Gaze and Evaluative Behavior of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in an Affective Priming Task
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
2.2. Measures
2.3. Stimuli and Affective Priming Task
2.4. Procedure and Eye-Tracking Experiment
2.5. Awareness Check
2.6. Apparatus
2.7. Eye Movement Parameters
2.8. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Group Characteristics
3.2. Behavioral Data: Evaluative Ratings
3.3. Eye-Tracking Data: Probability of First Fixation, Early Dwell Time, and Dwell Time
3.4. Correlation Analysis
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
AOI | Area of Interest |
BH | Benjamini–Hochberg |
BPD | Borderline Personality Disorder |
BSL-23 | Borderline Symptom List |
CTQ | Childhood Trauma Questionnaire |
DSM-IV | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition |
EFE | Emotional facial expression |
NP | Non-Patient |
SCID-I and SCID II | Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (axis I disorders, axis II disorders) |
STAI-S | State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, State Version |
STAI-T | State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, Trait Version |
TMT-B | Part B of the Trail Making Test |
Appendix A
Appendix A.1
Antidepressant Medication (N = 13) | No Antidepressant Medication (N = 17) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parameter–Prime Category | M | SD | Range | M | SD | Range | p * | d |
Evaluative Rating–Happy | 2.22 | 0.29 | 1.75–2.92 | 2.13 | 0.23 | 1.92–2.58 | 0.281 | 0.20 a |
normality | 2.22 | 0.19 | 1.83–2.58 | 2.20 | 0.28 | 1.83–2.92 | 0.715 | 0.14 |
Evaluative Rating–Angry | 2.22 | 0.26 | 1.58–2.67 | 2.14 | 0.29 | 1.75–2.67 | 0.402 | 0.31 |
Evaluative Rating–Sad | 2.18 | 0.30 | 1.58–2.75 | 2.10 | 0.25 | 1.83–2.83 | 0.183 | 0.25 a |
Evaluative Rating–Neutral | 2.26 | 0.24 | 1.83 –2.58 | 2.19 | 0.30 | 1.75–2.92 | 0.502 | 0.25 |
Appendix A.2
Antidepressant Medication (N = 13) | No Antidepressant Medication (N = 18) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parameter–Prime Category | M | SD | Range | M | SD | Range | p * | r |
Probability of first fixation–happy–mouth | 0.42 | 0.34 | 0–1 | 0.19 | 0.27 | 0–1 | 0.062 | 0.34 |
Probability of first fixation–happy–eyes | 0.54 | 0.33 | 0–1 | 0.79 | 0.26 | 0–1 | 0.046 * | −0.36 |
Probability of first fixation–fearful–mouth | 0.37 | 0.36 | 0–1 | 0.20 | 0.28 | 0–1 | 0.157 | 0.26 |
Probability of first fixation–fearful–eyes | 0.63 | 0.36 | 0–1 | 0.75 | 0.30 | 0–1 | 0.275 | −0.20 |
Probability of first fixation–angry–mouth | 0.39 | 0.33 | 0–0.92 | 0.17 | 0.28 | 0–1 | 0.062 | 0.35 |
Probability of first fixation–angry–eyes | 0.58 | 0.33 | 0.08–1 | 0.77 | 0.28 | 0–1 | 0.115 | −0.29 |
Probability of first fixation–sad–mouth | 0.37 | 0.34 | 0–0.92 | 0.16 | 0.28 | 0–1 | 0.075 | 0.34 |
Probability of first fixation–sad–eyes | 0.62 | 0.34 | 0.08–1 | 0.79 | 0.27 | 0–1 | 0.196 | −0.24 |
Probability of first fixation–neutral–mouth | 0.39 | 0.29 | 0–0.83 | 0.17 | 0.26 | 0–0.92 | 0.028 * | 0.40 |
