Psy. D., Antioch University, 2012, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

Cognitive Training has been shown to be an effective tool in enhancing cognitive functioning. Research has also shown video game playing can improve certain aspects of visual attention and cognitive processing speed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of both a specific computer-based cognitive training program and non-specific video game playing in improving cognitive functioning for individuals with age-related cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment. Twenty-nine older adults were recruited into the study and randomly assigned to either the cognitive training group or video-game playing group. Nineteen participants completed the study, engaging in either cognitive training or video game playing for 10-15 minutes a day, 4 days per week, for eight weeks. Multiple measures of neuropsychological functioning were administered both before and after training. The results showed no significant improvements in the cognitive training group, while the video game playing group improved on measures of auditory memory and processing speed. No significant differences were found between the two groups on any of the dependent variables. The electronic version of this dissertation is available free at Ohiolink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Neuroscience Graduate Studies Program

Cognitive deficits in executive functions such as attention and cognitive control form a core symptom cluster in schizophrenia that is most predicative of functional outcomes for patients, such as the ability to return to work. Unfortunately this class of symptoms is poorly treated with currently available neuroleptics and so far adjunctive treatment with potential pro-cognitive compounds has not yielded improvements in global cognition. Not only are alternative treatment strategies necessary, but there is a need for better validated preclinical tasks and animal models. The current work seeks to validate the rodent Target Detection Task (rTDT) and the embryonic kynurenine (EKYN) model as a platform for assessing the efficacy of cognitive training via prior experience in a cognitively demanding task. The central hypothesis guiding the experiments in this dissertation is that gestational elevations of kynurenine will induce a profile of translationally relevant attentional deficits in the rTDT and these deficits can be reversed with cognitive training. The first aim consisted of a validation of the rTDT. It was found that rTDT acquisition follows a stable and repeatable pattern. Additionally, rTDT performance is sensitive to manipulations of stimulus parameters including the reduction of stimulus duration and contrast. These manipulations result in predictable impairments in sensitivity, or the ability to discriminate between target and non-target stimuli. The rTDT was also shown to be sensitive to pharmacological challenges with agents that impair glutamatergic and cholinergic neurotransmission. These neurotransmitter systems are known to be essential for intact attentional processing. The second aim consisted of a validation of the EKYN model. EKYN animals, compared to control animals, showed disruptions of attentional processing and cognitive control. These deficits did not present during task acquisition but emerged upon challenge with task parameters that enhance (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Psychology

Researchers seeking to improve outcomes for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) have investigated pre-treatment patient characteristics with the goal of identifying treatments or treatment components that might be more effective for some patients than others. Other studies have focused on improving the effectiveness of existing interventions by evaluating the relation of treatment components to outcomes both directly and indirectly via their association with putative therapeutic mechanisms. In the context of cognitive behavioral therapy (also called cognitive therapy (CT)), cognitive and behavioral change procedures and associated cognitive and behavioral changes have been the subjects of a growing body of research (Lorenzo et al., 2014). In the current study, I examined whether cognitive and behavioral change procedures were associated with specific changes in patients' cognitive and behavioral skills. Previous studies have examined the extent that particular components within CT are more effective than others in modifying cognitive and behavioral vulnerabilities but have not found consistent evidence to support the specificity of these changes to CT or components in CT (Jacobson et al., 1996). To our knowledge, this study is the first to evaluate skill specificity in the context of the cognitive and behavioral components from CT. In addition, I evaluated pre-treatment skills to predict for whom the cognitive and behavioral treatment procedures would be more effective in reducing symptoms and increasing skillfulness. In the current study, a sample of depressed outpatients participated in eight weeks of treatment in which they were randomly assigned to receive either a cognitive only treatment or a behavioral only treatment. Clinicians conducted semi-structured interviews to evaluate patients' cognitive and behavioral skills at the intake and week eight assessments (Competencies of Cognitive Therapy Scale-Interview; CCTS-I), and self-reported depressive symptom seve (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Technical and Scientific Communication, Miami University, 2008, Technical and Scientific Communication

This thesis reviews literature on cognitive psychology to demonstrate its relevance to the field of composition with a specific focus on technical communication. It specifically addresses how cognitive psychology became important to composition and how it has enhanced the field's understanding of reading, writing, and teaching processes. In terms of reading, cognitive psychology provides the field with guidelines writers can use to best enhance reader comprehension. In terms of writing, cognitive psychology brings to the field the view of writing as a process. Teaching writing and reading processes involves looking at how the two are intertwined. Building on connections between reading and writing, contemporary studies of cognitive psychology focus on how teaching students metacognitive strategies can help students enhance their reading comprehension and improve their writing ability. MOOs and Knowledge Forums are presented as two examples of online learning environments that incorporate the teaching of metacognitive strategies. Ultimately, this thesis argues for the overt inclusion of cognitive psychological principles in writing classes as a way to help students understand the guidelines writing teachers pass on to them.

