories accounting for this critical ability assumes that the understanding of social signals is based on a primordial tendency to simulate observed actions by activating a mirror neuron system. If mirror neuron regions are important for action and emotion recognition, damage to regions in this network should lead to deficits in these domains. In the current behavioural and EEG study, we focused on the lateral prefrontal cortex including dorsal and ventral prefrontal cortex and utilized a series of task paradigms, each measuring a different aspect of recognizing others{\textquoteright} actions or emotions from body cues. We examined 17 patients with lesions including (n = 8) or not including (n = 9) the inferior frontal gyrus, a core mirror neuron system region, and com}, keywords = {Adult, Body Language, Brain Neoplasms {\textendash} Surgery, Computer Assisted, Cues, Electroencephalography, emotions, Female, Frontal Lobe, Frontal Lobe {\textendash} Injuries, Image Processing, Male, Middle Age, Neurons, Perception, Psychomotor Performance, Questionnaires, Readability, Social Readjustment Rating Scale, Stroke, Stroke {\textendash} Psychosocial Factors, Visual Perception}, issn = {0006-8950}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/140/4/1086/3045938?login=true}, author = {Perry, Anat and Saunders, Samantha N. and Stiso, Jennifer and Dewar, Callum and Lubell, Jamie and Meling, Torstein R. and Solbakk, Anne-Kristin and Endestad, Tor and Knight, Robert T.} } @article {edsgcl.47949980220170101, title = {The role of oxytocin in modulating interpersonal space: A pharmacological fMRI study}, journal = {Psychoneuroendocrinology}, volume = {76}, year = {2017}, pages = {77-83}, abstract = {Interpersonal space is a nonverbal indicator of affiliation and closeness. In this study we investigated the effects of oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide known for its social role in humans, on interpersonal space. In a double blind placebo controlled study we measured the effect of intranasal OT on the personal distance preferences of different familiar (friend) and unfamiliar (stranger) protagonists. Behavioral results showed that participants preferred to be closer to a friend than to a stranger. Intranasal OT was associated with an overall distancing effect, but this effect was significant for the stranger and not for the friend. The imaging results showed interactions between treatment (OT, placebo) and protagonist (friend, stranger) in regions that mediate social behavior including the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), a region associated with the mentalizing system. Specifically, OT increased activity in the dmPFC when a friend approached the participants but not when a stranger approached. The results indicate that the effect of OT on interpersonal space greatly depends on the participant{\textquoteright}s relationship with the protagonist. This supports the social salience theory, according to which OT increases the salience of social cues depending on the context.}, keywords = {Magnetic resonance imaging, Neurosciences}, issn = {0306-4530}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453016304668}, author = {Cohen, Daniela and Perry, Anat and Gilam, Gadi and Mayseless, Naama and Gonen, Tal and Hendler, Talma and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G.} } @article {82360, title = {Are you looking at me? Mu suppression modulation by facial expression direction}, journal = {Cognitive Affective \& Behavioral Neuroscience}, volume = {17}, year = {2017}, pages = {174-184}, abstract = {Although we encounter numerous expressive faces on a daily basis, those that are not aimed at us will often be disregarded. Facial expressions aimed at our direction appear far more relevant and evoke an engaging affective experience, while the exact same expressions aimed away from us may not. While the importance of expression directionality is intuitive and commonplace, the neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are largely unknown. In the current study we measured EEG mu rhythm suppression, an established measure of mirror neuron activity, while participants viewed short video clips of dynamic facial expressions. Critically, the videos portrayed facial emotions which turned towards or away from the viewer, thus manipulating their degree of social relevance. Mirroring activity increased as a function of social relevance such that expressions turning toward the viewer resulted in increased sensorimotor activation (i.e., stronger mu suppression) compared to identical expressions turning away from the viewer. Additional analyses confirmed that expressions turning toward the viewer were perceived as more relevant and engaging than expressions turning away from the viewer, a finding not explained by perceived intensity or recognition accuracy. Mirror sensorimotor mechanisms may play a key role in determining the relevance of perceived facial expressions.}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13415-016-0470-z}, author = {Ensenberg, Noga and Perry, Anat and Aviezer, Hillel} } @inbook {3180318, title = {The Neurobiology of Empathy}, booktitle = {Countertransference in Perspective, The double-edged sword of the patient-therapist emotional relationship}, year = {2016}, publisher = {Sussex Academic Press.}, organization = {Sussex Academic Press.}, author = {Perry A. and Ben-Ami Bartal I}, editor = {Dor R. Aleksandrowicz and Anna O. Aleksandrowicz} } @inbook {3180317, title = {The Evolution of Pro-social Behavior.