I wish I didn't feel this way: Neural mechanisms underlying the control of emotion.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Psychological Sciences
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Deborah Talmi (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Hoskin R
(2019)
Sensitivity to pain expectations: A Bayesian model of individual differences.
in Cognition
Hoskin R
(2023)
Adaptive coding of pain prediction error in the anterior insula.
in European journal of pain (London, England)
Maehr A
(2015)
Emotional response to images of wind turbines: A psychophysiological study of their visual impact on the landscape
in Landscape and Urban Planning
Talmi D
(2019)
Testing the Possibility of Model-based Pavlovian Control of Attention to Threat.
in Journal of cognitive neuroscience
Talmi D
(2013)
The feedback-related negativity signals salience prediction errors, not reward prediction errors.
in The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
Talmi D
(2012)
How costs influence decision values for mixed outcomes.
in Frontiers in neuroscience
| Description | The grant proposal included two substantial experiments (here named Experiment 2 and Experiment 3). We have overall carried out 14 different studies in the course of this award. This work helped me start up my lab at the University of Manchester, and initiate a productive research programme. Experiment 2 We have piloted tasks related to the objectives set out for experiment 2 in a series of 8 experiments. Data from the first 6 experiments was not usable for reasons to do with equipment (see below). Data from experiment 7 showed that the analysis plan was not appropriate because of problems with the software provided by our collaborator (see below). This suggested that the experimental design delineated in the proposal was not appropriate for either ERP studies or fMRI studies. Through collaborations we now located a neuroimaging technique that we CAN use to achieve the original objective, an EEG technique called 'steady state visual evoked potentials'. Using this technique, we have shown, for the first time, that propositional information delivered through instructions can change neural markers of attention to threat. SSVEP amplitudes for threatening, yet previously unseen and emotionally-ambiguous images were higher than for images evaluated as safe (Talmi, Slapkova & Wieser, 2019). In addition, we developed a new model to quantify individual differences in pain expectations (Hoskin et al., 2019). Experiment 3 We have carried out 5 studies - 3 behavioural and 2 fMRI - to achieve the objective set out for Experiment 3 in the grant proposal. Work on this work package began with a literature review (Talmi and Pine, 2012; Panzone & Talmi, 2016), which, in turn, led to a shortlisted ERC Starter grant. They also led us to collect new data, which will be written up in an upcoming manuscript. Follow-up work used EEG to examine differences in the neural correlates of reward and punishment prediction error (Talmi, Atkinson, and El-Deredy, 2013). We found that the Event-Related Potential (ERP) called the 'feedback related negativity' appears to respond similarly to positive and negative experiences, and therefore may signal salience rather than emotional valence. Specifically, signal is more positive to delivered reward AND for delivered punishment, instead of reward and punishment cancelling each other out. This challenges the dominant theory in the field and helps shed light on our unexpected fMRI results. We have now replicated these results using reward and punishment stimuli that are better matched to each other, using taste stimuli (Hird et al., 2018). The 4 studies we carried out were designed to optimise the task prior to scanning with fMRI. In the behavioural studies we measured skin conductance responses to index physiological arousal. Our findings suggest that reward does not diminish skin conductance responses evoked in anticipation of punishment (manuscript in preparation). The fMRI results from the first fMRI study are being written up. The learning and expertise developed in the course of this work resulted in a study on the emotional impact of wind turbines (Maehr et al. 2015). |
| Exploitation Route | Decision neuroscientists could benefit from the proposed computational approach to cost-benefit analysis (Talmi & Pine 2012; Panzone & Talmi, 2016). Our work on the computational meaning of the feedback-related negativity has been very well cited (Talmi, Atkinson & El-Deredy, 2013, >90 citations) and led to a revision to the way we think of ERP correlates of aversive prediction errors. It was directly followed up by Heydari et al. (2016) and Hird et al., (2017). Both of these papers, in our view, support the original findings, Our new model of individual differences in pain expectations has clinical applications. We are applying for funding to explore the findings in more detail and implement the task and model in a device that can be used in pain clinics to aid medical decision making. Policy makers and planners involved with decision on onshore wind farm location may benefit from the findings described in Maehr et al. (2015) where we suggested novel ways to assess the reaction of the public to the visual impact of turbines. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Energy,Environment |
| Description | Maehr, A.M., Watts, G. R., Hanratty, J., & Talmi, D. (2015). Emotional response to images of wind turbines: A psychophysiological study of their visual impact on the landscape. Landscape and Urban planning, 142, 71-79. *An accessible article about this research was published in Science for Environment Policy, a news service published by the European Commission's Environment Directorate-General and sent out to over 19,000 policymakers, academics and business people across Europe. 2016 BBC Radio 4 interviewed for "Embarrassmenet". Archive on 4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06zh2ry 2015 TEDx talk "Emotion as information: Who wins when I argue with myself?" |
| First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
| Sector | Energy,Environment |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Policy & public services |
| Description | Doctoral President Award studentship |
| Amount | £1 (GBP) |
| Organisation | NHS Manchester |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2015 |
| End | 09/2019 |
| Description | MRC PhD studentship |
| Amount | £1 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Manchester |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2013 |
| End | 09/2016 |
| Description | Neuroscience research institute PhD studentship |
| Amount | £1 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Manchester |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2011 |
| End | 03/2016 |
| Description | Berzuini |
| Organisation | University of Manchester |
| Department | Division of Infection, Immunity & Respiratory Medicine |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Began a collaboration with Prof. Carlo Berzuini. We have submitted 2 grants together following on our working paper; ARUK and MRC. Those were not funded. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Carlo modelled the data Hoskin and I have collected. |
| Impact | submitted paper, 2 rejected grants (ARUK, MRC) |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | BBC radio 4 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Feb 2016 interviewed by BBC radio for "Archive on 4" to explain the cognitive neuroscience of the emotion 'embarrassment'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06zh2ry |
| Description | BBC1: Measuring emotional reactions to images |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Deborah Talmi featured on BBCs Countryfile show on 15th April 2012. The piece focused on ways of measuring emotional reactions to images of the countryside and wind farms. It featured our lab and using electrodermal activity alongside self-report to measure emotion, suggesting that this approach could add value in considering new planning applications for onshore windfarms. As a result of the talk I have began a new collaboration with Professor Watts from Bradford. We carried out an experiment which has been published in Landscape and Urban Planning. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Big Brain summer school |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Module leader in Big Brain summer school, engaging year 9 students in psychological sciences. This is a recurring yearly activity which consistently receives good feedback from pupils and teachers. Students say that they understand better how decisions are made and that they found the event interesting. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| URL | http://www.psych-sci.manchester.ac.uk/public/schools/BigBrain |
| Description | Science for Environment Policy publication |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | An article about Maehr et al. (2015) was published in Science for Environment Policy. Science for Environment Policy is a news service published by the European Commission's Environment Directorate-General and sent out to over 19,000 policymakers, academics and business people across Europe. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | TEDx talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 2015 TEDx talk "Emotion as information: Who wins when I argue with myself?" this is now on youtube. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKAC1w5wVJE |