Master of Science, Miami University, 2024, Computer Science

Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) are powerful semi-quantitative simulation models capable of investigating the long-term behavior of complex systems. They are quick and easy to build, aggregate knowledge from stakeholders, and can evaluate interventions in the system (e.g., if we increase the availability of public transportation, how are emissions affected?). Although FCMs are powerful, they have three critical limitations. First, they cannot represent every aspect of complexity; they do not represent time (e.g., there are no delays or ramp-up of effects) or nonlinear relationships and have a limited representation of uncertainty, hindering their ability to model complex systems. Thus, researchers have developed numerous extensions of FCMs to incorporate additional information. Second, aggregating knowledge from several stakeholders can result in a model whose perspective corresponds to none of the individual viewpoints. Third, FCMs commonly represent mental models: an individual's representation of knowledge that permits reasoning in a particular domain. However, when two FCMs interact, cognitive dissonance may arise, potentially distorting an individual's view of the domain. This thesis addresses these limitations and empowers modelers to effectively use FCMs by reviewing and providing interoperability among numerous extensions, proposing properties and developing new algorithms for aggregation, and automatically resolving dissonance within FCMs.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2024, Genetics

Alzheimer disease (AD) affects more than 6 million individuals in the US, and accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases. AD demonstrates mixed pathologies of amyloid beta and tau tangle accumulation, leading to symptoms such as cognitive impairment and memory loss. Taking advantage of a closed, isolated population, the Midwestern Amish, variants both in protection against AD as well as risk for AD were explored. The comparative reduction in incidence of AD within the Amish versus a general European population led to the examination cognitive preservation, rather than AD, as the diagnosis of interest. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed on the Amish to identify protective loci for AD via the GENESIS R Package. PC-AiR and PC-Relate were used for principal component analysis to assist in correcting for the highly related sample. Linkage analyses across the entire genome, once again for cognitive preservation, were used to supplement and corroborate GWAS findings. These analyses were initially completed in MERLIN, but certain regions demonstrating repeated 16 significance were run through MORGAN, an MCMC linkage analysis software. These analyses highlighted one region on chromosome 2p11.2-13.1 that demonstrated a protective effect against AD. This region was previously associated with risk for AD in the Midwestern Amish, potentially indicating both protective and risk variants within this locus. Further evaluations of genetic loci implicated in AD took advantage of this unique sample population to examine a potential risk factor. The MGMT locus was previously associated with increased risk for AD in the Hutterites, who are another closed, isolated population of European decent. In the Midwestern Amish, one SNP in the MGMT locus was significantly associated with AD diagnosis. However, this SNP was a novel result, distinct from those detected in a previous study and not in linkage disequilibrium with previously associated MGMT SNPs for (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2024, Psychology

