Espín López, Laura

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Espín López, Laura

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Espín López, Laura

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Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología

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Open Access
Audio Described vs. Audiovisual Porn: Cortisol, Heart Rate and Engagement in Visually Impaired vs. Sighted Participants
(Daniele Di Lernia, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Italy, 2021-04-01) Rojo López, Ana María; Espín López, Laura; Traducción e Interpretación
Audio description remains the cornerstone of accessibility for visually impaired audiences to all sorts of audiovisual content, including porn. Existing work points to the efficacy of audio description to guarantee immersion and emotional engagement, but evidence on its role in sexual arousal and engagement in porn is still scant. The present study takes on this challenge by comparing sighted and visually impaired participants’ experiences with porn in terms of their physiological response [i.e., cortisol and heart rate (HR)] and self-report measures of affect [Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS); Watson et al., 1988], anxiety [State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI); Spielberger et al., 1970], sexual reactivity and arousal [Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scale (SIS/SES); Moyano and Sierra (2014); and the Ratings of Sexual Arousal (RSA); Mosher (2011)], and narrative engagement or transportation [The Transport Narrative Questionnaire, Green and Brock (2013)]. 69 Spanish participants were allocated into three different groups: 25 sighted participants who watched and heard the porn scenes in their audio-visual version (AV); 22 sighted participants who listened to the audio described version without images (AD); and 22 visually impaired participants who also listened to the audio described version without images (ONCE). Overall, results on physiological and self-report measures revealed no significant differences between groups or different versions of the clips. The analysis of cortisol reactivity to porn as the maximum increase or decrease in cortisol (t+12) with respect to baseline values (t−20) revealed no significant differences between the groups, but pointed to a higher percentage of non-responders than responders in the three groups, the highest being found in the ONCE group. As for participants’ cardiac response to the clips, no significant differences were found across the groups, with the highest HR levels being registered in the baseline phase. Self-report measures revealed significant between-group differences in negative affect. The ONCE group displayed the highest pre-task levels of negative affect and was the only group that showed a decrease in negative affect after exposure to the clips. Sighted and visually impaired participants reported to be moderately aroused and immersed in the films, regardless of exposure to AV or AD porn. In addition, correlations found between participants’ levels of self-report sexual arousal and transportation and post-task affect pointed to a positive relationship between exposure to porn and perceived levels of sexual arousal and affect. Results from the study reflected the efficacy of audio description in providing sighted and visually impaired audiences with a similar experience to that offered by original AV porn scenes. This study is exploratory but provides valid, initial groundwork for further research on the impact of audio description on porn reception.
Open Access
The influence of time pressure on translation trainees’ performance: Testing the relationship between self-esteem, salivary cortisol and subjective stress response
(Public Library of Science, 2021-09-30) Rojo López, Ana María; Cifuentes-Férez, Paula; Espín López, Laura; Traducción e Interpretación; Facultad de Letras
Translators face hectic daily schedules with deadlines they must duly meet. As trainees they receive tuition on how to work swiftly to meet them efficiently. But despite the prominent role of time pressure, its effects on the translation process are still scarcely researched. Studies point to the higher occurrence of errors under stringent time constraints. Most of these studies use key-logging or eye-tracking techniques to identify the problems encountered. But no attempt has yet been made to measure the physiological effects of time pressure in English-to-Spanish translation and their interplay with trainees’ psychological state. The present study researches the influence of time pressure on translation by exploring trainees’ physiological response (i.e., salivary cortisol) and psychological traits (i.e., self-esteem and anxiety). 33 Spanish translation trainees translated 3 English literary texts under different time pressure conditions: Text 1 (no time limit), Text 2 (10 minutes), Text 3 (5 minutes). Regression analysis results showed that higher cortisol levels during preparation predicted higher number of meaning errors in Text 1 and lower number of translated words in Text 2 and 3. Besides, higher trait anxiety emerged as predictor of lower number of translated words, but higher accuracy under extreme time constraints and in the absence of time pressure. Higher self-esteem correlated with lower levels of anxiety and lower levels of cortisol during preparation and recovery, suggesting that it may act as a protective factor against stress. And yet, the regression analysis showed that higher self-esteem predicted lower meaning and total accuracy under extreme time pressure. Besides, in our correlation analysis self-esteem was positively related to the number of translated words in Text 2 and 3. Results suggest that even if self-esteem could be a protective factor against stress, it may also have a negative effect on task performance mediated by overconfidence.
