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Changes In Resting-State Functional Connectivity Following Delay And Trace Fear Conditioning Acquisition And Extinction, Douglas Hank Schultz

Theses and Dissertations

Consolidation is the process of stabilizing a recently acquired memory into a more permanent or durable form. Several studies with laboratory animals have uncovered valuable information about the process of consolidation, but less is known about the process of consolidation in healthy humans. The current study examined the consolidation of emotional memories in different brain circuits in healthy humans using resting-state fMRI. We used the acquisition and extinction of two variations of Pavlovian fear conditioning, delay and trace, which rely on slightly different circuits to examine changes in functional connectivity related to a general fear learning process and also to …

Longitudinal Associations Between Anxiety, Pain Catastrophizing, And Treatment Outcomes In Complex Pediatric Chronic Pain, Susan Tran

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety and pain catastrophizing have been identified as factors that may predispose an individual to developing chronic pain and influence functional outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal associations of anxiety and pain catastrophizing with functional outcomes in a sample of youth seeking treatment for chronic pain. The current study aimed to expand upon recent literature by examining the relative contributions of both anxiety and pain catastrophizing to important functional outcomes (pain, functional disability, and health-related quality of life [HRQOL]) in a longitudinal design.

Participants included 725 youth (69% females, 75% Caucasian) ranging in age from …

Self-Regulated Learning (Srl) Microanalysis For Mathematical Problem Solving: A Comparison Of A Srl Event Measure, Questionnaires, And A Teacher Rating Scale, Gregory Lee Callan

Theses and Dissertations

The current dissertation examined the validity of a context-specific assessment tool, called Self-regulated learning (SRL) microanalysis, for measuring self-regulated learning (SRL) during mathematical problem solving. SRL microanalysis is a structured interview that entails assessing respondents' regulatory processes as they engage with a task of interest.

Participants for this dissertation consisted of 83 eighth grade students attending a large urban school district in Midwestern USA. Students were administered the SRL microanalytic interview while completing a set of mathematical word problems to provide a measure of their real-time thoughts and regulatory behaviors. The SRL microanalytic interview targeted the SRL processes of goal-setting, …

Lived Experiences Of Orthodox Jewish Professionals Working With At-Risk Youth In The Orthodox Community, David Baruch

Theses and Dissertations

A phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experience of Orthodox Jewish professionals (mental health practitioner, high school rabbi, mentor) trying to break the resistance and connect with the at-risk youth in the Orthodox Jewish community (OJC). OJC at-risk youth was defined as a) youth experiencing life disruptions (in family, school, community, and/or religious contexts) related to psychological issues and reflected in externalizing (e.g., "delinquent") or internalizing (e.g., depression) behaviors, and b) excluding a youth experiencing life disruptions due to non-compliance with parental and societal expectations (i.e., religious obligations) when devoid of a significant psychological component. Thirteen textural narratives …

Parenting Stress In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Symptomatology, Natalie Brei

Theses and Dissertations

Children with developmental disorders commonly display behavioral, emotional, and adaptive problems. Parents raising these children often undergo stress at clinical levels, which can lead to a host of negative consequences for both parent and child. Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report significantly higher stress than parents of children with other disorders. Thus, some aspects of autism may present a unique challenge to parents. ASD symptoms are often present in other developmental disorders, which could significantly increase parenting stress. Additionally, the severity of ASD symptoms within a group of children with ASD can greatly vary. Despite rising prevalence …

Relational Memory Expression Following Subliminal Presentations Of Retrieval Cues, Allison Eleanor Nickel

Theses and Dissertations

Questions about whether or not visual information can be processed in the absence of awareness have fostered substantial debate. Previous work has shown that eye movements are sensitive to memory for elements of prior experience, even in the absence of conscious awareness. By using subliminal memory cues, we were able to investigate whether or not eye movements are sensitive to memory for studied relationships when participants were unaware of the retrieval cues. The results indicated that more viewing was directed to faces that were studied with the subliminal scene cues but not selected relative to other non-selected faces during an …