Introduction: This study aims to better understand the psychosocial mechanisms by which individuals who report subjective concerns about their memory (SCI) are at a higher risk for objective cognitive impairments (OCI) over time. It also aims to identify modifiable risk factors that may disrupt this progression. Aim 1 tests if symptoms of affective disorders mediate the relationship between SCI and OCI over time. Aim 2 tests if self-perceptions of aging moderate the relationship between SCI and symptoms of affective disorders over time. Aim 3 tests if self-perceptions of aging moderate the indirect effect of symptoms of affective disorders on the relationship between SCI and OCI over time. Method: Data was sourced from the Health and Retirement Study, a national longitudinal dataset, across 8 years. 4,002 adults, 65 and older, were included in the sample. The moderation, mediation, and moderated mediation analyses were conducted using a path model in Mplus (Version 8 Plus). Relevant covariates including demographic and health variables were controlled for. Results: Analyses confirmed that symptoms of affective disorders partially mediated the relationship between SCI and OCI. For individuals with negative self-perceptions of aging, the relationship between SCI and symptoms of affective disorders strengthened over time, while for individuals with positive self-perceptions of aging, the relationship ceased to exist. Finally, positive self-perceptions of aging weakened, while negative self-perceptions of aging strengthened the indirect effect of symptoms of affective disorders on the relationship between SCI and OCI. Conclusion: Results of the current study clarify the psychosocial mechanisms involved in the progression from SCI to OCI, and add support to literature identifying positive beliefs about aging and mental health as protective factors against cognitive impairment among older adults. This study implicates the need for more interdisciplinary research studying (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2023, Experimental Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on mental health, straining an already overburdened treatment system. A transdiagnostic approach to psychological treatment is ideal for treating psychological distress in a brief format, reducing clinician burden without compromising treatment outcomes. The Coping Crew pilot intervention was run to test the feasibility and acceptability of a group, remote Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) protocol targeting transdiagnostic risk factors identified as maintaining maladaptive psychopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventeen participants were run across four groups in a one-arm pilot trial. We predicted that AS, IU, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and COVID-19-related distress would be reduced for individuals who received the Coping Crew intervention. Discriminant validity was briefly explored using the AUDIT. We tested our hypotheses using a series of repeated measures ANOVAs and found significant reductions in AS (Cohen's d = 1.12; p= .001) and IU (Cohen's d = 2.25; p < .001) from baseline to post-intervention. Sizeable effect sizes were found in all outcome variables, excluding depression. Feasibility and acceptability were supported. Our results provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of a brief, remote CBT intervention in reducing transdiagnostic risk factors. A fully powered RCT is needed to determine whether this protocol is efficacious in the reduction of loneliness, anxiety, depression, and COVID-19-related distress.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Philosophy, Applied

In this dissertation, I construct scientifically and practically adequate moral analogues of cognitive heuristics and biases. Cognitive heuristics are reasoning “shortcuts” that are efficient but flawed. Such flaws yield systematic judgment errors, cognitive biases. For example, the availability heuristic infers an event's probability by seeing how easy it is to recall similar events. Since dramatic events like airplane crashes are disproportionately easy to recall, this heuristic explains systematic overestimations of their probability (availability bias). The research program on cognitive heuristics and biases (e.g., Daniel Kahneman's work) has been scientifically successful and has yielded useful error-prevention techniques, cognitive debiasing. I try to apply this framework to moral reasoning to yield moral heuristics and biases. For instance, a moral bias of unjustified differences in animal-species treatment might be explained by a moral heuristic that dubiously infers animals' moral status from their aesthetic features. While the basis for identifying judgments as cognitive errors is often unassailable (e.g., per violating laws of logic), identifying moral errors seemingly requires appealing to moral truth, which, I argue, is problematic within science. Such appeals can be avoided by repackaging moral theories as mere “standards-of-interest” (a la non-normative metrics of purported right-making features/properties). However, standards-of-interest do not provide authority, which is needed for effective debiasing. Nevertheless, since each person deems their own subjective morality authoritative, subjective morality (qua standard-of-interest and not moral subjectivism) satisfies both scientific and practical concerns. As such, (idealized) subjective morality grounds a moral analogue of cognitive biases, subjective moral biases (e.g., committed non-racists unconsciously discriminating). I also argue that cognitive heuristic is defined by its relation to rationa (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 0, Psychology/Clinical

Test anxiety is a major concern among today's college students. Test anxious students demonstrate consistently diminished performance compared to their less anxious peers. Although the adverse impact of test anxiety on academic performance is well documented, there is active debate about the way that anxiety affects performance. Cognitive interference theory (CIT) may help explain this relationship. CIT suggests that test anxiety leads to increased levels of off-task thoughts, which are processed by the working memory, which leaves fewer resources to manage the task at hand. Traditional test anxiety interventions such as cognitive therapy focus on reducing anxiety by increasing positive or neutral self-talk which may place additional demands on cognitive resources. This may explain the modest improvements in cognitive performance and at times adverse effects associated with these traditional test anxiety interventions. Alternatively, acceptance based interventions, which promote nonjudgmental acceptance of anxious thoughts and feelings, may allow students to conserve cognitive resources that can be used to focus on the task at hand and maximize performance. To explore these possibilities, a sample of 88 university students were randomly assigned to receive one 2-hour acceptance based behavior therapy intervention (ABBT), cognitive therapy intervention (CT), or healthy living intervention (HL). Following the intervention, participants received anxiety inducing instructions and were administered three computerized working memory tasks. Finally, participants completed self report questionnaires. The results of this study demonstrated that participants in the ABBT group had significantly better performance on the digit span forward and Stroop tasks compared to participants in the CT or HL groups. Furthermore, the ABBT group demonstrated the lowest levels of cognitive interference, while demonstrating the highest levels of psychological flexibility and mindfulness comp (open full item for complete abstract)

