Theses/Dissertations - Psychology and Neuroscience
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Item Do actors or observers make better eyewitnesses?(2006-04-19T15:50:16Z) Colby, M. Amanda Earl.; Weaver, Charles A.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Researchers studying the reliability of eyewitness testimony have focused mainly on criminal rather than civil cases, specifically those including product identification and liability. With numerous lawsuits against product manufacturers (including toxic substances like asbestos), an understanding of the factors involved in memories of products is important. This study attempted to further the research on eyewitness memory in product identification by examining differences between witnesses with differing levels of product involvement. The effects of time, experience, and subjects' self-reported confidence were also analyzed. Subjects either observed or mixed a recipe and later answered a questionnaire about the brands used. Contrary to expectations, observers were more accurate than subjects who mixed the recipes. Overall, confidence was unrelated to accuracy. Also unexpectedly, more baking experience did not result in higher accuracy. Experienced subjects were more confident in their choices, suggesting experience inflates confidence without improving accuracy. Implications of these results in matters of product identification testimony are discussed.Item The role of hyperpolarization-activated non-selective cation current in amygdala excitability and serotonin mediated effects.(2007-12-04T19:52:48Z) Herman, David Hans.; Keele, N. Bradley.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.The hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-dependent non-selective cationic (HCN) current (Ih) has an important functional role in the rat brain, participating in network oscillations, temporal summation of synaptic inputs, and seizure development. Since hyperexcitability of the amygdala is related to anxiety and stress disorders, we investigated the role of Ih in amgydala excitability. In lateral amygdala (LA) pyramidal neurons, blockade of Ih reduced the degree of spiking accommodation, suggesting that Ih modulates amygdala excitability. Since serotonin (5-HT) has a significant role in fear and anxiety disorders, we additionally investigated the modulatory effect of 5-HT on Ih in LA neurons. The results show that 5-HT can reduce Ih¬, possibly through activation of 5-HT2 receptors. Overall, the results suggest that Ih may be an important new target for pharmacological treatment of psychiatric disorders involving the amygdala.Item Eyewitness testimony in civil litigation: retention, suggestion, and misinformation in product identification.(2008-06-09T15:25:57Z) Terrell, Jonathan Trent.; Weaver, Charles A.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Expert testimony in eyewitness memory cases is now common in criminal cases. However, eyewitness testimony is also critical in civil litigation, particularly in product liability cases involving alleged exposure to toxic substances like asbestos. Witnesses in these cases must recall specific brands of products that may have been used decades earlier. The present experiments investigate eyewitness memory for product brand names seen in videos of cooking shows and news reports. Although memory was reasonably accurate at brief delays, within a week recognition rates for the brand names dropped to scarcely above chance; nearly half of these delayed selections were of the most familiar (but unseen) brands. Subtle and inaccurate post-event suggestions embedded in questionnaires produced robust false alarm rates—nearly 70% of responses when the most popular brands were suggested. Refreshing with photographs of products also had a significant impact on identifications—when two brands were shown during refreshing, participants identified one of these between 75 and 90% of the time, regardless of the accuracy of the suggestions. Further, a digital editing program was used to produce photographs of products that do not exist—even these implausible products were identified over one quarter of the time following refreshing. Finally, refreshing designed to be neutral had little effect on identification, suggesting that the primary mechanism of photo refreshing ws suggestion rather than true memory jogging. Metamemory measures revealed that confidence in false alarms often matched or exceeded that attributed to correct identifications, a finding that is particularly disconcerting when the effect of witness confidence on jurors’ perception of reliability is considered. The implications of these findings for civil law are discussed.Item Verbal and working memory deficits in an impulsive aggressive college sample.(2008-06-09T16:59:37Z) Colby, M. Amanda Earl.; Stanford, Matthew S.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Impulsive aggressors often report difficulties remembering details of their aggressive outbursts. Additionally, researchers have found impairments in working and verbal memory and in executive functions in both impulsive and aggressive populations. However, previous studies have not distinguished between aggressive subtypes when studying memory. A major goal of this research was to extend previous studies and employ both neuropsychological assessment and event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate memory impairment, especially verbal and working memory impairment, in a well defined, impulsive aggressive population. Participants were 58 college students comprised of two groups: impulsive aggressors and non-aggressive controls. The control group scored higher on several measures of verbal memory: Long Delay Free Recall (CVLT-II), Vocabulary (WASI), Logical Memory – 1st recall total and thematic total and Family Pictures I and II (WMS-III). These indicate both short- and long-term verbal memory differences. Additionally, we found that controls were more accurate on all measures of working memory: Letter-Number Sequencing and Spatial Span (WMS-III), n-back, Sequential Spatial Memory Task (SMT). Only the Sequential SMT reached statistical significance. However, a trend was seen such that as working memory load increased, the difference between group scores also increased. A significant group x stimulus (match/ no- match) interaction was found for P300 amplitude, with controls exhibiting larger P300 amplitudes for low probability match stimuli compared to high probability no-match stimuli during a high-load working memory task (3-back). This difference was not seen in impulsive aggressors, indicating impulsive aggressors process information differently than non-aggressive controls. Finally, as working memory load increases during an ERP task, it is expected that P300 amplitude at the Pz electrode will decrease continuously while the amplitude at Fz increases continuously. This was true of the controls. In the impulsive aggressive group, however, the continuous decrease in Pz amplitude was seen, but the continuous increase in Fz amplitude discontinued completely once they appeared to reach a working memory overload, dropping to a baseline level. Although memory deficits in this impulsive aggressive college sample are not blatantly obvious, when pushed to their cognitive limits, differences in information processing as well as in both verbal and working memory become apparent.Item Towards an implicit measure of religiousness-spirituality.(2008-06-09T17:58:56Z) LaBouff, Jordan.; Rowatt, Wade Clinton, 1969-; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.This series of studies examined statistical associations between a newly-developed implicit measure of religiousness-spirituality, well-validated explicit measures and pro-social behavior. In Study 1, undergraduates (n = 109) at a private institution completed self-report measures of a broad spectrum of religiousness-spirituality and related constructs (i.e. religious fundamentalism, authoritarianism, empathy). Participants also completed an Implicit Association Test designed to assess religiousness-spirituality. Informants also rated the participants’ religiousness-spirituality. We found acceptable implicit-explicit correspondence providing convergent validity for the new measure. Study 2 tested the relationship between religiousness-spirituality and helping behavior in spontaneous and controlled opportunities. Undergraduates (n = 102) completed a similar battery to Study 1 and were also given the opportunity to help a student in need. Self-reported religiousness predicted helping when pressure was high. Future research directions and applications are discussed.Item The effects of aggression, impulsivity, and psychopathic traits on treatment program completion in substance dependent individuals.(2009-03-31T15:58:09Z) Baldridge, Robyn M.; Stanford, Matthew S.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.The P300 component of the ERP (event-related potential) is defined as the most positive peak occurring between 250 and 450 milliseconds after the onset of a stimulus. Previous work has suggested that P300 amplitude may serve as a marker for a dimension of psychiatric disorders associated with disinhibited behavior. Reduced P300 amplitude has been shown in individuals with alcohol and substance use disorders, externalizing childhood behavior problems, Antisocial Personality Disorder, and impulsive aggressive behavior. The present study extended this notion by investigating the usefulness of P300 amplitude as an indicator of treatment compliance in substance dependent individuals. No significant differences were found between treatment program completers and non-completers in psychopathology or impulsive/aggressive behaviors. A significant group difference in P300 amplitude across midline electrode sites (Fz, Cz, and Pz) suggested that treatment program non-completers had an overall lower P300 amplitude than program completers. This study highlights the importance of P300 amplitude as a possible predictor of drug treatment program success.Item Play therapy behaviors and themes in physically abused, sexually abused, and nonabused children.(2010-02-02T19:56:58Z) McClintock, Camden.; Benedict, Helen Elizabeth, 1946-; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.The current study examined the effect of abuse history and gender on the frequency of 5 play themes constellations (control themes, negative affect, sexual play, hypervigilance, and aggression) exhibited in play therapy. The study included 63 children ranging in age from 3 to 5 years. Crosstabs and Chi-Squares were used to analyze demographic characteristics. The researcher conducted ANOVAs, Tukey multiple comparisons, and tests of simple effects to identify significant main or simple effects for each constellation. Correlational analyses were conducted on themes and constellations to determine the validity of the constellations. The results indicated no significant main or simple effects for control themes, sexual play, or hypervigilance. For the negative affect constellation, the physically abused sample showed significantly more frequent themes of negative affect than the nonabused sample. For the aggression constellation, a medium effect was found for gender, with boys playing out significantly more frequent aggression themes than girls. Analyses of the hypervigilance constellation revealed that physically and sexually abused children played out more frequent themes of hypervigilance than nonclinical children.Item Interview and test procedures that affect the confidence/accuracy relation in eyewitness memory for product identification.