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University at Albany, State University of New York

Theses/Dissertations

2010

Motivation

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Neuropsychological Performance In Cannabis Users And Non-Users Following Motivation Manipulation, Michelle Stiles May 2010

Neuropsychological Performance In Cannabis Users And Non-Users Following Motivation Manipulation, Michelle Stiles

Psychology

Background: Previous research has yielded conflicting results regarding the long term consequences of cannabis use on cognitive functioning. Although in the cannabis literature, there is a commonly held belief associated with cannabis use called, “amotivational syndrome” the authors were unable to find any studies of neuropsychological performance that attempted to manipulate motivation. Methods: Fifty-five undergraduates (34 cannabis users and 21 non-users) participated in an extensive neuropsychological battery. The experimenter read a statement at the beginning of the battery designed to induce motivation. Group differences on test performance were calculated with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for tests that did …


Gamete Donation Understanding Prospective Donors’ Motivations, Alexa Grafmuller May 2010

Gamete Donation Understanding Prospective Donors’ Motivations, Alexa Grafmuller

Anthropology

The technological imperative that exists within the framework of society in the United States has facilitated the unprecedented emergence of new reproductive technologies, including the use of donated gametes. The 2002 National Survey of Family Growth informs us that 7.4% of married women aged 15-44 are unable to get pregnant for at least 12 consecutive months, labeled infertility, and that 11.8% of women aged 15-44 have an impaired ability to have children, labeled impaired fecundity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2005). This, paired with the social conventions of child rearing, is one prime indication that gamete donation is an …


The Neuropsychological Deficits In Cannabis Users : Does Motivation Play A Role?, Rayna Beth Ericson Jan 2010

The Neuropsychological Deficits In Cannabis Users : Does Motivation Play A Role?, Rayna Beth Ericson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Prior research of the neuropsychological functioning of cannabis users has yielded mixed results, in that some studies identified differences compared to non-users, while others found no group differences at all. A meta-analysis revealed a small effect of cannabis use on the cognitive domains of learning and forgetting, while domains such as attention and processing speed yielded no effect (Grant et al., 2003). However, none of the previous studies assessed the participants' motivation to perform well on the assessment, which may have influenced the results. The present study sought to determine whether motivation is differentially demonstrated in cannabis users compared to …


Self-Control Conservation : A Closer Look At The Underlying Process, Nicholas Allegretti Freeman Jan 2010

Self-Control Conservation : A Closer Look At The Underlying Process, Nicholas Allegretti Freeman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Preliminary evidence suggests that when individuals believe that they will have to exert self-control in the near future, their performance on an intervening self-control task suffers so that limited self-control resources are conserved for later use (Muraven, Shmueli, & Burkley, 2006). The current research sought to further clarify the extent to which beliefs about the limited nature of self-control contribute to this conservation effect. Specifically, it is unclear whether simply recognizing that a task requires self-control is enough to prompt individuals to approach the task with a conservation strategy, or, if conservation strategies are only pursued in reaction to resources …