Armand Chatard’s research while affiliated with Maison des Sciences de l’Homme et de la Société de Toulouse and other places

Background From both clinical and theoretical perspectives, understanding the functionality of evaluative reinforcement learning mechanisms (Model-Free, MF, and Model-Based, MB) under provoked stress, particularly in Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), is crucial yet underexplored. This study aims to evaluate whether individuals with AUD who do not seek treatment show a greater tendency towards retrospective behaviors (MF) rather than prospective and deliberative simulations (MB) compared to controls. Additionally, it examines the impact of induced social stress on these decision-making processes. Methods A cohort comprising 117 participants, including 55 individuals with AUD and 62 controls, was examined. Acute social stress was induced through the socially evaluated cold pressor task (SECPT), followed by engagement in a Two-Step Markov task to assess MB and MF learning tendencies. We measured hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis stress response using salivary cortisol levels. Results Both groups showed similar baseline cortisol levels and responses to the SECPT. Our findings indicate that participants with AUD exhibit a reduced reliance on MB strategies compared to those without AUD. Furthermore, stress decreases reliance on MB strategies in healthy participants, but this effect is not observed in those with AUD. Conclusion An atypical pattern of stress modulation impacting the balance between MB and MF reinforcement learning was identified in individuals with AUD who are not seeking treatment. Potential explanations for these findings and their clinical implications are explored.

Cognitive dissonance, a fundamental psychological process involving inconsistent cognitions causing discomfort, may vary across cultures. These variations could be attributed to differences in the way people define themselves, known as “self-construal”. Previous cross-cultural studies on the role of self-construal in cognitive dissonance have mainly employed the free-choice paradigm. However, many concerns have been raised about the validity of this procedure and these studies, more generally. To address this issue, we will conduct secondary analyses to explore unexamined associations in a large existing dataset (Vaidis et al., 2024). Specifically, the current study will investigate the moderating role of individual (self-construal) and cultural (individualism) variables on dissonance effects following an induced-compliance paradigm across 18 countries (N = 3822). Based on the literature, we hypothesised that induced-compliance effects (i.e., adjusting attitude to match behaviour, particularly when it has been adopted freely) will be stronger for participants with higher individual self-construal scores (H1), in more individualistic countries (H2), and in countries with higher aggregated levels of independent self-construal (H3). The analyses [supported / did not support] H1, [supported / did not support] H2 and [supported / did not support] H3.Keywords: Self-Construal, Culture, Cognitive Dissonance, Induced Compliance, Cross-cultural study

Objective Depression is often characterized by a persistent sense of failure. Cognitive theories of depression suggest that depressed individuals may exhibit a maladaptive cognitive style, characterized by increased self-focus following personal failure. The validity of this proposition, however, is yet to be fully examined. This study aimed to identify the relation between symptoms in major depressive disorder and increased self-focus in failure situations. Methods This clinical study involved a cohort of 30 patients diagnosed with and treated for depression. We used an eye-tracking paradigm to observe and analyze gaze direction – indicative of either self-focus or self-avoidance – after remembering a significant failure event. Results Contrary to the maladaptive cognitive style hypothesis, a majority of the depressed participants demonstrated an inclination towards self-avoidance following failure. Nevertheless, approximately 30% of the patient group – those with the highest scores of guilt, punishment, and self-blame – displayed a self-focused attentional bias post-failure. Conclusions The presence of a maladaptive self-focusing style may be confined to severely depressed patients with high levels of guilt, punishment, and self-blame. These findings could have substantial clinical implications, as attention bias modification interventions could be particularly beneficial for this subgroup of patients.

On the centenary of the first human EEG recording, more than 500 experts reflect on the impact that this discovery has had on our understanding of the brain and behaviour. We document their priorities and call for collective action focusing on validity, democratization and responsibility to realize the potential of EEG in science and society over the next 100 years.