Probability of first fixation–neutral–eyes | 0.60 | 0.29 | 0.17–1 | 0.77 | 0.29 | 0–1 | 0.068 | −0.34 |
Appendix A.3
Antidepressant Medication (N = 13) | No Antidepressant Medication (N = 18) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parameter–Prime Category | M | SD | Range | M | SD | Range | p * | d |
Early dwell time–happy–mouth | 133.2 | 117.9 | 0–349.4 | 42.7 | 68.8 | 0–204.7 | 0.014 * | 0.45 a |
Early dwell time–happy–eyes | 166.2 | 139.7 | 0–399.9 | 221.2 | 152.8 | 0–515.6 | 0.314 | −0.37 |
Early dwell time–fearful–mouth | 126.4 | 129.1 | 0–395.6 | 49.4 | 65.6 | 0–177.3 | 0.051 | 0.36 a |
Early dwell time–fearful–eyes | 192.5 | 145.3 | 0–427.0 | 222.2 | 146.7 | 0–522.6 | 0.582 | −0.20 |
Early dwell time–angry–mouth | 131.6 | 125.3 | 0–388.3 | 40.7 | 68.7 | 0–213.0 | 0.014 * | 0.46 a |
Early dwell time–angry–eyes | 208.5 | 151.1 | 0–454.8 | 229.8 | 153.6 | 0–546.6 | 0.705 | −0.14 |
Early dwell time–sad–mouth | 125.4 | 121.3 | 0–350.3 | 39.3 | 64.1 | 0–204.0 | 0.028 * | 0.41 a |
Early dwell time–sad–eyes | 194.5 | 155.7 | 0–520.7 | 236.8 | 141.5 | 0–434.6 | 0.437 | −0.29 |
Early dwell time–neutral–mouth | 116.0 | 110.8 | 0–358.6 | 40.9 | 72.1 | 0–255.0 | 0.016 * | 0.44 a |
Early dwell time–neutral–eyes | 210.9 | 151.1 | 0–449.4 | 218.1 | 141.1 | 0–468.6 | 0.894 | −0.05 |
Appendix A.4
Antidepressant Medication (N = 13) | No Antidepressant Medication (N = 18) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parameter–Prime Category | M | SD | Range | M | SD | Range | p * | d |
Dwell time–happy–mouth | 322.4 | 160.6 | 33–591 | 206.7 | 158.6 | 24–526 | 0.082 | 0.32 a |
Dwell time–happy–eyes | 854.9 | 254.4 | 198–1181 | 837.5 | 321.3 | 0–1298 | 0.873 | 0.06 |
Dwell time–fearful–mouth | 347.0 | 166.9 | 42–667 | 194.9 | 139.0 | 0–446 | 0.010 * | 1.00 |
Dwell time–fearful–eyes | 853.7 | 240.8 | 207–1150 | 834.9 | 382.5 | 0–1339 | 0.877 | 0.06 |
Dwell time–angry–mouth | 323.3 | 162.5 | 37–604 | 195.3 | 139.7 | 0–420 | 0.026 * | 0.86 |
Dwell time–angry–eyes | 860.6 | 263.1 | 179–1263 | 824.5 | 352.5 | 0–1360 | 0.758 | 0.11 |
Dwell time–sad–mouth | 343.9 | 160.1 | 88–563 | 194.2 | 151.9 | 0–414 | 0.020 * | 0.42 a |
Dwell time–sad–eyes | 858.2 | 244.1 | 311–1219 | 826.3 | 342.7 | 25–1328 | 0.777 | 0.10 |
Dwell time–neutral–mouth | 313.7 | 139.9 | 99–520 | 202.6 | 146.5 | 18–552 | 0.042 * | 0.77 |
Dwell time–neutral–eyes | 878.5 | 211.8 | 320–1218 | 812.9 | 352.5 | 17–1275 | 0.556 | 0.22 |
Appendix A.5
Emotion Condition–AOI | CTQ | BSL-23 | BDI-II | STAI-T |
---|---|---|---|---|
Happy–mouth | 0.49 * | 0.47 * | 0.07 | 0.34 |
Happy–eyes | −0.23 | −0.14 | −0.18 | −0.04 |
Fearful–mouth | 0.54 * | 0.42 * | 0.07 | 0.40 * |
Fearful–eyes | −0.27 | 0.05 | 0.10 | −0.03 |
Angry–mouth | 0.40 | 0.39 | 0.07 | 0.35 |
Angry–eyes | −0.01 | −0.04 | 0.03 | −0.09 |
Sad–mouth | 0.44 * | 0.41 * | 0.09 | 0.37 |
Sad–eyes | −0.01 | 0.00 | 0.07 | −0.20 |
Neutral–mouth | 0.47 * | 0.34 * | 0.06 | 0.40 * |
Neutral–eyes | −0.12 | −0.04 | −0.01 | −0.04 |
Appendix B
t-test, Independent Samples | ||
Assumption (Test) | Parameter/Variables | Violations * |