Open Access
Analysis of speech rhythm and heart rate as indicators of stress on student interpreters
(Taylor and Francis Group Routledge, 2021-03-30) Rojo López, Ana María; Foulquié Rubio, Ana Isabel; Espín López, Laura; Martínez Sánchez, Francisco (1960); Traducción e Interpretación; Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología; Psicología Básica y Metodología
Stress is assumed to be intrinsic to interpreting and the ability to manage it a presumed predictor of performance. And yet, empirical research on the role of stress in interpreting has remained scarce. This study explores the impact of stress and anxiety on the academic scores, heart rate (HR) and speech rhythm of 23 student interpreters in a liaison interpreting task. Participants’ stress and anxiety are measured using HR measures and the STAI test. Their speech rhythm is automatically analyzed through different indexes deriving from the variability of syllabic intervals. Results show that students’ grades negatively correlate with their levels of state anxiety, which are, in turn, significantly related to their rhythmic parameters in L1-L2 interpreting. Greater rhythmic variability correlates with students’ lower examination scores when speech is delivered into their L2. A significant increase in mean HR is reported during the interpreting task phase as compared with baseline and recovery phase, suggesting that HR was a sensitive marker to detect the students’ stress response, but not to the level of influencing performance. Results point to the need to triangulate different measures to obtain a complete picture of how stress and anxiety may impact interpreting performance.
Open Access
Incidence of anovulatory menstrual cycles among dysmenorrheic and non-dismenorrheic women: effects on symptomatology and mood
(Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos del Principado de Asturias, 2010) Espín López, Laura; Carrillo Verdejo, María Eduvigis; González Javier, Francisca; Ordoñana Martín, Juan Ramón; Gómez Amor, Jesús; Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología; Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia
Incidencia de ciclos menstruales anovulatorios entre mujeres dismenorreicas y no dismenorreicas: efectos sobre sintomatología y humor. La incidencia de ciclos menstruales anovulatorios espontáneos (SA) entre las mujeres dismenorreicas y no dismenorreicas y sus efectos sobre sintomatología y humor fueron examinados en 52 estudiantes universitarias distribuidas en dos grupos (18 dismenorreicas y 34 no-dismenorreicas) de acuerdo a la presencia o ausencia de síntomas de dismenorrea primaria. Las mujeres fueron evaluadas en las fases menstrual, ovulatoria y premenstrual. Para estimar la proporción de ciclos ovulatorios y SA se utilizó el método de la temperatura basal corporal (BBT). Los resultados indicaron que el porcentaje de ciclos SA encontrados en mujeres dismenorreicas no confirma que la dismenorrea primaria solo ocurra en ciclos ovulatorios. Además, los ciclos ovulatorios no presentaron mayor sintomatología que los ciclos anovulatorios en las medidas de autoinforme de afecto negativo. De hecho, la sintomatología menstrual no estuvo asociada con ciclos ovulatorios. Estos datos confirman que la dismenorrea primaria no solo depende de los factores endocrinos que regulan el ciclo menstrual, sino también de otros factores sociales o psicológicos.