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Nursing: Nursing - Doctoral Program

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women in the United States. Currently, there are over two and a half million female breast cancer survivors in the US. While dramatic increases in the five year survival rate are noted with the efforts of mammography and innovations in treatment modalities, there are unanticipated late effects extending well into the survivorship phase. Of these late effects, cognitive impairment is of significant concern. Individuals with injury or disease to the brain, including traumatic brain injuries and Alzheimer's disease, who engage in higher levels of physical and cognitive activities, experience significantly less cognitive impairment. However, no studies exist examining the influence of physical activity (PA) and cognitive stimulating activities (CSA) on cognitive impairment (CI) in breast cancer survivors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between PA, CSA and cognitive impairment CI in female breast cancer survivors following adjuvant chemotherapy. Four hundred and fifty women from the BCRGC were invited to participate in the study. One hundred and fifty four predominantly Caucasian female breast cancer survivors, aged 40-69 (M = 55 SD = 8.90), completed and returned the questionnaires via a pre-postage paid return packet. Findings indicated a significant negative correlation between PA, CSA and CI after controlling for age, ethnicity, chemotherapy regimen and number or cycles (r = 0.133, p = 0.001; r = 0.233, p = 0.003). Physically inactive participants reported greater cognitive impairment than physically active participants (p = 0.025). The findings support the proposition derived from the Enabling-Disabling Process Model, which states lifestyle/behavioral factors act as moderators between pathology and subsequent impairment. Future research needs to include prospective studies evaluating the relationships between PA, CSA, and CI in breast cancer survivors.

Master of Science in Engineering (MSEgr), Wright State University, 2011, Industrial and Human Factors Engineering

Keeping in pace with the latest technological innovations in the cyber world, the misuse of this powerful infrastructure has also increased proportionally. Although a lot of recent attacks have been documented in the mainstream media, counter measures for cyber defense mechanism have only received some attention in the recent research literature. Most of the global attacks in the cyber space have proved to be carefully planned premeditated attacks. Considering that most of these attacks are co-coordinated by humans, a new area of psychological weaponry is being investigated by the research community. This study aims to empirically evaluate the effectiveness of the cyber weapon suite of tools to deploy cognitive cyber weapons onto an adversary's computer. The user behavior was assessed based on their performance during the experiment pertaining to each task and measures such as number of repetitions, total time taken to complete each task, total number of emails exchanged by a group and user confidence were considered to evaluate CCWST effectiveness. The results showed that the hypotheses were supported thereby reinforcing the effectiveness of CCWST as a powerful tool to induce cognitive changes in an adversary's thought process.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2007, Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Evidence suggests cognitive activity (CA) in older adulthood slows or prevents cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease, after controlling for the effects of IQ and education. Despite media messages and public health campaigns endorsing CA as a main prevention strategy, there are limitations to studies using self-report, composite measures to estimate CA. In the present cross-sectional study we examined the association of education, self-reported CA, and estimated IQ (Vocabulary) with neuropsychological performance in a sample of 66 community-dwelling adults. As predicted, IQ and education were associated with memory, global cognitive function, and letter fluency after controlling for CA. Contrary to predictions, self-reported CA was not related to neuropsychological performance. This study supports the use of IQ to predict neuropsychological performance, but fails to find support for the relation between self-reported CA and performance. Exploratory analyses suggested that education and CA interact to moderate cognitive performance, especially in adults with low education.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2013, Psychology