}, booktitle = {Countertransference in Perspective, The double-edged sword of the patient-therapist emotional relationship,}, year = {2016}, publisher = {Sussex Academic Press}, organization = {Sussex Academic Press}, author = {Ben-Ami Bartal, I and Perry, A}, editor = {Dor R. Aleksandrowicz and Dor R. Aleksandrowicz} } @article {edsgcl.46536654620160101, title = {The effect of oxytocin on the anthropomorphism of touch.}, journal = {Psychoneuroendocrinology}, volume = {66}, year = {2016}, pages = {159-165}, abstract = {One of the leading hypotheses regarding the mechanism underlying the social effects of oxytocin (OT) is the {\textquotedblleft}social salience hypothesis{\textquotedblright}, which proposes that OT alters the attentional salience of social cues in a context-dependent manner. Recently, OT was implicated in the process of anthropomorphism; specifically, OT was found to increase the tendency to ascribe social meaning to inanimate stimuli. However, the precise component of social interaction that contributes to this effect remains unclear. Because OT plays a role in the response to touch, whether or not objects are touching in a social context may represent the prominent trigger. Given that OT plays a major role in both anthropomorphism and touch, it is reasonable to assume that OT enhances anthropomorphism specifically for non-human touch, further clarifying its role in altering the perceptual salience of social cues. Here, we examined whether intranasal delivery of OT influences anthropomorphism for touch in inanimate objects. To that end, we implicitly measured the emotional reactions of participants (N\ =\ 51) to photos that depicted two humans or two inanimate objects either touching or not touching. We asked them to rate whether they will include each photo in an emotional album and found that OT treatment increased the likelihood of inclusion in an emotional album to photos that contain touch, particularly between inanimate objects. In a follow-up experiment we found that the more human the inanimate objects were perceived, the more included they were in the emotional album. Our findings demonstrate that OT can enhance the social meaning of touch between two inanimate objects and advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the ability of OT to anthropomorphize environmental cues.}, issn = {0306-4530}, url = {http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true\&db=edsgao\&AN=edsgcl.465366546\&lang=he\&site=eds-live}, author = {Peled-Avron, Leehe and Perry, Anat and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G.} } @article {82361, title = {The Role of the Orbitofrontal Cortex in Regulation of Interpersonal Space: Evidence from Frontal Lesion and Frontotemporal Dementia Patients}, journal = {Social Cognitive \& Affective Neuroscience}, volume = {11}, year = {2016}, pages = {1894-1901}, abstract = {Interpersonal distance is central to communication and complex social behaviors but the neural correlates of interpersonal distance preferences are not defined. Previous studies suggest that damage to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is associated with impaired interpersonal behavior. To examine whether the OFC is critical for maintaining appropriate interpersonal distance, we tested two groups of patients with OFC damage: Patients with OFC lesions and patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. These two groups were compared to healthy controls and to patients with lesions restricted to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Only patients with OFC damage showed abnormal interpersonal distance preferences, which were significantly different from both controls and patients with dorsolateral prefrontal damage. The comfortable distances these patients chose with strangers were significantly closer than the other groups and resembled distances normally used with close others. These results shed light on the role of the OFC in regulating social behavior and may serve as a simple diagnostic tool for dementia or lesion patients.}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/scan/article-abstract/11/12/1894/2544479}, author = {Perry, Anat and Lwi, Sandy and Verstaen, Alice and Dewar, Callum and Levenson Robert W. and Knight, Robert T.} } @article {edsgcl.46536654620160101, title = {Where does one stand: a biological account of preferred interpersonal distance}, journal = {Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience}, volume = {11}, year = {2016}, pages = {317{\textendash}326}, abstract = {What determines how close you choose to stand to someone? Why do some people prefer farther distances than others? We hypothesized that an important factor is one{\textquoteright}s sensory sensitivity level, i.e. how sensitive one is to nearby visual stimulation, noise, touch or smell. This study characterizes the behavioral, hormonal and electrophysiological metrics of interpersonal distance (IPD) preferences in relation to levels of sensory sensitivity. Using both an ecologically realistic task and electroencephalogram (EEG), we found that sensory sensitivity levels predicted IPD preferences, such that the more sensitive one is the farther distance they prefer. Furthermore, electrophysiological evidence revealed that individuals with higher sensory sensitivity show more alpha suppression for approaching stimuli, strengthening the notion that early sensory cortical excitability is involved in one{\textquoteright}s social decision of how close to stand to another. The results provide evidence that a core human metric of social interaction is influenced by individual levels of sensory sensitivity.