Restricted
Salivary alpha-amylase response to acute psychosocial stress: the impact of age
(Elsevier, 2011-07) Espín López, Laura; Almela, Mercedes; Hidalgo, Vanesa; Villada, Carolina; Meij, Leander van der; Gómez Amor, Jesús; Salvador, Alicia; Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología; Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia
The impact of stress on health varies across the different stages of human life. Aging is associated with psychobiological changes that could limit our ability to cope with stressors. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify the physiological mechanisms that underlie the stress response and the changes that occur in them as we age. Our aim was to investigate age differences in the salivary alpha amylase (sAA) response to stress, and its relationship with other typical stress biomarkers such as cortisol and heart rate (HR). Sixty-two participants divided into two age groups (younger group: N = 31, age range: 18–35 years; older group: N = 31, age range: 54–71 years) were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test and a control condition in a crossover design. No age differences were found in the sAA or HR responses to stress. However, the sAA global output was higher in older than younger adults. Additionally, in the stress condition, the total amount of cortisol released was positively related to the total sAA released, while the HR increase was positively related to the sAA increase. Our results do not support the existence of an attenuated autonomic nervous system response to stress in older adults, but rather a heightened sympathetic tone. Furthermore, we found further evidence of the coordination between the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal system and the autonomic nervous system in their response to acute psychosocial stress.
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Self-report and psychophysiological responses to fear appeals
(Oxford University Press, 2009-03-18) Espín López, Laura; Ordoñana Martín, Juan Ramón; González Javier, Francisca; Gómez Amor, Jesús; Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología; Facultad de Psicologia
This study was designed to assess the relationship between self-report and psychophysio- logical responses to fear appeals and behavioral changes elicited by these. Ninety-two subjects watched one of four messages that varied in level of threat (high vs. low) and efficacy (high vs. low). Concomitantly, psychophysiological measures (heart rate and skin conductance) were registered. Perceived threat and efficacy varied according to the characteristics of the message. High-threat messages elicited significantly different levels of autonomic arousal than low-threat messages. Following of behavioral recommenda- tion was higher among subjects who were exposed to the high threat / high efficacy stimulus, those who reported high perceived threat, and for those who showed an auto- nomic response pattern related to the facilitation of attentional processes.
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Acute stress affects free recall and recognition of pictures differently depending on age and sex
(Elsevier, 2015) Espín López, Laura; Vanesa Hidalgoa,∗, Matias M. Pulopulosa, Sara Puig-Pereza, Laura Espinb, Jesus Gomez-Amorb, Alicia Salvadora; Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología; Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia
Little is known about age differences in the effects of stress on memory retrieval. Our aim was to perform an in-depth examination of acute psychosocial stress effects on memory retrieval, depending on age and sex. For this purpose, data from 52 older subjects (27 men and 25 women) were reanalyzed along with data from a novel group of 50 young subjects (26 men and 24 women). Participants were exposed to an acute psychosocial stress task (Trier Social Stress Test) or a control task. After the experimental manip- ulation, the retrieval of positive, negative and neutral pictures learned the previous day was tested. As expected, there was a significant response to the exposure to the stress task, but the older participants had a lower cortisol response to TSST than the younger ones. Stress impaired free recall of emotional (positive and negative) and neutral pictures only in the group of young men. Also in this group, corre- lation analyses showed a marginally significant association between cortisol and free recall. However, exploratory analyses revealed only a negative relationship between the stress-induced cortisol response and free recall of negative pictures. Moreover, stress impaired recognition memory of positive pictures in all participants, although this effect was not related to the cortisol or alpha-amylase response. These results indicate that both age and sex are critical factors in acute stress effects on specific aspects of long-term memory retrieval of emotional and neutral material. They also point out that more research is needed to better understand their specific role.
