Abstract
Alexithymic patients suffer from severe deficits in cognitive processing and regulation of emotions. The purpose of present study was to explore the emotion schemas of high-alexithymics. Based on Buccis multiple code theory (1997), our hypothesis was compared with low-alexithymics, high-alexithymics had deficits in verbal emotion schemas, symbolic imagery and referential links that connected verbal and nonverbal schemas.
The participants were 20 high-alexithymics and 20 low-alexithymics selected according to scores of TAS-20 (Toronto Alexithymia Scale). Emotion words and emotion pictures were used as experimental materials. Mixed designs were adopted. In experiment 1 and 2, participants needed to judge whether each word or picture presented through computer was positive or negative by pressing F for positive or J for negative. In experiment 3, participants needed to judge whether the valence of each picture-word match presented through computer was consistent or inconsistent by pressing F for consistent or J for inconsistent.
Repeated-measure analysis of variance showed that Low-alexithymics were significantly faster on valence-judging emotion words than high-alexithymics. All of dimensions of alexithymia were positive correlated with mean response latencies for emotion words. But there was no significant difference between high-alexithymics and low-alexithymics on valence-judging emotion pictures. Finally high-alexithymics responded significantly slower on linkage between nonverbal and verbal schemas of emotion than low-alexithymics. Their subjectively-reported task difficulty was highly correlated with mean latencies for linkage response.
To sum up, we demonstrated that high-alexithymics have deficits in emotion verbal schemas but not nonverbal schemas based on pictures. They also have severe deficiencies in referential links between nonverbal and verbal schemas of emotion.
Keywords: | alexithymia; emotion verbal schemas; emotion imagery; referential links |
---|
[Chinese Version | Index | Acta Psychologica Sinica | Other Journals | Subscription form | Enquiry ]