}, issn = {0306-4530}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/11/2/317/2375136?login=true}, author = {Peled-Avron, Leehe and Perry, Anat and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G.} } @article {82362, title = {Working memory capacity of biological movements predicts empathy traits}, journal = {Psychonomic Bulletin \& Review}, volume = {23}, year = {2016}, pages = {468-475}, abstract = {Working memory (WM) and empathy are core issues in cognitive and social science, respectively. However, no study so far has explored the relationship between these two constructs. Considering that empathy takes place based on the others{\textquoteright} observed experiences, which requires extracting the observed dynamic scene into WM and forming a coherent representation, we hypothesized that a sub-type of WM capacity, i.e., WM for biological movements (BM), should predict one{\textquoteright}s empathy level. Therefore, WM capacity was measured for three distinct types of stimuli in a change detection task: BM of human beings (BM; Experiment 1), movements of rectangles (Experiment 2), and static colors (Experiment 3). The first two stimuli were dynamic and shared one WM buffer which differed from the WM buffer for colors; yet only the BM conveyed social information. We found that BM-WM capacity was positively correlated with both cognitive and emotional empathy, with no such correlations for WM capacity of movements of rectangles or of colors. Thus, the current study is the first to provide evidence linking a specific buffer of WM and empathy, and highlights the necessity for considering different WM capacities in future social and clinical research.}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-015-0896-2}, author = {Gao, Zaifeng and Ye, Tian and Shen, Mowei and Perry, Anat} } @article {82364, title = {Interpersonal distance and social anxiety in Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A behavioral and ERP study}, journal = {Social Neuroscience}, volume = {10}, year = {2015}, pages = {354-365}, abstract = {Long-term deprivation of normal visual inputs can cause perceptual impairments at various levels of visual function, from basic visual acuity deficits, through mid-level deficits such as contour integration and motion coherence, to high-level face and object agnosia. Yet it is unclear whether training during adulthood, at a post-developmental stage of the adult visual system, can overcome such developmental impairments.\ Here, we visually trained LG, a developmental object and face agnosic individual. Prior to training, at the age of 20, LG{\textquoteright}s basic and mid-level visual functions such as visual acuity, crowding effects, and contour integration were underdeveloped relative to normal adult vision, corresponding to or poorer than those of 5{\textendash}6 year olds (Gilaie-Dotan, Perry, Bonneh, Malach \& Bentin, 2009). Intensive visual training, based on lateral interactions, was applied for a period of 9\ months. LG{\textquoteright}s directly trained but also untrained visual functions such as visual acuity, crowding, binocular stereopsis and also mid-level contour integration improved significantly and reached near-age-level performance, with long-term (over 4\ years) persistence. Moreover, mid-level functions that were tested post-training were found to be normal in LG. Some possible subtle improvement was observed in LG{\textquoteright}s higher-order visual functions such as object recognition and part integration, while LG{\textquoteright}s face perception skills have not improved thus far. These results suggest that corrective training at a post-developmental stage, even in the adult visual system, can prove effective, and its enduring effects are the basis for a revival of a developmental cascade that can lead to reduced perceptual impairments.}, url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25666260/$\#$: :text=Interpersonal\%20distance\%20and\%20social\%20anxiety\%20in\%20autistic\%20spectrum,interpersonal\%20distance-the\%20space\%20between\%20one\%20individual\%20and\%20another.}, author = {Perry, Anat and Levy-Gigi, Einat and Richter-Levin, Gal and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone} } @article {edselc.2-52.0-8492926969920150704, title = {Interpersonal distance and social anxiety in autistic spectrum disorders: A behavioral and ERP study}, journal = {Social Neuroscience}, volume = {10}, year = {2015}, pages = {354-365}, abstract = {An inherent feature of social interactions is the use of social space or interpersonal distance{\textemdash}the space between one individual and another. Because social deficits are core symptoms of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), we hypothesized that individuals on this spectrum will exhibit abnormal interpersonal distance preferences. The literature on interpersonal distance in ASD is not conclusive. While some studies show preferences for closer distances among this group, others show preferences for farther distances than controls. A common symptom of ASD that may explain the variance in responses to interpersonal distance in this population is social anxiety (SA), which has been shown to correlate with interpersonal distance preferences. In the current study, we investigated interpersonal distance preferences in a group of individuals with ASD using both behavioral and ERP measures. We found greater variance in interpersonal distance preferences in the ASD group than in the control group. Furthermore, we showed that this variance can be explained by differences in SA level and can be predicted by the N1 amplitude, an early ERP component related to attention and discrimination processes. These results hint at the early sensory and attentional processes that may be affecting higher social behaviors, both in subclinical and in clinical populations.