ND of parameters (SP) | Demographic and clinical measures | CTQ; STAI-T, BSL-23; BDI-II; age; school years; TMT-B |
Homogeneity of Variances (L) | Demographic and clinical measures | BSL-23; BDI; CTQ; school years |
ANOVA, Mixed | ||
Assumption (Test) | Parameter/Variables | Violations * |
Sphericity (MT) | Probability of first fixation | Prime |
ND of residuals (SW) | Probability of first fixation | H m; H e; F m; F e; A m; A e; S m; S e; N m; N e |
Homogeneity of variances (L) | Probability of first fixation | - |
Sphericity (MT) | Early dwell time | Prime × AOI |
ND of residuals (SW) | Early dwell time | H m; H e; F m; A m; A e; S m; S e; N m |
Homogeneity of variances (L) | Early dwell time | - |
Sphericity (MT) | Dwell time | - |
ND of residuals (SW) | Dwell time | H m; F m; F e; A m; N m; N e; S m |
Homogeneity of variances (L) | Dwell time | - |
t-test, Dependent Samples | ||
Assumption (Test) | Parameter/Variables | Violations * |
ND of differences (SW) | Early dwell time | H e–F e; H e–A e; A e–N e; A e–N e; A e–S e; H m–F m; H m–N m; H m–S m; F m–A m; F m–N m; A m–N m; N m–S m |
Correlations | ||
Assumption (Test) | Parameter/Variables | Violations * |
ND of residuals (SW) | Evaluative ratings collapsed in BPD group | - |
ND of residuals (SW) | Evaluative ratings collapsed in NP group | - |
ND of residuals (SW) | Dwell time on the mouth (collapsed) in BPD group | - |
ND of residuals (SW) | Dwell time on the eyes (collapsed) in BPD group | BSL-23; CTQ; STAI-T; BDI-II |
ND of residuals (SW) | Dwell time on the mouth (collapsed) in NP group | BSL-23; CTQ; STAI_T; BDI-II |
ND of residuals (SW) | Dwell time on the eyes (collapsed) in NP group | - |
ND of residuals (SW) | Probability of first fixation on the mouth (collapsed) in BPD group | CTQ; BSL-23; STAI-T; BDI-II |
ND of residuals (SW) | Probability of first fixation on the eyes (collapsed) in BPD group | CTQ; BSL-23; BDI-II |
ND of residuals (SW) | Probability of first fixation on the mouth (collapsed) in NP group | CTQ; BSL-23; STAI-T; BDI-II |
ND of residuals (SW) | Probability of first fixation on the eyes (collapsed) in NP group | CTQ; BSL-23; STAI-T; BDI-II |
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BPD (N = 31) | NP (N = 31) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
M | SD | Range | M | SD | Range | d | 95% CI | |
Age | 27.81 | 6.09 | 18–44 | 26.65 | 5.16 | 20–42 | −0.21 | [−0.70, 2.94] |
School years | 11.71 | 1.35 | 9–15 | 12.23 | 0.81 | 9–13 | 0.47 | [−0.04, 0.97] |
TMT-B | 67.74 | 24.68 | 35–132 | 60.32 | 19.71 | 34–121 | −0.33 | [−0.83, 0.17] |
BDI-II | 21.29 | 8.07 | 2–35 | 3.45 | 2.74 | 0–9 | −2.96 * | [−3.68, −2.23] |
STAI-T | 60.32 | 8.34 | 41–77 | 34.68 | 6.92 | 25–57 | −3.45 * | [−4.12, −2.56] |
BSL-23 | 1.77 | 0.75 | 0.48–3.17 | 0.17 | 0.14 | 0–0.52 | −2.99 * | [−3.71, −2.25] |
CTQ | 63.16 | 18.09 | 35–113 | 33.42 | 7.59 | 25–58 | −2.14 * | [−2.77, −1.51] |
Comorbid Axis-I Disorder | n |
Affective disorder | 17 |
Anxiety disorder | 14 |
PTSD | 9 |
Eating disorder | 12 |
Somatoform disorder | 5 |
Comorbid personality disorder | n |
Obsessive–compulsive | 12 |
Depressive | 14 |
