Digital Commons Network^™

Electrophysiological Signatures Of Error Commission And Adjustment, Mark Lavelle

Psychology ETDs

Errors inhibit attainment of our goals. Behavioral and neural adjustments following errors are often framed as independent aspects of decision-making termed threshold (or response caution) and drift rate (or evidence accumulation). We replicated and extended the association of single-trial threshold with frontal midline theta power from the previous trial, as measured from EEG in 21 participants completing a flankers task. Surprisingly, theta power also predicted next trial drift rate. Variation in brightness of the stimuli was associated with drift rate and various EEG and time-frequency features, including posterior alpha/beta power. Posterior alpha/beta power also correlated with drift rate and significantly …

The Reward Positivity In Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder, Garima Singh

Psychology ETDs

The Reward Positivity (RewP) is a positive deflection in the EEG after receiving a reward. Recent evidence suggests that the RewP is modulated by both reward probability aside from affective liking. Here we examined the sensitivity of the RewP to affective and alcohol images in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). We recruited 55 participants (AUD =28, Control= 27). Participants completed an image rating task and a reinforcement learning task with picture feedback (puppy or alcohol images over a green or red screen). Although there was no between group differences in puppy image ratings, there was a significant group difference …

Effects Of Anodal Tdcs On Neural Correlates Of Cognitive Control In Mild-To-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury, Nickolas A. Mertens

Psychology ETDs

Traumatic brain injury is a worldwide epidemic and currently there is no successful treatment to combat the cognitive deficits sustained from a mmTBI. The goal of this analysis is to determine if active tDCS paired with cognitive training can aid in an individual’s recovery on one specific consequence of mmTBI: cognitive control. To examine this novel treatment on cognitive control, EEG was recorded, and FM-theta activity collected from electrode FCz was analyzed. Three analyses were run to address the hypotheses of the present study: 1. A cluster analysis; 2. A series of repeated-measures ANOVAs; and 3. A series of multiple …

An Erp Investigation Of Reward Signals For Differing Classes Of Reinforcing Stimuli, Darin R. Brown

Psychology ETDs

In order to successfully traverse an actively complex environment, an agent is required to learn from the consequences of their actions. For over a century, models of behavior have been developed demonstrating these consequence-based learning systems. More recently, underlying biological systems have been found to adhere to these constructs of learning. The electroencephalographic signal known as the Reward Positivity (RewP) is thought to reflect a dopamine-dependent cortical signal specific to reward receipt. Importantly, this signal has been shown to adhere to an axiomatic (rule-like) positive reward prediction error, whereby it is evoked following outcomes that are better than expected. These …

Neurobehavioral Signatures In Children-Victim Of Bullying, Isabel Solis

Psychology ETDs

Experiencing bullying victimization can lead to detrimental damage to a child’s life potential, reduced long-term contributions to society, and in severe cases, to suicide or desperate acts of defensive aggression, such as school shootings. The current study aimed to examine risk factors that may increase the vulnerability of a child to become a target of bullying victimization and the related consequences of victimization, using rigorous neuropsychological and EEG measures. The end-goal is to translate these findings into a program of preventive intervention increasing the child’s resilience and improving social culture among youth in the academic environment. We propose a two-component …

An Investigation Of The Neural Components And Saccade Sequences That Enable Direct Navigation Through Virtual Space, Daniel R. Barto

Psychology ETDs

Spatial navigation is a critical behavior for nearly all life forms. The ability to navigate to a destination and to remember how to return to that destination involves numerous brain processes such as perception, attention, memory, learning, proprioception, and distance estimation. The study of spatial navigation, in various organisms and on different sorts of maze-apparatuses, has revealed what is required of the brain and what is required of the environment to enable successful navigation. This dissertation adds to this vast literature by examining the physiological and behavioral components involved in human navigation in a virtual environment.

The primary aim of …