}, keywords = {Autism, interpersonal distance, N1 ERP, personal space}, issn = {17470927}, url = {http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true\&db=edselc\&AN=edselc.2-52.0-84929269699\&lang=he\&site=eds-live}, author = {Perry, Anat and Levy-Gigi, Einat and Richter-Levin, Gal and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G.} } @article {82363, title = {Oxytocin promotes closer interpersonal distance among highly empathic individuals}, journal = {Social, Cognitive \& Affective Neuroscience}, volume = {10}, year = {2015}, pages = {3-9}, abstract = {The space between people, or {\textquoteleft}interpersonal distance{\textquoteright}, creates and defines the dynamics of social interactions and is a salient cue signaling responsiveness and feeling comfortable. This distance is implicit yet clearly felt, especially if someone stands closer or farther away than expected. Increasing evidence suggests that Oxytocin (OT) serves as a social hormone in humans, and that one of its roles may be to alter the perceptual salience of social cues. Considering that empathic ability may shape the way individuals process social stimuli, we predicted that OT will differentially affect preferred interpersonal distance depending on individual differences in empathy. Participants took part in two interpersonal distance experiments: In the first, they had to stop a (computer visualized) protagonist when feeling most comfortable; in the second, they were asked to choose the room in which they would later discuss intimate topics with another. Both experiments revealed an interaction between the effect of OT and empathy level. Among highly empathic individuals, OT promoted the choice of closer interpersonal distances. Yet, OT had an opposite effect on individuals with low empathic traits. We conclude that the enhancement of social cues following OT administration may have opposite effects on individuals with different empathic abilities.}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/10/1/3/1630959?login=true}, author = {Perry, Anat and Mankuta, David and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G.} } @article {S105381191301038020140215, title = {Mirror-neuron system recruitment by action observation: Effects of focal brain damage on mu suppression.}, journal = {NeuroImage}, volume = {87}, year = {2014}, pages = {127 - 137}, abstract = {Mu suppression is the attenuation of EEG power in the alpha frequency range (8-12\ Hz), recorded over the sensorimotor cortex during execution and observation of motor actions. Based on this dual characteristic mu suppression is thought to signalize activation of a human analogue of the mirror neuron system (MNS) found in macaque monkeys. However, much uncertainty remains concerning its specificity and full significance. To further explore the hypothesized relationship between mu suppression and MNS activation, we investigated how it is affected by damage to cortical regions, including areas where the MNS is thought to reside. EEG was recorded in 33 first-event stroke patients during observation of video clips showing reaching and grasping hand movements. We examined the modulation of EEG oscillations at central and occipital sites, and analyzed separately the lower (8-10\ Hz) and higher (10-12\ Hz) segments of the alpha/mu range. Suppression was determined relative to observation of a non-biological movement. Normalized lesion data were used to investigate how damage to regions of the fronto-parietal cortex affects the pattern of suppression. The magnitude of mu suppression during action observation was significantly reduced in the affected hemisphere compared to the unaffected hemisphere. Differences between the hemispheres were significant at central (sensorimotor) sites but not at occipital (visual) sites. Total hemispheric volume loss did not correlate with mu suppression. Suppression in the lower mu range in the unaffected hemisphere (C3) correlated with lesion extent within the right inferior parietal cortex. Our lesion study supports the role of mu suppression as a marker of MNS activation, confirming previous studies in normal subjects.}, issn = {1053-8119}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811913010380}, author = {Frenkel-Toledo, Silvi and Bentin, Shlomo and Perry, Anat and Liebermann, Dario G. and Soroker, Nachum} } @article {S105381191300798220131201, title = {Don\&$\#$39;t stand so close to me: A behavioral and ERP study of preferred interpersonal distance}, journal = {NeuroImage}, volume = {83}, year = {2013}, pages = {761 - 769}, abstract = {The space between people, or interpersonal distance, creates and defines the dynamics of social interactions. Given that invasion of one{\textquoteright}s interpersonal space may trigger threat and anxiety, a critical question is if high vulnerability to social anxiety (SA) is associated with avoidance and attentional biases when anticipating invasion to one{\textquoteright}s interpersonal space. Therefore, the current study sought to examine the behavioral mechanisms, time course and neural correlates underlying the threat of interpersonal distance invasion with a focus on different SA levels, using both a behavioral and an ERP experiment. Preferred interpersonal distance was assessed using a paradigm that involves responding to different virtual protagonists (friend or stranger) approaching the participant by indicating where one would like the protagonist to stop. In addition, participants{\textquoteright} level of social anxiety was measured. The behavioral experiment indicated that levels of SA predicted one{\textquoteright}s preferred interpersonal distance such that higher SA individuals preferred further distance from a stranger. At the neural level, across groups, early (N1) but not late (LPP) differences were found between stranger and friend conditions. Importantly, SA individuals were characterized by attenuated early ERP responses, suggesting less attentional resources allocated to social stimuli. The results suggest that high SA individuals feel discomfort earlier than others in social engagement, which may lead them to stand further away, thus creating less communicative social interactions.