Social emotional information processing in adults: Development and psychometrics of a computerized video assessment in healthy controls and aggressive individuals

Abstract

A computerized version of an assessment of Social-Emotional Information Processing (SEIP) using audio-video film stimuli instead of written narrative vignettes was developed for use in adult participants. This task allows for an assessment of encoding or relevant/irrelevant social-emotional information, attribution bias, and endorsement of appropriate, physically aggressive, and relationally aggressive responses to aversive social-emotional stimuli. The psychometric properties of this Video-SEIP (V-SEIP) assessment were examined in 75 healthy controls (HC) and in 75 individuals with DSM-5 Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) and were also compared with the original questionnaire (SEIP-Q) version of the task (HC=26; IED=26). Internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest properties of the V-SEIP were good to excellent. In addition, IED participants displayed reduced encoding of relevant information from the film clips, elevated hostile attribution bias, elevated negative emotional response, and elevated endorsement of physically aggressive and relationally aggressive responses to the ambiguous social-emotional stimuli presented in the V-SEIP. These data indicate that the V-SEIP represents a valid and comprehensive alternative to the paper-and-pencil assessment of social-emotional information processing biases in adults.

Physical aggression is associated with heightened social reflection impulsivity.

“…The social information sampling task was specifically designed to measure reflection impulsivity, and consequently it may not have been an adequately sensitive measure of hostile attribution bias. Effect sizes for the association between aggression and hostile attribution biases are quite small, particularly in adult samples (De Castro et al, 2002), and multiple studies failed to find an association (Coccaro, Fanning, Fisher, Couture, & Lee, 2017; Helfritz-Sinville & Stanford, 2014). The present study, though adequately powered to detect moderate effect sizes associated with reflection impulsivity, was likely underpowered to detect smaller effect sizes associated with hostile attribution biases.…”

Hostile attribution bias and aggression in adults - a systematic review

“…However, the strongest association was found with aggressive and ambiguous videos. On the other hand, the study of Coccaro, Fanning, Fisher, et al (2017) in a general population and intermittent explosive disorder sample showed that HAB and aggression scores were modestly, but inversely associated. Next to this study, two other studies using the BPAQ did not find a significant association between HAB and aggression.…”

“…Starting with a neutral video to practice, followed by a video including either aggressive, ambiguous, or no aggressive content (shown to participants in a randomized order). The other study conducted by Coccaro, Fanning, Fisher, et al (2017) made use of audio-video clips based on the social information processing-attribution and emotional response questionnaire (SIP-AEQ) vignettes. One study used face and sentence pairs, including ambiguously hostile target sentences (Wilkowski & Robinson, 2010).…”

Psychometric properties of Virtual Environment for Social Information Processing, a social information processing simulation assessment for children

“…Other existing web‐based direct assessments (e.g., SELweb EE; McKown et al., 2016) offer improvements over one‐on‐one assessments because they are scalable, but often utilize less ecologically valid still images and have less content coverage of SIP dimensions and scenarios. Video‐based direct assessments attempt to capture children's social thinking more closely, but most of these were developed to assess SIP specifically with respect to externalizing behavior and aggression (e.g., Video‐SEIP; Coccaro et al., 2017; Social Information Processing Application [SIP‐AP]; Kupersmidt et al., 2011), making generalization and broader application unclear.…”