Self-insecure | 11 |
Dependent | 4 |
Antisocial | 4 |
Paranoid | 3 |
Narcissistic | 4 |
Schizotypal | 3 |
Passive–aggressive | 5 |
Histrionic | 1 |
Medication intake | n |
SSRI | 9 |
SNRI | 2 |
SDRI | 1 |
TeCA | 1 |
TCA | 1 |
BPD (N = 31) | NP (N = 31) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Prime Category–AOI | M | SD | Range | M | SD | Range |
Happy–mouth | 0.29 | 0.32 | 0–1 | 0.37 | 0.35 | 0–1 |
Happy–eyes | 0.69 | 0.31 | 0–1 | 0.62 | 0.35 | 0–1 |
Fearful–mouth | 0.27 | 0.33 | 0–1 | 0.33 | 0.32 | 0–0.83 |
Fearful–eyes | 0.70 | 0.33 | 0–1 | 0.66 | 0.33 | 0.17–1 |
Angry–mouth | 0.27 | 0.31 | 0–1 | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0–1 |
Angry–eyes | 0.69 | 0.31 | 0–1 | 0.64 | 0.35 | 0–1 |
Sad–mouth | 0.25 | 0.32 | 0–1 | 0.35 | 0.33 | 0–1 |
Sad–eyes | 0.72 | 0.31 | 0–1 | 0.63 | 0.33 | 0–1 |
Neutral–mouth | 0.26 | 0.29 | 0–0.92 | 0.33 | 0.34 | 0–1 |
Neutral–eyes | 0.70 | 0.30 | 0–1 | 0.66 | 0.34 | 0–1 |
BPD (N = 31) | NP (N = 31) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Prime Category–AOI | M | SD | Range | M | SD | Range |
Happy–mouth | 255.2 | 167.2 | 24–591.1 | 289.9 | 220.0 | 0–846.6 |
Happy–eyes | 844.8 | 290.6 | 0–1298.2 | 697.1 | 320.5 | 182.0–1365.4 |
Fearful–mouth | 258.7 | 167.0 | 0–666.6 | 284.9 | 190.7 | 32.7–784.0 |
Fearful–eyes | 842.8 | 325.9 | 0–1338.5 | 725.7 | 337.4 | 144.3–1220.5 |
Angry–mouth | 248.9 | 160.4 | 0–603.9 | 291.5 | 210.0 | 13.7–799.2 |
Angry–eyes | 839.6 | 313.7 | 0–1395.8 | 720.3 | 351.4 | 143.8–1342.4 |
Sad–mouth | 257.0 | 170.2 | 0–563.3 | 289.0 | 194.2 | 19.7–805.9 |
Sad–eyes | 839.7 | 301.1 | 24.7–1327.5 | 695.8 | 340.3 | 117.0–1333.1 |
Neutral–mouth | 249.2 | 152.0 | 18.0–551.6 | 292.8 | 223.5 | 0–950.8 |
Neutral–eyes | 840.4 | 299.1 | 16.7–1275.1 | 724.3 | 314.1 | 187.3–1229.6 |
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Wenk, T.; Bartusch, M.; Webelhorst, C.; Kersting, A.; Bodenschatz, C.M.; Suslow, T. Gaze and Evaluative Behavior of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in an Affective Priming Task. Behav. Sci. 2025, 15, 1268. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15091268
Wenk T, Bartusch M, Webelhorst C, Kersting A, Bodenschatz CM, Suslow T. Gaze and Evaluative Behavior of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in an Affective Priming Task. Behavioral Sciences. 2025; 15(9):1268. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15091268
Chicago/Turabian StyleWenk, Taavi, Michele Bartusch, Carolin Webelhorst, Anette Kersting, Charlott Maria Bodenschatz, and Thomas Suslow. 2025. "Gaze and Evaluative Behavior of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in an Affective Priming Task" Behavioral Sciences 15, no. 9: 1268. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15091268
APA StyleWenk, T., Bartusch, M., Webelhorst, C., Kersting, A., Bodenschatz, C. M., & Suslow, T. (2025). Gaze and Evaluative Behavior of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in an Affective Priming Task. Behavioral Sciences, 15(9), 1268. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15091268