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Introduction: The aim of the present study was (1) to validate the method of guilt-induction by means of a written auto-biographical essay and (2) to test the moral masochism hypothesis holding that bodily pain is apt to alleviate the mental burden of guilt. This concept received support from both empirical research and clinical observation. Methods: Following guilt induction a suprathreshold pain-stimulus was administered in a cross-over design in two groups of healthy participants (heat-pain vs warmth, N = 59; cold-pressure-pain vs lukewarm water (CPT), N = 43). A visual analogue scale (VAS) guilt rating immediately after pain stimulation served as primary outcome. In a third control group (N = 39) the heat-pain experiment was performed after induction of a neutral emotional state. Results: A consistently strong overall effect of guilt-induction (heat-pain: p<.001, effect size r = .71; CPT-pain p<.001, r = .67) was found when compared to the control-condition (p =.25, r = .08). As expected, heat- and cold-pressure-stimuli were highly painful in all groups (p<.0001, r = .89). However, previous research supporting the moral-masochism hypothesis was not replicated. Conclusion: Although guilt-induction was highly effective on both test-days no impact of pain on behavioral guilt-ratings in healthy individuals could be identified. This result questions previous experimental work on the impact of pain on moral emotions.

Many eye tracking studies use facial stimuli presented on a display to investigate attentional processing of social stimuli. To introduce a more realistic approach that allows interaction between two real people, we evaluated a new eye tracking setup in three independent studies in terms of data quality, short-term reliability and feasibility. Study 1 measured the robustness, precision and accuracy for calibration stimuli compared to a classical display-based setup. Study 2 used the identical measures with an independent study sample to compare the data quality for a photograph of a face (2D) and the face of the real person (3D). Study 3 evaluated data quality over the course of a real face-to-face conversation and examined the gaze behavior on the facial features of the conversation partner. Study 1 provides evidence that quality indices for the scene-based setup were comparable to those of a classical display-based setup. Average accuracy was better than 0.4° visual angle. Study 2 demonstrates that eye tracking quality is sufficient for 3D stimuli and robust against short interruptions without re-calibration. Study 3 confirms the long-term stability of tracking accuracy during a face-to-face interaction and demonstrates typical gaze patterns for facial features. Thus, the eye tracking setup presented here seems feasible for studying gaze behavior in dyadic face-to-face interactions. Eye tracking data obtained with this setup achieves an accuracy that is sufficient for investigating behavior such as eye contact in social interactions in a range of populations including clinical conditions, such as autism spectrum and social phobia.

Advances in eye tracking technology have enabled the development of interactive experimental setups to study social attention. Since these setups differ substantially from the eye tracker manufacturer’s test conditions, validation is essential with regard to the quality of gaze data and other factors potentially threatening the validity of this signal. In this study, we evaluated the impact of accuracy and areas of interest (AOIs) size on the classification of simulated gaze (fixation) data. We defined AOIs of different sizes using the Limited-Radius Voronoi-Tessellation (LRVT) method, and simulated gaze data for facial target points with varying accuracy. As hypothesized, we found that accuracy and AOI size had strong effects on gaze classification. In addition, these effects were not independent and differed in falsely classified gaze inside AOIs (Type I errors; false alarms) and falsely classified gaze outside the predefined AOIs (Type II errors; misses). Our results indicate that smaller AOIs generally minimize false classifications as long as accuracy is good enough. For studies with lower accuracy, Type II errors can still be compensated to some extent by using larger AOIs, but at the cost of more probable Type I errors. Proper estimation of accuracy is therefore essential for making informed decisions regarding the size of AOIs in eye tracking research.

BackgroundThe Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a reliable tool for psychobiological stress induction. Because of its socio-evaluative nature, it has been useful for investigating gaze behavior. It has been shown that healthy people avoid looking toward faces when under stress, a finding that corroborates studies demonstrating avoidance of eye contact in social anxiety disorder. Yet, little is known about the relationship between gaze behavior and the biological stress response.MethodsIn a final sample of 74 healthy males, a virtual reality version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST-VR) with an integrated eye tracker was implemented to investigate gaze behavior during acute stress induction. Stress response measures were collected via saliva samples and subjective stress ratings. Additional questionnaires were administered for examining the influence of social anxiety traits.ResultsThe TSST-VR elicited a significant psychobiological stress response. Overall, higher gaze times on judges compared to surroundings were found in the speech task while this pattern was reversed in the arithmetic task. Critically, there was a significant negative association between gaze time on judges and cortisol output in cortisol responders.ConclusionsIn a non-clinical sample, avoidance of gaze is associated with a stronger cortisol response to acute stress. This study demonstrates the potential of eye tracking to disentangle the effects of acute stress on social interaction, warranting further investigation in clinical populations characterized by high levels of anxiety in social situations, such as social anxiety and autism spectrum disorder.

Eye contact is an indispensable social signal, yet for some individuals it is also a source of discomfort they fear and avoid. However, it is still unknown whether gaze anxiety actually produces avoidant gaze behavior in naturalistic, face-to-face interactions. Here, we relied on a novel dual eye-tracking setup that allows us to assess interactive gaze behavior. To investigate the effect of gaze anxiety on gaze behavior, we a priori created groups of participants reporting high or low levels of gaze anxiety. These participants (n = 51) then performed a semi-standardized interaction with a previously unknown individual reporting a medium level of gaze anxiety. The gaze behavior of both groups did not differ in either classical one-way, eye-tracking parameters (e.g. unilateral eye gaze), or interactive, two-way ones (e.g. mutual gaze). Furthermore, the subjective ratings of both participants’ interaction did not differ between groups. Gaze anxious individuals seem to exhibit normal gaze behavior which does not hamper the perceived quality of interactions in a naturalistic face-to-face setup. Our findings point to the existence of cognitive distortions in gaze anxious individuals whose exterior behavior might be less affected than feared by their interior anxiety.