Open Access
Enhancing effects of acute psychosocial stress on priming of non-declarative memory in healthy young adults
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2012) Espín López, Laura; Hidalgo, Vanesa; Villada, Carolina; Almela, Mercedes; Gómez Amor, Jesús; Salvador, Alicia; Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología; Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia
Social stress affects cognitive processes in general, and memory performance in particular. However, the direction of these effects has not been clearly established, as it depends on several factors. Our aim was to determine the impact of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) reactivity to psychosocial stress on short-term non-declarative memory and declarative memory performance. Fifty-two young participants (18 men, 34 women) were subjected to the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST) and a control condition in a crossover design. Implicit memory was assessed by a priming test, and explicit memory was assessed by the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). The TSST provoked greater salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) responses than the control task. Men had a higher cortisol response to stress than women, but no sex differences were found for sAA release. Stress was associated with an enhancement of priming but did not affect declarative memory. Additionally, the enhancement on the priming test was higher in those whose sAA levels increased more in response to stress (r48 1⁄4 0.339, p 1⁄4 0.018). Our results confirm an effect of acute stress on priming, and that this effect is related to SNS activity. In addition, they suggest a different relationship between stress biomarkers and the different memory systems.
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No effects of psychosocial stress on memory retrieval in non-treated young students with Generalized Social Phobia
(2016) Espín López, Laura; Marquina, Mónica; Hidalgo, Vanesa; Salvador, Alicia; Gómez Amor, Jesús; Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología
Generalized Social Phobia (GSP) is a common anxiety disorder that produces clear social life disrup- tions. There is no consensus on the specific processes involved in its development, but the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been suggested. This study analyzed the effects of the cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) on the memory retrieval of pictures with differ- ent emotional valences in 45 non-treated young students with GSP and 50 non-anxious (NA) subjects (mean = 19.35 years, SD = 0.18). No differences were found in the cortisol response of GSP and NA sub- jects to the TSST and control sessions. In addition, psychosocial stress impaired memory retrieval in both the GSP and NA groups, with no differences between them. Regarding the sex factor, no effects were found in the cortisol response to the TSST. However, during the encoding session, GSP men had higher cortisol levels than GSP women and NA subjects. There was also a significant interaction between sex and stress exposure on memory retrieval. Women recognized more unpleasant and neutral pictures than men; however, under stress, the women’s advantage disappeared, and the men’s performance improved. Sex also interacted with social phobia on positive mood, with GSP women exposed to the TSST showing the lowest positive mood. These results suggest that GSP subjects do not present an HPA axis sensitiza- tion to psychosocial stress, and they emphasize the importance of Sex in understanding stress effects on memory.
Open Access
Autonomic markers associated with generalized social phobia symptoms: heart rate variability and salivary alpha-amylase
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2017) Espín López, Laura; García Rubio, María J.; Hidalgo, Vanesa; Salvador, Alicia; Gómez Amor, Jesús; Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología; Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia
The study of autonomic nervous system changes associated with generalized social phobia (GSP) dis- order has increased in recent years, showing contradictory results. The present study aimed to evaluate how young people with GSP reacted before, during, and after exposure to the Trier Stress Social Test (TSST), focusing on their autonomic changes (heart rate variability (HRV) and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA)) compared to a control group (non-GSP). Some psychological variables were also considered. Sex was specifically studied as a possible modulator of autonomic fluctuations and psychological state. Eighty young people were randomly distributed into two counterbalanced situations: stress condition (N1⁄418 and 21 for GSP and non-GSP, respectively) and control condition (N1⁄421 and 20 for GSP and non-GSP, respectively), where cardiovascular variables were continuously recorded. Psychological ques- tionnaires about mood and perceived stress were filled out, and five saliva samples were collected to analyze sAA. GSP participants showed higher values on low- and high-frequency ratios (HR domains), compared to non-GSP people, during exposure to the TSST, but no differences were observed after the stressor. Furthermore, the two groups did not differ in sAA. Importantly, positive affect in GSP partici- pants was modulated by sex. The present study suggests that the balance between high- and low-fre- quency domains of HRV is a key cardiovascular marker reflecting the stress response of GSP people, as well the importance of sex in positive affect when facing a stressful situation.