(2010-06-23T12:21:16Z) Holmes, Amanda E.; Weaver, Charles A.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.The study of eyewitness memory thus far has focused on situations involving identification of a suspect that has allegedly committed a crime. The present research concerns eyewitness identification of products an individual may have encountered in the past that has supposedly caused them personal harm. The interview tactics used in pretrial preparation and a plaintiff's level of involvement with a particular product may affect the confidence/accuracy relation in claimants' product brand identification. Subjects packed various products into care packages and were tested on the brands of products they remember encountering either 10 minutes or 1 week earlier. Subjects provided confirmatory feedback for incorrect responses were more confident at both delay conditions. Subjects were also more confident in incorrect, falsely confirmed responses on target-present surveys than on target-absent surveys. Allowing subjects to select products for inclusion in the care package resulted in higher accuracy, confidence, and G scores as opposed to subjects who were provided products. However, asking subjects to justify their product selection at test did not alter accuracy, confidence, or G scores. Applications of the findings to civil cases involving eyewitness identification of product brand identification are discussed.Item Clinical efficacy of a brief hypnotic intervention for hyperarousal symptoms in sexual trauma.(2010-10-08T16:13:52Z) Auringer, Melissa L.; Stanford, Matthew S.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Women who have experienced sexual trauma frequently report anxiety symptoms that left untreated can develop into Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD can be particularly troublesome within treatment as they can impede therapeutic intervention efforts. An adjunct intervention that provides a quick and effective relief of these symptoms would be facilitative of ongoing trauma interventions. Clinical hypnosis has been found to be successful as an efficient and effective means of relieving patient anxiety in the medical field, but has been largely unexplored in this context within psychotherapy. The current study investigated the feasibility of a brief hypnotic intervention for treating hyperarousal symptomology in women (age 18 and older) who have experienced sexual traumatization at some point in their lives. The results of this standard care controlled study with women reporting sexual trauma (N = 40) indicated that this intervention was not only feasible but shows promise as an efficacious treatment of hyperarousal symptoms. In using a brief hypnotic recording over the period of seven to ten days, subjects reported statistically significant decreases in difficulty concentrating and overall hyperarousal symptoms. They also reported significant decreases in negative mood and overall anxiety. The feasibility of this intervention and the notable improvement in anxiety symptomology points to promise in using clinical hypnosis as part of therapeutic intervention for women with a sexual trauma history.Item Development of an implicit measure of dispositional forgiveness.(2010-10-08T16:14:17Z) Buechsel, Ruth K.; Rowatt, Wade Clinton, 1969-; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.A number of self-report measures exist to assess forgiveness or attitudes towards forgiveness. However, little research exists to measure forgiveness at a dispositional and implicit level. The purpose of the current study was to develop and validate an implicit measure of forgivingness (or dispositional forgiveness) using the Implicit Association Test (IAT). This Forgiveness IAT (FIAT) was administered in conjunction with well established self-report measures of forgiveness, as well as with some measures (including an IAT for each) of spirituality and self-esteem. Other ratings about the participants' dispositional forgiveness were obtained through mail in surveys provided to the informants by the participant as an additional external measure to validate the FIAT. As predicted, the FIAT was found to be internally consistent and showed positive correlations with scores on the spirituality and self-esteem IATs. While the FIAT was found to be reliable, it was not significantly correlated with any explicit measures of forgiveness. This may indicate that the FIAT is assessing a different aspect of forgiveness than explicit measures quantify. Contrary to predictions, other report showed few correlations in either direction with self report. Other reports additionally showed poor predictive validity for the FIAT. Taking all of the findings into consideration, the continual task of exploring the various facets of dispositional forgiveness and the need for further study of predictive ability of behavior is revealed.Item Correspondence between caregiver relationship-specific attachment representations and child attachment representations in adoptive dyads.