Introduction Increased salience of drug-related cues over non-drug reinforcers can drive drug use and contribute to tobacco use disorder (TUD). An important scientific and clinical goal is to effectively measure this elevated drug-seeking behavior in TUD. However, most TUD assessments rely on self-reported cravings and cigarette consumption, not providing an objective measure of the impact of drug-cues on biasing behavior towards drugs. The probabilistic image choice (PIC) task investigates the choice of viewing drug-related pictures as compared to other salient pictures (e.g., pleasant and unpleasant). This study aimed to develop and validate the PIC task for TUD and evaluate the associations between behavioral choice and tobacco craving, daily cigarette consumption, quit attempts and motivation to quit, and nicotine dependence (the Fagerström score). Methods We recruited 468 smokers and 121 nonsmokers using the Prolific online platform. Participants performed the PIC task twice (at a one-month interval) and completed other measures relevant to TUD. Results compared to nonsmokers, tobacco smokers selected to view significantly more tobacco images and less pleasant (non-drug reinforcer) images, a profile that remained stable at retest. Individual differences in choice of tobacco as compared to pleasant images on the PIC task were associated with craving but not with the other tobacco dependence measures, suggesting that the task may serve as a behavioral proxy measure of drug “wanting” rather than of cumulative nicotine exposure or physical dependence. Conclusions these results suggest that the PIC task can be a valuable tool for objectively assessing craving-associated tobacco seeking in TUD. Implications section which should provide a brief description about what the study adds Most of the current measures of tobacco use disorder (TUD) rely on self-reports of consumption, dependence and craving and do not take into consideration the role of drug-related cues in driving tobacco seeking. This study shows that the probabilistic image choice (PIC) task provides an objective, reliable proxy measure of tobacco image seeking behavior in people who smoke cigarettes that is linked to craving (desire) for smoking but not to other measures of TUD. Therefore, the PIC task may be a useful complementary tool for the classification, diagnosis, and prognosis of TUD.

Background The present study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy and tolerability of 10 transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) sessions in treatment-resistance obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients using a multisite double-blind sham-controlled design. Methods Eighty treatment-resistance outpatients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder were randomized to receive either active or sham transcranial direct current stimulation. The cathode was positioned over the supplementary motor area and the anode over the right supraorbital area. Patients were evaluated at baseline, end of treatment (day 14), one-month follow-up (day 45), and three-month follow-up (day 105) on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. Results Although a significant interaction between time and treatment was observed, the primary endpoint—measuring the change in Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale scores after two weeks—was not achieved. Conversely, the secondary endpoint, which concerned the change in Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale scores after three months, was successfully met. It is important to note, however, that there were no significant differences in the percentage of responders and remitters at any of the post-treatment assessments. This suggests that the treatment may not have had a clinically relevant impact. Patients well received the transcranial direct current stimulation treatment, indicating its good tolerability. Conclusion This is the largest controlled trial using transcranial direct current stimulation in treatment-resistance obsessive-compulsive disorder patients. Our results indicate the importance of studying the placebo effect in transcranial direct current stimulation and the necessity to consider a long follow-up time to best evaluate the effects of the intervention. Clinical trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03304600.

This chapter delves into the critical role of implicit associations in addiction, focusing on their influence on the development, persistence, and relapse of addictive behaviors. We explore various methods for measuring these associations, with a particular emphasis on the Implicit Association Test (IAT), and evaluate its efficacy and limitations. Through the lens of dual-process models of cognition, the interaction between implicit (automatic) and explicit (controlled) processes in addiction is examined. These models highlight the imbalance between the impulsive system, which drives automatic actions, and the reflective system, responsible for inhibitory control. The formation of implicit associations is examined from multiple angles, including cultural conditioning, personal experiences, and media influence. Additionally, the chapter discusses interventions aimed at modifying implicit associations and strengthening self-control resources. Techniques like evaluative conditioning and approach-avoidance training are reviewed for their effectiveness in altering implicit associations and reducing substance abuse behaviors. Concluding the chapter is a call for further research to establish the long-term effectiveness of these interventions and to explore integrated approaches that combine behavioral, cognitive, and neurobiological methods. This research is essential for advancing our understanding and treatment of addiction, highlighting the potential for significant clinical advancements.

According to cognitive-dissonance theory, performing counterattitudinal behavior produces a state of dissonance that people are motivated to resolve, usually by changing their attitude to be in line with their behavior. One of the most popular experimental paradigms used to produce such attitude change is the induced-compliance paradigm. Despite its popularity, the replication crisis in social psychology and other fields, as well as methodological limitations associated with the paradigm, raise concerns about the robustness of classic studies in this literature. We therefore conducted a multilab constructive replication of the induced-compliance paradigm based on Croyle and Cooper (Experiment 1). In a total of 39 labs from 19 countries and 14 languages, participants (N = 4,898) were assigned to one of three conditions: writing a counterattitudinal essay under high choice, writing a counterattitudinal essay under low choice, or writing a neutral essay under high choice. The primary analyses failed to support the core hypothesis: No significant difference in attitude was observed after writing a counterattitudinal essay under high choice compared with low choice. However, we did observe a significant difference in attitude after writing a counterattitudinal essay compared with writing a neutral essay. Secondary analyses revealed the pattern of results to be robust to data exclusions, lab variability, and attitude assessment. Additional exploratory analyses were conducted to test predictions from cognitive-dissonance theory. Overall, the results call into question whether the induced-compliance paradigm provides robust evidence for cognitive dissonance.