}, issn = {1053-8119}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811913007982}, author = {Perry, Anat and Rubinsten, Orly and Peled, Leehe and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G.} } @article {S000689931300334X20130506, title = {Dynamics of the EEG power in the frequency and spatial domains during observation and execution of manual movements.}, journal = {Brain Research}, volume = {1509}, year = {2013}, pages = {43-57}, abstract = {Mu suppression is the attenuation of EEG power in the alpha frequency range (8{\textendash}12\ Hz) while executing or observing a motor action. Whereas typically observed at central scalp sites, there are diverging reports about the extent of the attenuation over the cortical mantle, its exact frequency range and the specificity of this phenomenon. We investigated the modulation of EEG oscillations in frequency-bands between 4 to 12\ Hz at frontal, central, parietal and occipital sites during the execution of manual movements and during observation of similar actions from allocentric (i.e., facing the actor) and egocentric (i.e., seeing the actor from behind) viewpoints. Suppression was determined relative to observation of a non-biological movement. Action observation elicited greater suppression in the lower (8{\textendash}10\ Hz) compared to the higher mu range (10{\textendash}12\ Hz), and greater suppression in the entire range (4{\textendash}12\ Hz) at frontal and central sites compared to parietal and occipital sites. In addition, suppression tended to be greater during observation of a motor action from allocentric compared to egocentric viewpoints. During execution of movement, suppression of the EEG occurred primarily in the higher alpha range and was absent at occipital sites. In the theta range (4{\textendash}8\ Hz), the EEG amplitude was suppressed during action observation and execution. The results suggest a functional distinction between modulation of mu and alpha rhythms, and between the higher and lower ranges of the mu rhythms. The activity of the presumed human mirror-neuron system seems primarily evident in the lower mu range and in the theta range.}, issn = {0006-8993}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000689931300334X}, author = {Frenkel-Toledo, Silvi and Bentin, Shlomo and Perry, Anat and Liebermann, Dario G. and Soroker, Nachum} } @article {edsgcl.34697891220130101, title = {Face or body? Oxytocin improves perception of emotions from facial expressions in incongruent emotional body context}, journal = {Psychoneuroendocrinology}, year = {2013}, pages = {2820}, abstract = {The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been repeatedly reported to play an essential role in the regulation of social cognition in humans in general, and specifically in enhancing the recognition of emotions from facial expressions. The later was assessed in different paradigms that rely primarily on isolated and decontextualized emotional faces. However, recent evidence has indicated that the perception of basic facial expressions is not context invariant and can be categorically altered by context, especially body context, at early perceptual levels. Body context has a strong effect on our perception of emotional expressions, especially when the actual target face and the contextually expected face are perceptually similar. To examine whether and how OT affects emotion recognition, we investigated the role of OT in categorizing facial expressions in incongruent body contexts. Our results show that in the combined process of deciphering emotions from facial expressions and from context, OT gives an advantage to the face. This advantage is most evident when the target face and the contextually expected face are perceptually similar.}, keywords = {Pituitary hormones}, issn = {0306-4530}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453013002515}, author = {Perry, Anat and Aviezer, Hillel and Goldstein, Pavel and Palgi, Sharon and Klein, Ehud and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G.} } @inbook {oso.9780199692972.003.001120130101, title = {Understanding emotional and cognitive empathy: A neuropsychological perspective}, booktitle = {Understanding Other Minds: Perspectives from developmental social neuroscience}, year = {2013}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, organization = {Oxford University Press}, abstract = {Empathy is a broad concept that refers to the cognitive as well as the emotional reactions of one individual to the observed experiences of another. Questions regarding how we understand others have intrigued psychologists and philosophers for centuries. In order to answer these questions, two major theories have been proposed, known as Theory Theory and Simulation Theory. In the past two decades, these questions have been re-examined by neuropsychologists and neuroscientists. This chapter reviews the different aspects of emotional and cognitive empathy in light of converging evidence from lesion patients, electrophysiology and neuroimaging studies. Neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Autism or Schizophrenia, although heterogeneous and difficult to study, have also been examined in relation to their deficits in cognitive and emotional empathy, and some of these new findings are discussed in this chapter. Lastly, we propose a model which relates brain mechanisms such as simulation or cognitive and affective ToM, to psychological processes, the empathic responses they lead to, and deficits which may occur when these mechanisms are disrupted.