(2010-10-08T16:16:29Z) Dean, Grace E. (Grace Elizabeth); Benedict, Helen Elizabeth, 1946-; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.This study investigated the relationship between child-specific caregiver attachment representations as measured by the Working Model of the Child Interview (WMCI) and child attachment representations as measured by the Story Stem Attachment Profile (SSAP), using a sample of adopted and foster children in Central Texas. Participants ranged in age from three to nine years and were referred to the study by community mental health providers, private adoption agencies, and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). The attachment literature suggests that attachment security can be transmitted from one generation to the next in both biologically related and adopted dyads. Thus, it was hypothesized that child attachment representations as measured by the SSAP would correspond to caregiver attachment representations using the WMCI. Analyses were conducted using both the broad SSAP attachment classifications of Secure, Insecure, Disorganized, and Defensive Avoidant, as well as individual story themes subsumed under these categories. While the study did not find evidence to support correspondence between SSAP classification and WMCI classification, exploratory analyses using logistic regression obtained significant results on a thematic level. Children who were able to acknowledge adult distress in their stories were more likely to have a caregiver who was classified as having a secure attachment on the WMCI, whereas children who disengaged from the story-telling task and/or incorporated bizarre or atypical material in their stories were more likely to have caregivers who were classified as insecurely attached on the WMCI. Furthermore, children who were referred to the study by the Texas DFPS were less likely to have a caregiver who was classified as securely attached to them as compared to children referred from other sources. Younger age and increased length of time in current placement were associated with greater likelihood of having a clinically significant low Security score on the SSAP. Given the sample size limitations of the current study, further research will need to be conducted in order to replicate the results of the exploratory analyses and further characterize the relationship between child attachment representations, caregiver child-specific attachment representations, and relevant demographic factors.Item Attachment style and underlying concerns in romantic relationship conflict.(2010-10-08T16:17:45Z) Grace, Aaron J.; Sanford, Keith Philip.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.The current study investigated the relationship between underlying concerns in romantic relationship conflict and adult attachment. Participants were 109 undergraduate students in dating relationships who completed between one and five assessments via internet questionnaire over the course of eight weeks. At each assessment, participants considered a recent conflict in their romantic relationship, and completed measures of underlying concerns in the conflict as well as attachment at the time of the conflict. Data were analyzed at the within-person level as well as at the between-person level. At the within-person level, the underlying concern of perceived partner under-investment was predicted by attachment anxiety but not by attachment avoidance. In addition, the underlying concern of perceived partner threat was predicted by both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. After controlling for within-person effects, perceived partner under-investment was further predicted by participants' mean level of attachment anxiety.Item An analysis of factors related to seeking clinical hypnosis.(2010-10-08T16:25:53Z) Robin, Brian M.; Elkins, Gary Ray, 1952-; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Hypnosis has found a broad range of clinical applications. These include management of many forms of physical pain, reducing anxiety and quitting smoking. However, hypnosis is underutilized as a treatment. Therefore it is important to understand factors affecting people's willingness to use clinical hypnosis. Little research examines the clinical conditions for which people would be willing to seek hypnosis or the referral sources and advertisements that may most influence them. Further, most research on attitudes toward hypnosis is performed using only college student samples; little is known about differences between college student and community samples. This study begins to address these gaps through a survey administered to 160 undergraduate college students and 98 community participants. Findings indicate that participants report being most likely to seek hypnosis for anxiety or as a complementary treatment to standard medical practices. Participants report that the referral and information source they would find most influential is their primary care physician. When asked to rate phonebook style listings for clinical hypnotherapy services, there were positive main effects for the presence versus absence of noting the clinician's extended credentials, board certification in clinical hypnosis, and indication of a range of hypnosis services provided. Few differences were found between the student and community groups, save the students were more influenced by extended credentials than were community members. Implications of these findings for the promotion of clinical hypnosis are discussed.Item PKCγ expression in adolescent and adult rats : evidence for a cerebellar mechanism underlying age-dependent motor impairments produced by acute ethanol.(John Wiley & Sons., 2010-12) Van Skike, Candice E.; Diaz-Granados, Jaime L.; Matthews, Douglas B.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Adolescents are less sensitive to ethanol-induced motor impairments compared to adults; however, a definitive mechanism underlying this difference has not been identified. Compared to wild-type littermates, PKCγ knock-out mice exhibit reduced motor sensitivity to ethanol; it is plausible that adolescent rats also have reduced PKCγ expression in brain regions responsible for motor function, specifically the cerebellum and cortex. Reduced PKCγ expression in these regions may govern the age-dependent motor impairments produced by ethanol. The current study analyzed membrane-bound PKCγ expression in adolescent and adult rats 40 minutes after an acute ethanol or saline injection. Western blot analysis indicates adolescent rats have reduced PKCγ expression in the cerebellum and cortex compared to adults. It is concluded that PKCγ expression may be part of a larger mechanism regulating the age-dependent motor impairments produced by acute ethanol administration.Item Taurine : a novel approach to reducing the reinforcing properties of ethanol in adolescents.