Modulação do efeito IRAP por expressões de alegria e raiva e interferência da ansiedade e depressão neste processo

Abstract

The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) has been used to analyze the dynamics of relational behavioural responses to particular stimuli and how a series of variables may interfere with these responses. The strength of these relationships is measured through an effect, the IRAP Effect, which, at first, reflects the BIRRs, brief and immediate relational responses, when the behavioral system of the subject is put under pressure and has to respond quickly and accurately. Previous findings involving IRAP has indicated that there seems to be a modulation of this effect in relation to happy and angry expressions: it seems that happy expressions produce a larger IRAP effect than angry expressions. Thus, the aim of this study is to replicate and amplify this findings, also verifying the interference of anxiety and depression in this process. 122 university students participated. They underwent the IRAP procedure, a 13-item BECK short form Inventory and the STAI-T Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory. The measures were subsequently correlated and the results suggested that the IRAP effect was higher for happy than angry expressions, which means, the rate of establishment of relations was higher for happy facial expressions. Anxiety and depression seem to have exerted some modulatory effect on the speed of establishment of relations in happy expressions, and this effect was more significant for depression. Probably, this saliency in the perception of happy expressions and a larger modulating effect on depression can be explained by the participants' familiarity with the stimuli, whose relationships involve other variables through a more comprehensive theoretical model DAARE (Differential Arbitrarily Applicable Relational Responding) . Such results should be interpreted cautiously before proceeding to generalizations considering that this is a first study involving these variables. Thus, it is necessary to continue this research in future studies to expand the results and theoretical interpretations on this topic.