}, isbn = {9780199692972}, url = {https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199692972.001.0001/acprof-9780199692972-chapter-11}, author = {Perry, Anat and Shamay-Tsoory, Simone} } @article {S002839321200060720120401, title = {The right place at the right time: Priming facial expressions with emotional face components in developmental visual agnosia}, journal = {Neuropsychologia}, volume = {50}, year = {2012}, pages = {949-957}, abstract = {The current study examined the nature of deficits in emotion recognition from facial expressions in case LG, an individual with a rare form of developmental visual agnosia (DVA). LG presents with profoundly impaired recognition of facial expressions, yet the underlying nature of his deficit remains unknown. During typical face processing, normal sighted individuals extract information about expressed emotions from face regions with activity diagnostic for specific emotion categories. Given LG{\textquoteright}s impairment, we sought to shed light on his emotion perception by examining if priming facial expressions with diagnostic emotional face components would facilitate his recognition of the emotion expressed by the face. LG and control participants matched isolated face components with components appearing in a subsequently presented full-face and then categorized the face{\textquoteright}s emotion. Critically, the matched components were from regions which were diagnostic or non-diagnostic of the emotion portrayed by the full face. In experiment 1, when the full faces were briefly presented (150\ ms), LG{\textquoteright}s performance was strongly influenced by the diagnosticity of the components: his emotion recognition was boosted within normal limits when diagnostic components were used and was obliterated when non-diagnostic components were used. By contrast, in experiment 2, when the face-exposure duration was extended (2000\ ms), the beneficial effect of the diagnostic matching was diminished as was the detrimental effect of the non-diagnostic matching. These data highlight the impact of diagnostic facial features in normal expression recognition and suggest that impaired emotion recognition in DVA results from deficient visual integration across diagnostic face components.}, issn = {0028-3932}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028393212000607}, author = {Aviezer, Hillel and Hassin, Ran R. and Perry, Anat and Dudarev, Veronica and Bentin, Shlomo} } @article {S105381191100706320111001, title = {Motor and attentional mechanisms involved in social interaction\—Evidence from mu and alpha EEG suppression.}, journal = {NeuroImage}, volume = {58}, year = {2011}, pages = {895-904}, abstract = {

Mu rhythms are EEG oscillations in the 8{\textendash}13Hz recorded at sites located roughly over the sensory-motor cortex. There is reliable evidence that the amplitude of mu rhythms is reduced when the participant performs a motor act (mu suppression). Recent studies found mu suppression not only in response to actual movements but also while the participant observes actions executed by someone else. This finding putatively associates the mu suppression to the activity of a mirror neurons system which, in humans, has been suggested to contribute to social skills. In the present study we explored the effects of different levels of social interaction on mu suppression. Participants observed dynamic displays of hand gestures performing actions used in the Rock{\textendash}Scissors{\textendash}Paper game. In different blocks, participants passively viewed identical video clips with no game context and in the context of a game, or while being actually engaged in the game either by imagining actions or by actual playing. As a baseline for calculating mu suppression we used a dynamic display of a rolling ball. In addition, to isolate the social aspect of the actual movements, participants performed the same acts outside the game context. Mu suppression was larger while participants were engaged in the social game than when they passively looked at the {\textquotedblleft}opponent{\textquotedblright} actions or when they performed movements without the game context. This effect was found while viewing the opponent play as well as while actually playing, which supports the view that mu suppression is affected not only by motion, but also by the social context of the motion. However, we did not find differences in mu suppression between perception segments in which the participant did not actually play. Furthermore, in all perception segments occipital alpha suppression was more robust than mu suppression suggesting the involvement of a strong attentional component. While actually playing, however, mu suppression was stronger than alpha suppression.

