The Effects of Anger and Joy Expressions on Approach and Avoidance Behaviors in Healthy Volunteers

University Hospital Center (CHU)

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Major Depressive Episode

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04899609

RECHMPL21_0304

Details and patient eligibility

About

Social interactions are part of our daily lives. Communicating with others is a recurring choice which is based on emotional cues, such as facial expression. Our action must be adapted to the emotional state of our interlocutor, otherwise the investigators will have poor quality interactions An emotional stimulus would cause a conditioned response (innate reaction). Thus, the presence of an angry person would automatically trigger flight behavior. More recently, however, it has been envisioned that this same avoidance behavior could be the result of a goal-directed behvior. In this case, the avoidance behavior would be the result of an evaluation of the consequences of the selected action. These goal-directed behaviors are guided by a mental representation of consequences The project aims to study behavioral choices (approach and avoidance) in response to negative and positive social cues (anger and joy) in 40 healthy volunteers using a computerized neuropsychological task, and to determine wheter these choices are the result of goal-directed behavior.

The study also aims to assess the modulation of behavioral adaptation by the level of impulsivity, lonilness, empathy, and by the capcity to understand others' intenstions.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Being between 18 and 65 years old
• Absence of psychiatric pathology over the entire life
• Being able to understand the nature, purpose and methodology of the study

Exclusion criteria

• Mental retardation or sever medical co-morbidity
• Sensory or cognitive disability
• Pregnant or breastfeeding woman
• Protection by law (guardianship or curatorship)
• Deprivation of liberty (by judicial or administrative decision)
• Exclusion period in relation to another protocol
• Inability to understand, speak and write French