Impact Of Faah Genotype And Marijuana Use On Brain Structure And Neuropsychological Performance In Emerging Adults, Skyler Gabriel Shollenbarger

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Chronic MJ use may be associated with higher cognitive ability impairments (see Lisdahl et al., 2013). Regions undergoing later maturation (Gogtay 2004), may be at increased risk for MJ-induced alterations. Endogenous cannabinoid signaling (ECS) is modulated by the function the enzyme Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (see Ho & Hilard, 2005), thus the gene encoding for this enzyme (FAAH) impacts ECS (Sipe et al., 2002). Here, we examine the impact of MJ use and FAAH genotype on PFC complexity and underlying frontal white matter (WM) integrity in young adults. Methods: Participants included 37 MJ users and 37 non-using young adults …

The Impact Of Feedback In Response To Self-Disclosure On Social Connection: A Possible Analog Component Model Of The Therapy Relationship, Kevin Haworth

Theses and Dissertations

The efficacy of psychotherapy interventions has been demonstrated on a wide range of disorders. However, little is known about the specific mechanisms that influence symptom improvements. The therapeutic relationship, a well-established common factor of treatment, has been suggested to provide significant impact on treatment outcome and may be a potential mechanism of change in psychotherapy. The current study evaluates a theoretical micro-mechanism model of the therapeutic relationship; specifically, the process of providing feedback to self-disclosure statements with the intention of increasing feelings of connectedness. Ninety-eight undergraduate students were randomized to either 1 of 2 brief connection-generating dyadic interaction groups receiving …

Predictors Of Perceived Belonging Among U.S. Military Men And Women, Heidi M. Pfeiffer

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to identify predictors of perceived belonging within the military unit, a factor which has been shown to promote effectiveness, satisfaction, and mental health. Online survey responses from service members, veterans, and trainees were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. It was found that perceptions of positive military leadership, larger unit size, older age, and active duty (rather than reserve/guard) service were associated with higher perceived belonging, together explaining a significant portion of variance in scores. Male gender was also found to be associated with higher perceived belonging, but the increase in variance explained by the addition of this …

Relationships, Health, And Coping Among Active Duty Military And Veterans, Emily Carol Prosser

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the association between types of coping and functional impairment in active duty military and veterans (N = 57, ages 20-63). Participants completed an online survey that asked about their experiences with interpersonal violence, coping strategies in which they engage, and questions about their physical and psychological health and well-being. Disengagement coping was positively associated with functional impairment and accounted uniquely for 33.8% of the variance. These findings reveal interesting information about the types of violence this sample experienced, as well as important information about their coping strategies and how they are associated with impairment in functioning. These …

Is Contextual Cue Learning Flexible? An Eye-Movement Study Of The Contextual Cueing Task, Youcai Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Visual searching can be facilitated without awareness when the target is repeatedly presented in an invariant context in tasks such as contextual cueing (Chun & Jiang 1998). A behavioral cost (increased reaction time) was observed when the target was moved to a new location but no such cost was observed when the target returned to the initial location. The lack of cost for return suggests two possible explanations: One is that the learning can update the initial learning to acquire both target locations, which suggests the implicit learning is flexible. The other is that the contextual cue leaning cannot update …

Using Information Theory And Elementary Cognitive Tasks To Formally Define Executive Functions, Octavio A. Santos

Theses and Dissertations

Executive functions (EF) are an umbrella construct in neuropsychology that have received significant attention from both clinicians and researchers in recent years. Despite the wide array of definitions of EF and lack of agreement about such constructs, there seems to be a commonality underlying their theoretical frameworks that has to do with the ability to internally regulate one's behavior. In an attempt to overcome inherent limitations to the construct of EF, the present study used elementary cognitive tasks (ECTs), based on information theory (IT) and a reaction time (RT) paradigm, to establish preliminary feasibility of ECTs to assess behavior regulated …