}, issn = {1053-8119}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811911007063}, author = {Perry, Anat and Stein, Libi and Bentin, Shlomo} } @article {82365, title = {Does focusing on hand grasping intentions modulate Electroencephalogram mu and alpha suppression?}, journal = {Neuroreport}, volume = {21}, year = {2010}, pages = {1050-1054}, abstract = {Understanding the intentions of others presumably involves a human analog of the mirror neuron system. A putative marker of such mirror activity is the suppression of electroencephalographic oscillations in the 8{\textendash}12 Hz range, which, when recorded over somatosensory areas, is associated with motor activity and labeled μ rhythms. We investigated whether μ-suppression can be modulated by attention to another person{\textquoteright}s intention as expressed by her hand movement toward an object and whether this suppression is distinguished from the suppression of α waves that oscillate in the same frequency range and are modulated by attention and cognitive load. Both μ and α suppressions were modulated by task difficulty, and not distinctively by intention, reflecting the recruitment of resources needed for task performance.}, url = {https://journals.lww.com/neuroreport/Fulltext/2010/11170/Does_focusing_on_hand_grasping_intentions_modulate.8.aspx}, author = {Perry Anat and Bentin Shlomo} } @article {00027872340000220100101, title = {Exploring motor system contributions to the perception of social information: Evidence from EEG activity in the mu/alpha frequency range.}, journal = {Social Neuroscience}, volume = {5}, year = {2010}, pages = {272-284}, abstract = {Putative contributions of a human mirror neuron system (hMNS) to the perception of social information have been assessed by measuring the suppression of EEG oscillations in the mu/alpha (8{\textendash}12 Hz), beta (15{\textendash}25 Hz) and low-gamma (25{\textendash}25 Hz) ranges while participants processed social information revealed by point-light displays of human motion. Identical dynamic displays were presented and participants were instructed to distinguish the intention, the emotion, or the gender of a moving image of a person, while they performed an adapted odd-ball task. Relative to a baseline presenting a nonbiological but meaningful motion display, all three biological motion conditions reduced the EEG amplitude in the mu/alpha and beta ranges, but not in the low-gamma range. Suppression was larger in the intention than in the emotion and gender conditions, with no difference between the latter two. Moreover, the suppression in the intention condition was negatively correlated with an accepted measure of empathy (EQ), revealing that participants high in empathy scores manifested less suppression. For intention and emotion the suppression was larger at occipital than at central sites, suggesting that factors other than motor system were in play while processing social information embedded in the motion of point-light displays.}, keywords = {Alpha, Biological motion, Motor system, mu rhythms, Neurosciences, Neurosciences \& Neurology, Psychology, Social skills}, issn = {17470919}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17470910903395767}, author = {Perry, Anat and Troje, Nikolaus F. and Bentin, Shlomo} } @article {S030645301000113720100101, title = {Intranasal oxytocin modulates EEG mu/alpha and beta rhythms during perception of biological motion.}, journal = {Psychoneuroendocrinology}, volume = {35}, year = {2010}, pages = {1446 - 1453}, abstract = {Oxytocin (OT) plays a determining role in social and pair bonding in many vertebrates and increasing evidence suggests it is a social hormone also in humans. Indeed, intranasal administration of OT modulates several social cognitive processes in humans. Electrophysiological studies in humans associated the suppression of EEG in the mu/alpha and beta bands with perception of biological motion and social stimuli. It has been suggested that mu and beta suppression over sensory-motor regions reflects a resonance system in the human brain analogous to mirror neurons in the monkey. We therefore hypothesized that OT, a social hormone, would enhance this suppression, hence, for the first time, link the action of this neuropeptide with a human correlate of mirror neuron activity. Twenty-four students were administered 24IU of OT or placebo intranasally in a robust, double-blind within-subject design. 45min later participants were shown a point-light display of continuous biological motion of a}, issn = {0306-4530}, url = {http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true\&db=edselp\&AN=S0306453010001137\&lang=he\&site=eds-live}, author = {Perry, Anat and Bentin, Shlomo and Shalev, Idan and Israel, Salomon and Uzefovsky, Florina and Bar-On, Dori and Ebstein, Richard P.} } @article {edsbas.ftunivwieniru.info.fedora.oai.univie.ac.at.o.24367320100101, title = {\“Feeling\” the pain of those who are different from us: Modulation of EEG in the mu/alpha range.}, journal = {Cognitive, Affective, \& Behavioral Neuroscience}, volume = {10}, year = {2010}, pages = {493{\textendash}504}, abstract = {We explored how apparently painful stimuli and the ability to identify with the person on whom the pain is inflicted modulate EEG suppression in the mu/alpha range (8-12 Hz). In a 2 {\texttimes} 2 design, we presented pictures of hands either experiencing needle pricks or being touched by a Q-tip. In the dissimilar-other condition, the hand was assigned to a patient suffering from a neurological disease in which Q-tips inflicted pain, whereas needle pricks did not. In the similar-other condition, the hand was assigned to a patient who responded to stimulation in the same way as the healthy participant. Participants [...]