Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Perceived Similarity And Relationship Success Among Dating Couples: An Idiographic Approach, Catherine Lutz, Angela Bradley, Jennifer Mihalik, Erika Moorman

Catherine Lutz Zois

This study utilized an idiographic approach to investigate the relation between similarity on valued characteristics and relationship success. College students (N = 247) rated their current romantic partner on perceived similarity in personality, attitudes, interests, and religious affiliation; the importance of similarity in these dimensions; and relationship satisfaction. Relationship status was assessed 6 weeks later. Results revealed significant similarity by importance interactions for religion and interests in predicting satisfaction. Participants with high perceived similarity in religion or interests reported greater satisfaction than did their low similarity counterparts, but only to the extent that they rated this type of similarity as …

Online Discussion Assignments Improve Students’ Class Preparation, Tara Lineweaver

Tara T. Lineweaver

To increase the number of students who read the text before class and to promote student interaction centering on text material, I developed an online discussion assignment as a required component of a cognitive psychology course. Across 2 studies, this assignment had a limited effect on examination performance, but students completing online discussions were more likely to read the textbook in advance of class and reported reading it more carefully, particularly late in the semester. Students completing online discussions also reported understanding lectures better and feeling more prepared for exams immediately after lecture than classmates. Together, results support previous studies …

The Painful Relationship Shared By Spinal Injury And Sleep Disorders, Pennie Seibert, Christian Zimmerman, Jennifer Valerio, Yustina Rafla, Fred Grimsley

Pennie S. Seibert

Introduction: People who sustain spinal injury (SI) also routinely complain about sleep disturbances. This coexistence negatively impacts general health, well-being, and recovery. Investigations of this complex relationship have been constrained by difficulty in acquiring valid data from people whose sleep disorder (SD) diagnoses are based on complete nocturnal polysomnography (NP) and multiple sleep latency tests (MSLT) rather than simple self-report data.

Methods: We constructed an 111-item questionnaire to use in conjunction with NP, MSLT, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and medical chart reviews of people referred for evaluation of SDs.

Results: We analyzed data from 721people who were diagnosed with …

Environmental Protection, U.S. Influence On Latin American Policies, Cigdem Sirin

Cigdem V. Sirin

No abstract provided.

The Relation Of Self-Efficacy And Error-Related Self-Regulation, Jason Themanson, Matthew Pontifex, Charles Hillman, Edward Mcauley

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

Relations between a modifiable psychosocial factor, self-efficacy (SE), and behavioral and neural indices of self-regulation, including post-error behavior, the error-related negativity (ERN), and error positivity (Pe) were examined in young adults during a flanker task emphasizing either accuracy or speed. SE was predicted to be associated with larger ERN and Pe amplitudes, as well as greater post-error behavioral performance during task conditions emphasizing accuracy, but not speed. Results showed that higher SE was associated with greater post-error response accuracy during the accuracy condition, but not the speed condition, and higher SE was related with greater ERN amplitudes across instruction conditions. …

On The Number Of Trials Necessary For Stabilization Of Error-Related Brain Activity Across The Life Span, Jason Themanson, Matthew Pontifex, Mark Scudder, Michael Brown, Kevin O'Leary, Chien-Ting Wu, Charles Hillman

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

The minimum number of trials necessary to accurately characterize the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe) across the life span was investigated using samples of preadolescent children, college-age young adults, and older adults. Event-related potentials and task performance were subsequently measured during a modified flanker task. Response-locked averages were created using sequentially increasing errors of commission in blocks of two. Findings indicated that across all age cohorts ERN and Pe were not significantly different relative to the within-participants grand average after six trials. Further, results indicated that the ERN and Pe exhibited excellent internal reliability in preadolescent children …

The Relation Of Aerobic Fitness To Neuroelectric Indices Of Cognitive And Motor Task Preparation, Jason Themanson, Keita Kamijo, Kevin O'Leary, Matthew Pontifex, Charles Hillman

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

The relation of aerobic fitness to task preparation was examined in a sample of young adults separated into higher- and lower-fit groups according to their maximal oxygen consumption. Participants performed a modified Sternberg working memory task under speed and accuracy instructions while measures of task performance and contingent negative variation (CNV) were collected. Analyses revealed no significant fitness differences between groups on task performance measures. However, frontal CNVamplitude was significantly larger for lower-fit participants compared to higher-fit participants during the speed instructions, an effect not found for the accuracy instructions. These results suggest that lower-fit individuals may rely to a …

Identity Politics, Cigdem Sirin

Cigdem V. Sirin

No abstract provided.

