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The Influence Of Cocaine-Related Images On Inhibitory Control In Cocaine Users, Erika Pike
The Influence Of Cocaine-Related Images On Inhibitory Control In Cocaine Users, Erika Pike
Theses and Dissertations--Psychology
Cocaine users display impaired inhibitory control. The influence of cocaine-related stimuli on inhibitory control has not been assessed. The Attentional Bias-Behavioral Activation (ABBA) task uses cocaine and neutral images as cues to determine if drug-related images impair inhibitory control in cocaine users. This dissertation was designed to assess the influence of cocaine images on inhibitory control in cocaine users through the conduct of studies designed to address four aims. The first aim was to demonstrate that cocaine users display impaired inhibitory control following cocaine images compared to neutral images on the ABBA task. This was accomplished through the conduct of …
Cognitive And Behavioral Mechanisms Underlying Alcohol-Induced Risky Driving, Jennifer R. Laude
Cognitive And Behavioral Mechanisms Underlying Alcohol-Induced Risky Driving, Jennifer R. Laude
Theses and Dissertations--Psychology
Alcohol intoxication represents one situation an individual might increase their amount of risk taking when driving. This dissertation is comprised of three studies that investigate the mechanisms by which alcohol increases driver risk-taking. Study 1 examined the effect of alcohol on driver risk-taking using a proxemics approach. The study also tested whether alcohol-induced increases in risky driving co-occurred with pronounced impairment in the driver’s skill. The study also examined whether the most disinhibited drivers were also the riskiest. Indeed, alcohol increased driver risk-taking and impaired driving skill. The study also revealed risky driving can be dissociable from impairing effects on …
The Effects Of Alcohol-Related Visual Stimuli On Inhibitory Control And Attentional Bias: Testing The Roles Of Classical Conditioning And Semantic Priming, Ramey G. Monem
Theses and Dissertations--Psychology
Alcohol research has shown that alcohol-related stimuli can disrupt behavioral control and attract more attention in alcohol drinkers. Stimuli typically used in tasks assessing these mechanisms are likely representative of an individual's history. Responses to visual stimuli that no longer closely resemble an individual's history may help shed light on whether these behaviors are due to classical conditioning or processes such as semantic priming. Hypotheses were tested using typical visual stimuli and modified, abstract versions in these tasks. 41 participants were exposed to these stimuli types while using a visual dot probe task. The difference in degree of attentional bias …
Examining The Vulnerability Of Inhibitory Control To The Impairing Effects Of Alcohol, Melissa A. Miller
Examining The Vulnerability Of Inhibitory Control To The Impairing Effects Of Alcohol, Melissa A. Miller
Theses and Dissertations--Psychology
There is growing evidence that acute changes in fundamental mechanisms of impulse control contribute to the transition from social drinking to abusive drinking. One component of impulsivity concerns the ability to inhibit maladaptive behaviors (i.e., inhibitory control). Inhibitory mechanisms are reliably shown to be sensitive to the impairing effects of alcohol, and studies have begun to show that this impairment fails to recover at the same speed as other aspects of behavior. However, the degree to which inhibitory control develops tolerance to alcohol has only been examined under limited conditions. This dissertation consists of three studies examining contexts in which …
Attentional Bias And Alcohol Abuse, Jessica Jane Weafer
Attentional Bias And Alcohol Abuse, Jessica Jane Weafer
Theses and Dissertations--Psychology
Selective attention towards alcohol-related cues (i.e., “attentional bias”) is thought to reflect increased incentive motivational value of alcohol and alcohol cues acquired through a history of heavy alcohol use, and as such attentional bias is considered to be a clinically relevant factor contributing to alcohol use disorders. This dissertation consists of two studies that investigated specific mechanisms through which attentional bias might serve to promote alcohol abuse. Study 1 compared magnitude of attentional bias in heavy (n = 20) and light (n = 20) drinkers following placebo and two doses of alcohol (0.45 g/kg and 0.65 g/kg). Heavy drinkers displayed …