}, keywords = {?FOS, Clinical psychology, Klinische Psychologie, Psychologie, Psychology, Social sciences, SOZIALWISSENSCHAFTEN}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/CABN.10.4.493}, author = {Perry, Anat and Bentin, Shlomo and Ben-Ami Bartal, Inbal and Lamm, Claus and Decety, Jean} } @article {82366, title = {Mirror activity in the human brain while observing hand movements: Equivalence between EEG desynchronization in the μ-range and fMRI}, journal = {Brain Research}, volume = {1282}, year = {2009}, pages = {126-132}, abstract = {Mu (μ) rhythms are EEG oscillations between 8{\textendash}13\ Hz distinguished from alpha by having more anterior distribution and being desynchronized by motor rather than visual activity. Evidence accumulating during the last decade suggests that the desynchronization of μ rhythms (μ suppression) might be also a manifestation of a human Mirror Neuron System (MNS). To further explore this hypothesis we used a paradigm that, in a previous fMRI study, successfully activated this putative MNS in humans. Our direct goal was to provide further support for a link between modulation of μ rhythms and the MNS, by finding parallels between the reported patterns of fMRI activations and patterns of μ suppression. The EEG power in the μ range has been recorded while participants passively observed either a left or a right hand, reaching to and grasping objects, and compared it with that recorded while participants observed the movement of a ball, and while observing static grasping scenes or still objects. Mirroring fMRI results (Shmuelof, L., Zohary, E., 2005. Dissociation between ventral and dorsal fMRI activation during object and action recognition. Neuron 47, 457{\textendash}470), μ suppression was larger in the hemisphere contra-lateral to the moving hand and larger when the hands grasped different objects in different ways than when the movement was repetitive. No suppression was found while participants observed still objects but μ suppression was also found while seeing static grasping postures. These data are discussed in light of similar parallels between modulations of alpha waves and fMRI while recording EEG in the magnet. The present data support a link between μ suppression and a human MNS.}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006899309011068}, author = {Perry Anat and Bentin Shlomo} } @article {S000689930901106820090101, title = {Research Report: Mirror activity in the human brain while observing hand movements: A comparison between EEG desynchronization in the ?-range and previous fMRI results.}, journal = {Brain Research}, volume = {1282}, year = {2009}, pages = {126 - 132}, abstract = {Mu (?) rhythms are EEG oscillations between 8{\textendash}13 Hz distinguished from alpha by having more anterior distribution and being desynchronized by motor rather than visual activity. Evidence accumulating during the last decade suggests that the desynchronization of ? rhythms (? suppression) might be also a manifestation of a human Mirror Neuron System (MNS). To further explore this hypothesis we used a paradigm that, in a previous fMRI study, successfully activated this putative MNS in humans. Our direct goal was to provide further support for a link between modulation of ? rhythms and the MNS, by finding parallels between the reported patterns of fMRI activations and patterns of ? suppression. The EEG power in the ? range has been recorded while participants passively observed either a left or a right hand, reaching to and grasping objects, and compared it with that recorded while participants observed the movement of a ball, and while observing static grasping scenes or still objects. Mi}, issn = {0006-8993}, url = {http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true\&db=edselp\&AN=S0006899309011068\&lang=he\&site=eds-live}, author = {Perry, Anat and Bentin, Shlomo} } @article {82367, title = {Seeing with profoundly deactivated mid-level visual areas: Non-hierarchical functioning in the human visual cortex}, journal = {Cerebral Cortex}, volume = {19}, year = {2009}, pages = {1687-1703}, abstract = {A fundamental concept in visual processing is that activity in high-order object-category distinctive regions (e.g., lateral occipital complex, fusiform face area, middle temporal+) is dependent on bottom-up flow of activity in earlier retinotopic areas (V2, V3, V4) whose main input originates from primary visual cortex (V1). Thus, activity in down stream areas should reflect lower-level inputs. Here we qualify this notion reporting case LG, a rare case of developmental object agnosia and prosopagnosia. In this person, V1 was robustly activated by visual stimuli, yet intermediate areas (V2{\textendash}V4) were strongly deactivated. Despite this intermediate deactivation, activity in down stream visual areas remained robust, showing selectivity for houses and places, while selectivity for faces and objects was impaired. The extent of impairment evident in functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography activations was somewhat larger in the left hemisphere. This pattern of brain activity, coupled with fairly adequate everyday visual performance is compatible with models emphasizing the role of nonlinear local {\textquotedblleft}amplification{\textquotedblright} of neuronal inputs in eliciting activity in ventral and dorsal visual pathways as well as perceptual experience in the human brain. Thus, while the proper functioning of intermediate areas appears essential for specialization in the cortex, daily visual behavior and reading are maintained even with deactivated intermediate visual areas.}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article-abstract/19/7/1687/319118}, author = {Gilaie-Dotan, Sharon and Perry, Anat and Bonneh, Yoram and Malach, Rafael and Bentin, Shlomo} }