(2011-05-12T15:36:53Z) Helfand, Rebecca S.; Diaz-Granados, Jaime L.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Adolescent ethanol use continues to be a societal problem with ethanol drinking beginning as early as 11 years old. Early initiation of drinking behavior is indicative of an increased risk for future substance abuse problems. This may stem from ethanol-induced changes in the brain that could potentially increase the rewarding properties of ethanol, making a person more likely to drink in the future. The neuroprotective amino acid taurine may attenuate ethanol-induced changes in the brain, potentially reducing the reinforcing properties of ethanol. In this study, three experiments were conducted using behavioral tests and tissue analysis to investigate the effects of taurine treatment on ethanol self-administration in C57BL/6J mice. Experiment 1 measured ethanol consumption in adolescent mice with the two-bottle choice test resulting in reduced ethanol preference, but not consumption. Experiment 2 utilized the drinking in the dark protocol, in adolescents, revealing a 20% decrease in ethanol intake in the taurine-treated group. This effect was ethanol specific, as consumption of a sucrose solution was not similarly decreased by taurine treatment. Upon completion of drinking in the dark testing, two tissues within the mesolimbic dopamine system, the VTA and NAc, were extracted and analyzed for amino acid and dopamine content. Amino acid analysis revealed that taurine treatment effectively increased taurine concentrations in both the VTA and NAc. Dopamine turnover in the NAc of the taurine-treated/ethanol exposed group was significantly lower than their water-treated counterparts. Turnover of dopamine in the NAc increases in response to reinforcing stimuli. A reduction in turnover therefore indicates a decrease in the reward associated with ethanol consumption. The reduction in ethanol consumption, in the taurine-treated group, can therefore be explained, at least in part, by the decrease in dopamine turnover in the NAc. Experiment 3 investigated the efficacy of taurine treatment in adults using the drinking in the dark procedure. Treatment did not significantly change ethanol intake, revealing the effect to be adolescent specific. Given the efficacy of taurine treatment in reducing ethanol consumption in an adolescent population, it may be a potential new direction for the investigation into therapeutic mechanisms to reduce drinking behavior.Item The ecological validity of priming religiousness : context and culture.(2011-09-14) LaBouff, Jordan.; Rowatt, Wade Clinton, 1969-; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Across four studies, the paradox of religiousness and prejudice was examined through self-report and priming methods in both a laboratory setting in an evangelical culture and a culturally agnostic field setting. Across all cultures and methods greater religiousness was associated with more positive attitudes towards the religious ingroup and more negative attitudes towards religious value-violating outgroups (i.e., intergroup bias) whether religion was inherently salient in the culture examined, or activated by a religious context. These studies indicate that priming religiousness through subtle ecologically valid methods is possible but difficult, and the activation of these constructs is seated in the culture in which those constructs are activated. In a highly religious series of American samples, subtle religious primes did not significantly influence self-reported religiousness, attitudes towards outgroups, or political attitudes. In a more religiously heterogeneous European sample, however, the mere presence of a religious stimulus in a participant’s visual field was associated with more conservative attitudes, higher self-reported personal religiousness, and greater intergroup bias.Item The Elkins Distress Inventory : development of a brief biopsychosocial battery for the assessment of pain and psychological distress in a chronic pain population.(2011-09-14) Gartner, Ashley M.; Elkins, Gary Ray, 1952-; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Pain is among the most commonly experienced symptoms for which individuals seek health care and is the cause of significant medical expenditures. For many patients, pain may also lead to psychological distress, sleep disturbances, reduced quality of life, and impaired social relationships. Thus, thorough assessment of pain should encompass physical, as well as emotional, cognitive, and social components of a patient’s experience of pain. Such a comprehensive, biopsychosocial approach to the assessment of pain is not typically feasible in medical settings due to the length and format of existing measures of pain and distress. This dissertation examines the convergent and discriminant validity, reliability, factor structure, and clinical utility of the Elkins Distress Inventory as a brief, multidimensional measure of psychological distress in a chronic pain population. A retrospective chart review of 113 chronic pain patients who underwent the standard pre-pain-pump or pre-dorsal-column-stimulator surgery neuropsychological evaluation at the Scott and White Memorial Hospital Division of