Rating scales have shaped psychological research, but are resource-intensive and can burden participants. Large Language Models (LLMs) offer a tool to assess latent constructs in text. This study introduces LLM rating scales , which use LLM responses instead of human ratings. We demonstrate this approach with an LLM rating scale measuring patient engagement in therapy transcripts. Automatically transcribed videos of 1,131 sessions from 155 patients were analyzed using DISCOVER, a software framework for local multimodal human behavior analysis. Llama 3.1 8B LLM rated 120 engagement items, averaging the top eight into a total score. Psychometric evaluation showed a normal distribution, strong reliability (ω = 0.953), and acceptable fit (CFI = 0.968, SRMR = 0.022), except RMSEA = 0.108. Validity was supported by significant correlations with engagement determinants (e.g., motivation, r  = .413), processes (e.g., between-session efforts, r  = .390), and outcomes (e.g., symptoms, r  = − .304). Results remained robust across bootstrap resampling and cross-validation, accounting for nested data. The LLM rating scale exhibited strong psychometric properties, demonstrating the potential of the approach as an assessment tool. Importantly, this automated approach uses interpretable items, ensuring clear understanding of measured constructs, while supporting local implementation and protecting confidential data.

Human neuroscience has always been pushing the boundary of what is measurable. During the last decade, concerns about statistical power and replicability – in science in general, but also specifically in human neuroscience – have fueled an extensive debate. One important insight from this discourse is the need for larger samples, which naturally increases statistical power. An alternative is to increase the precision of measurements, which is the focus of this review. This option is often overlooked, even though statistical power benefits from increasing precision as much as from increasing sample size. Nonetheless, precision has always been at the heart of good scientific practice in human neuroscience, with researchers relying on lab traditions or rules of thumb to ensure sufficient precision for their studies. In this review, we encourage a more systematic approach to precision. We start by introducing measurement precision and its importance for well-powered studies in human neuroscience. Then, determinants for precision in a range of neuroscientific methods (MRI, M/EEG, EDA, Eye-Tracking, and Endocrinology) are elaborated. We end by discussing how a more systematic evaluation of precision and the application of respective insights can lead to an increase in reproducibility in human neuroscience.

Background Previous eye-tracking research on autistic individuals has mostly examined the gaze behavior of one individual in response to social stimuli presented on a computer screen, suggesting that there is atypical gaze behavior. However, it is unknown how these findings translate to the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior during “face-to-face” encounters between two individuals. Only by analyzing the gaze behaviour of both interaction partners is it possible to determine the frequency of actual eye-contact and who initiates or breaks such periods of mutual eye gaze. The knowledge gained from this analysis could contribute to theorizing about the psychological mechanisms (e.g., gaze avoidance vs. gaze indifference) underlying autism. Methods The present study applied a novel dual eye-tracking setup that allows the assessment and analysis of the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior regarding (i) mutual eye gaze (i.e., eye contact), (ii) initiations, and (iii) break-ups of eye contact. Participants (37 autistic individuals, 37 age- and IQ-matched neurotypical individuals) performed a semi-standardized social interaction (i.e., Fast Friends Procedure) with a confederate (trained to interact in a standardized manner). Results Eye contact was reduced in interactions involving autistic individuals. Additional analyses revealed that this reduction was primarily due to the more frequent breaking of eye contact by these individuals. We also found considerable heterogeneity among autistic individuals, with atypical gaze behavior present in only about half of the sample. Limitations Further research is required to determine whether the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior observed in this dual eye-tracking setup can be generalized to real-world situations. Future studies could also include arousal-related physiological measures. Conclusions By tracking the gaze behavior of two interacting individuals, this study reveals specific atypicalities in the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior in a subset of autistic individuals, potentially informing diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. More broadly, our study highlights the added value of dual eye-tracking in elucidating the interactive nature of social encounters in both neurodiverse and neurotypical individuals. Trial registration The study was registered as a clinical trial before starting data collection ( https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00018957 ; Registration Date: 12/17/2019).

Background Although mental disorders are highly prevalent among older adults, evidence suggests that they underutilize psychotherapy. However, formal estimates of their actual representation in routine clinical settings are scarce. This study applied a representation quotient approach to identify and quantify age-related disparities in outpatient psychotherapy utilization in Germany. Methods We analyzed data from 13,635 adult patients who initiated cognitive-behavioral therapy between 2018 and 2023 at 29 university outpatient clinics. Using a representation quotient approach, we compared the observed proportions of young-old adults (65–74 years) and old-old adults (≥75 years) with prevalence-stratified population age distributions. The robustness of the results was investigated by extensive sensitivity analyses, including alternative prevalence assumptions and adjustments for long-term care needs. Results Even under conservative assumptions, young-old adults only accounted for about 25% and old-old adults for about 13% of their expected proportion. In contrast, young working-age adults (18–34 years) were particularly overrepresented in the sample. Underrepresentation of older adults was most pronounced among patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and dysthymia, less pronounced among patients with generalized anxiety disorder, and not significant among patients with pain disorders. Conclusion This study demonstrates the utility of representation quotients for systematically identifying and quantifying age-related disparities in psychotherapy utilization based on routine care data. Our analyses of large-scale data from university outpatient clinics in Germany revealed a marked underrepresentation of older adults in this setting. These findings highlight the need to improve access to, and utilization of, psychotherapeutic services for older adults.