Physical Activity And Neurocognitive Function Across The Lifespan, Jason Themanson, Charles Hillman, Sarah Buck

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

No abstract provided.

Acute Aerobic Exercise Effects On Event-Related Brain Potentials, Jason Themanson, Charles Hillman, Matthew Pontifex

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

No abstract provided.

Fitness And Action Monitoring: Evidence For Improved Cognitive Flexibility In Young Adults, Jason R. Themanson, Matthew B. Pontifex, Charles H. Hillman

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

To improve behavior, one must detect errors and initiate subsequent corrective adaptations. This action monitoring process has been widely studied, but little is known about how one may improve this aspect of cognition. To examine the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and action monitoring, we recorded the error-related negativity (ERN), an event-related brain potential believed to index action monitoring, as well as post-error behavioral indices of action monitoring from healthy young adults (18–25 years) who varied in cardiorespiratory fitness. These measures were collected during the execution of flanker tasks emphasizing response accuracy or speed to better assess the specificity of any …

Self-Efficacy Effects On Neuroelectric And Behavioral Indices Of Action Monitoring In Older Adults, Jason R. Themanson, Charles H. Hillman, Edward Mcauley, Sarah M. Buck, Shawna E. Doerksen, Katherine S. Morris, Matthew B. Pontifex

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

The relationships between self-efficacy (SE), i.e., beliefs in personal capabilities, and behavioral and neuroelectric (i.e., ERN, Pe) indices of action monitoring were investigated in 40 older adults (13 male) during the completion of a flanker paradigm performed under task conditions emphasizing either accuracy or speed. SE relative to task performance during both conditions was assessed prior to each cognitive task. Results indicated that high-SE older adults exhibited larger ERN and Pe amplitudes compared to low-SE older adults under the accuracy instruction condition. Additionally, a moderating effect of SE on the relationship between ERN and post-error response accuracy was revealed in …

Interest In Politics, Cigdem Sirin

Cigdem V. Sirin

No abstract provided.

Marital Status And Voting Behavior, Cigdem Sirin

Cigdem V. Sirin

No abstract provided.

Age And Physical Activity Influences On Action Monitoring During Task Switching, Jason R. Themanson, Charles H. Hillman, John J. Curtin

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

Behavioral and neuroelectric indices of action monitoring were compared for 53 high and low physically active older (60–71 years) and younger (18–21 years) adults during a task-switching paradigm in which they performed a task repeatedly or switched between two different tasks. The error-related negativity (ERN) of a response-locked event-related brain potential (ERP) and behavioral measures of response speed and accuracy were measured during the heterogeneous condition (switching randomly between two tasks) of the switch task. Results indicated that older adults exhibited a greater relative slowing in RT during heterogeneous blocks and smaller ERN amplitude compared to younger adults. Additionally, physical …

Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Acute Aerobic Exercise Effects On Neuroelectric And Behavioral Measures Of Action Monitoring, Jason R. Themanson, Charles H. Hillman

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

Cardiorespiratory fitness and acute aerobic exercise effects on cognitive function were assessed for 28 higher- and lower-fit adults during a flanker task by comparing behavioral and neuroelectric indices of action monitoring. The error-related negativity, error positivity, and N2 components, as well as behavioral measures of response speed, accuracy, and post-error slowing were measured following a 30-minute acute bout of treadmill exercise or following 30-minutes of rest. A graded maximal exercise test was used to measure cardiorespiratory fitness by assessing maximal oxygen uptake. Results indicated that higher-fit adults exhibited reduced error-related negativity amplitude, increased error positivity amplitude, and increased post-error response …

Age Makes A Difference, Pennie Seibert, Tiffany Whitmore, Brian Dufty, Nichole Whitener, Fred Grimsley, Janat O'Donnell

Pennie S. Seibert

Considering the numerous adverse effects of sleep disorders, it is important to properly assess sleep problems in all age groups.

Short-Term Memory (Nature, Contents, Formation, Encoding, Organization), Pennie Seibert

Pennie S. Seibert

No abstract provided.