Neuropsychology was conducted. Correlations between the Elkins Distress Inventory, Battery for Health Improvement-II, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-II were calculated in order to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the Elkins Distress Inventory and its subscales. Additionally, the internal consistency of the Elkins Distress Inventory and its subscales was calculated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis procedures were also conducted. The results of these analyses support the convergent and discriminatory of the Elkins Distress Inventory. The internal consistency and four-factor structure of the Elkins Distress Inventory were also supported by these analyses. Based on these results, the Elkins Distress Inventory appears to be a valid, reliable, and clinically useful tool to measure of psychological distress in a chronic pain population. Further, the Elkins Distress Inventory may be useful for the assessment of psychological distress associated with other medical conditions and appears to meet a clinical need for a brief, multidimensional measure of psychological distress in medical settings, thereby enhancing the assessment and treatment of psychological and physical symptoms of patients with medical conditions.Item Emotion and attention in the psychopath : an investigation of affective response and facilitated attention using event related potentials.(2011-12-19) Anderson, Nathaniel Erik.; Stanford, Matthew S.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.A prominent concern in psychopathy research is a deficit in processing emotionally relevant information, which may occur in the very early neural processing stages of stimulus evaluation. While contemporary functional imaging techniques like fMRI have unparalleled spatial resolution, their poor temporal resolution makes them inadequate for measuring the time-course of very early stages of information processing. Conversely, electrocortical measures, particularly event related potentials (ERPs), are capable of determining the time-course of such processing on the order of milliseconds. The goal of this investigation was to establish the existence of differences between psychopaths and controls in their integration of emotional information in the very early stages of information processing as indexed by ERP waveform differences, and determine whether manipulations of attentional focus are capable of modulating these differences. In a series of presentations of emotionally evocative pictures and words, psychopaths and controls indeed displayed robust differences in their ERP waveforms. Psychopaths lacked a persistent emotion-related positivity present in controls beginning around 200 ms into the processing stream and continuing throughout the 900 ms epoch of interest. Under conditions where the emotional information was relevant to an ongoing task, psychopaths showed moderate changes in ERPs for emotional stimuli, yet these waveforms remained dissimilar from those of controls. These data provide evidence that psychopaths present with deficits in early-stage discrimination of emotionally salient information, which may be partially sensitive to manipulations of effortful attention. These outcomes have implications for later-stages of processing such as the integration of this information into memory systems and the utilization of this information for the modification of ongoing behavior.Item Frontal cortical asymmetry and impulsive aggression.(2011-12-19) Lake, Sarah Laurie.; Stanford, Matthew S.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.The present study uses individuals who display impulsive aggressive outbursts and measures resting frontal cortical activity. Impulsive aggression (IA) is described as a reactive or emotionally charged aggressive response characterized by a loss of behavioral control. Previous physiological studies have found IAs have sensory and informational processing deficits. Undergraduate volunteers were recruited for an 8min resting EEG with 1min blocks of eyes open or closed. Age- and gender-matched controls reported no aggressive outbursts and a score below 4 on the BDHI. Statistical differences were found between IAs and controls in both the midfrontal [t(22) = 2.743, p < .01] and lateral frontal [t(22) = 2.365, p < .05] regions, with IAs having more right resting activity than controls. Due to the nature of IA as a trait in the current sample, this study lends evidence towards resting frontal asymmetry as a marker for susceptibility to psychopathology.Item Stress and positive dyadic interaction : a daily diary study.(2011-12-19) Paul, Sherin.; Sanford, Keith Philip.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.The present study investigated the relationship between stress, positive communication, and relationship satisfaction. Theoretically, increased exposure to stress has been linked to decreases in relationship satisfaction. The hypothesized pathways through which this occurs includes positive communication behavior and affect. This study used the daily diary technique to gather data regarding couple interaction from 80 undergraduate students over the course of five days. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze within-person and between-person effects. As expected, this study found a negative relationship between exposure to daily stressors and relationship satisfaction at the within-person level. This effect is mediated by negative affect but not positive affect also at the within-person level. Due to high correlation between the positive communication and couple satisfaction measures, the positive communication mediation pathway could not be assessed. The implications of these results and areas for future study are discussed.