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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 29, 2025

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm

Published on: May 4, 2020

Expressive flexibility and anxiety.

Fiona Maccallum¹, Sophia Tran², George A Bonanno³

¹University of Queensland; University of New South Wales.

Journal of Affective Disorders

|November 24, 2020

Summary

High trait anxiety is linked to reduced ability to enhance emotional expressions. Low trait anxiety may reduce emotional responses to threat cues, impacting expressive flexibility.

Keywords:

Expressive flexibility anxiety emotion regulation expression

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Last Updated: Nov 29, 2025

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm

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Published on: May 4, 2020

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

Published on: July 19, 2017

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Published on: September 12, 2014

Area of Science:

Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

Emotional expression flexibility is crucial for emotion regulation and social connection.
Deficits in expressive flexibility are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder and prolonged grief.
Previous research suggests nonconscious threat primes are important for flexible responses.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of individual differences in trait anxiety on expressive flexibility.
To examine how trait anxiety influences the ability to enhance and suppress emotional expressions.

Main Methods:

Eighty-four participants with high and low trait anxiety viewed negative images.
Participants were instructed to enhance or suppress emotional expressions.
Nonconscious threat, safety, or neutral primes preceded each image, and observers rated expressiveness.

Main Results:

High trait anxiety correlated with diminished enhancement of emotional expressions.
Low trait anxiety was associated with reduced emotional responses to threat primes, regardless of instructions.

Conclusions:

Trait anxiety is a significant factor contributing to deficits in expressive flexibility.
Targeting expressive flexibility may offer therapeutic benefits for anxiety-related clinical conditions.