Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Combining Attention Bias Pretraining With Exposure Therapy For Individuals With A Fear Of Spiders, Jennifer Turkel

Theses and Dissertations

The exposure therapy literature supports the notion that facilitated attentional focus on threat is necessary for a reduction in fear symptoms. A newer, computer-based cognitive training program for anxiety conditions that manipulates patterns of attentional allocation called attention bias modification has also demonstrated efficacy in the reduction of anxiety symptoms. Interestingly, this form of treatment promotes the opposite pattern of attentional processing (i.e., disengagement from threat stimuli). Taken together, it appears that the optimal pattern of attentional allocation during exposure needed to facilitate the reduction of anxiety symptoms remains unclear. Furthermore, the effect of combining attention bias modification with exposure …

The Impact Of Fading Restorative Safety Behaviors On Symptoms Of Contamination Fear During A Single Session Exposure Intervention: An Experimental Investigation, Amy Rachel Goetz

Theses and Dissertations

Safety behaviors are actions taken to prevent, escape from, or reduce the severity of a perceived threat. Cognitive-behavioral theorists posit that safety behaviors interfere with important exposure processes and should be removed from therapy. However, there is a growing accumulation of data suggesting that some safety behaviors may not be detrimental, and those that allow for full confrontation with a core threat, may not interfere with meaningful indicators of successful exposure. Therefore, it is important to examine parameters associated with restorative safety behaviors under conditions of use and then later removal. The current study examined the continuous (RSB) versus faded …

Cultural Correlates Of Ptsd In Latinos Residing In The U.S., Gabriela A. Nagy

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the associations between cultural variables (i.e., acculturative stress, discrimination, social support, migration planning, and reasons for migrating) and exposure to trauma and PTSD in a sample of Latinos (N=2,554) residing in the United States, who participated in the National Latino and Asian America Study (NLAAS). Results showed that there were significant positive associations between trauma exposure and migrating because of political reasons, migrating in search of medical attention, migrating due to

marital or family problems, and forced migration, suggesting they may be risk factors for being exposed to trauma. There was a negative association between trauma …

Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptomatology In Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Christina Casnar

Theses and Dissertations

Social problems are a common concern of parents of children with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). There has been a recent surge of research examining the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and ASD symptomatology in children with NF1. Findings from this relatively new body of research are mixed. The primary aim of this study was to examine ASD symptomatology in children with NF1 using a comprehensive assessment of ASD symptoms. A second aim was to examine possible variables that may contribute to socio-communicative difficulties. Participants included 25 children with NF1 between the ages of 9 and 13, along with their …

Elementary Cognitive Tasks Of Executive Functioning: A Concurrent Validity Study, Octavio A. Santos

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, we examined the concurrent validity of four computerized elementary cognitive tasks (ECTs) by comparing them with Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System’s (D-KEFS) scores shown to load on the three-factor model of executive functions (EFs). A sample of 175 college students were administered two ECTs purportedly measuring perceptual-motor skills (simple and choice reaction time [RT] tasks) and two ECTs purportedly measuring executive control (1- & 2-bit internal-rule [IR] tasks), as well as the D-KEFS Sorting Test, Color-Word Test, and Verbal Fluency Test to assess Shifting, Inhibition, and Updating, respectively. Specific D-KEFS scores underwent principal component analysis, yielding a three-factor …

Effects Of Online Response Inhibition Training In Children With Williams Syndrome: A Pilot Study, Natalie Brei

Theses and Dissertations

Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder which is often accompanied by challenges such as attention difficulties, anxiety, and overfriendliness. While research is mixed, a substantial body of literature suggests that deficits in response inhibition may underlie these difficulties in WS, making response inhibition a possible focus of intervention. However, research to date has not explored interventions that may affect response inhibition in individuals with WS. A recently developed computerized response inhibition training program has shown promise at improving response inhibition in other populations, but research on computerized training for people with WS has not been conducted. The aim …

Structural Integrity Of Attention Networks In Cross-Modal Selective Attention Performance In Healthy Aging, Michelle Kassel

Theses and Dissertations

The influence of structural brain changes in healthy aging on cross-modal selective attention performance was investigated with structural MRI (T1- and diffusion-weighted scans). Eighteen younger (M=26.1, SD=5.7) and 18 older (M=62.4, SD=4.9) healthy adults with normal hearing performed a reaction time (RT) cross-modal selective attention A/B/X task. Participants discriminated syllables presented in either visual or auditory modalities, with either randomized or fixed distraction presented simultaneously in the opposite modality. Within the older group only, RT was significantly slower during random (M=573.24, SE=33.66) compared to fixed (M=554.04, SE=33.53) distraction, F(1,34)=5.41, p=.026. Average gray matter thickness and white matter integrity were lower …