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that results in diffuse nerve damage and associated physical and cognitive impairments. Of the few comprehensive rehabilitation options that exist in the MS literature, those that have been successful at eliciting broad cognitive improvements have focused on a multi-modal training approach that emphasizes complex cognitive processing utilizing multiple domains simultaneously. The current study sought to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of an eight-week, hybrid variable priority (HVT) training program, using the video game, Space Fortress, relative to a wait-listed control group, to remediate cognitive deficits in a group of individuals diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS. Twenty-six participants were recruited for the study and randomized to either a training group or a wait-listed control group. To assess broad transfer, a battery of neuropsychological tests was administered to all participants pre- and post-intervention. The results indicated an overall improvement in skill acquisition, as evidenced by a significant improvement in total game score, but a lack of transfer to any tasks of cognition functioning as assessed by the battery. Participants in the training group, however, did show improvements on the 9-hole Peg test, a measure of fine motor control. Improvements to the current model would include a longer training course to elicit positive performance values, the inclusion of only cognitively impaired individuals, and integration of subjective measures of improvement in addition to objective tests of cognitive performance.

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

U.S. violence, including school shootings and synagogue bombings, is increasing. Perpetrators of violent events often radicalize from violent beliefs to actions. The theory of cognitive radicalization distinguishes between the radicalization to extremist opinions and radicalization built on actions. People who commit mass shootings and bombings are part of the 1% of people who fit at the apex levels of the two-pyramids model of cognitive radicalization. Observed events of firearm violence throughout the country in media, such as mass shootings, initially produced interest in this study. Analyses of the data revealed that firearm access is significant to violent opinion radicalization; many violent events are related to radical behavior, ideas, or beliefs. This study analyzes data from the Public Religion Research Institute Social Networks Survey. It investigates associations between firearm accessibility and adherence to violent acts after controlling for sociodemographic factors. The sample population includes 5461 online survey respondents. Frequency tables and binary logistic regression were used for analysis, aiming to provide insights into violence identification, awareness, and prevention. Variables not included in the current study that can be reviewed in the future involve political affiliation, religious belief, and cultural norms.

Master of Arts, Marietta College, 2023, Psychology

Humans make hundreds of food related decisions every day. We may be unaware of the impact that these decisions have on our cognitive functioning. In this study, cognitive load was experimentally altered in college-aged participants using a meal planning task in the lab, which induced either a high cognitive load or low cognitive load condition. After completing the task, participants completed a visual attention task using the Tobii eye-tracking software. Eye-tracking metrics were recorded to determine attention to 50 matched pairs of food and nonfood items. Participants in the high cognitive load condition had significantly increased attention to food items in the task as compared to the low cognitive load group. This study adds to cognitive load and food related research as it showed that experimentally altered cognitive load has a significant impact on food attention as measured through eye-tracking metrics. This can have further applications to research such as weight-related behavior and food insecurity.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Industrial and Systems Engineering

As the push for increased artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in safety-critical domains continues to grow stronger, calls for responsible AI have emphasized the need to mitigate the potential for automation to contribute to catastrophic accidents and inequitable outcomes. These conversations have illuminated a growing consensus that explainability is not just helpful but necessary for any automation deployed in high-stakes systems. However, conversations around responsible AI and explainable AI (XAI) imply a number of assumptions about the resultant joint human-machine cognitive system: (1) improved automation will generally perform better than people and, in the rare circumstances it does not, (2) people will be able to detect and correct automation mistakes, if they are sufficiently motivated and thorough; therefore, (3) focusing on improving the performance of automation alone will improve the performance of the joint system. This research explores these assumptions about modern AI-infused automation. 267 nursing students used various configurations of a patient data display to anticipate patient decompensation events (i.e., a rapid collapse of a patient's health) five minutes into the future. Components of the display included a complex patient data visualization, a logistic regression algorithm trained to predict decompensation, and custom annotations meant to provide a visual explanation of the algorithm prediction. Nursing students interacted with four different combinations of these components which emulated four technology archetypes: (A) representation aids, (B) black-box algorithms, (C) observable algorithms, and (D) salience algorithms. Students completed a randomized sequence of 10 patient cases (5 urgent, 5 non-urgent) and on each case reported their concern for the patient (on a scale of 0-10), an explanation of their concern, and what they thought the algorithm was “concerned” about. With only the base representation aid (n (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Anatomy

Neurophobia, defined as the fear of and lack of confidence with clinical neurology, is a well-documented phenomenon in medical students and junior doctors. Previous studies have identified low knowledge of basic neuroanatomy as one of the largest drivers of neurophobia, often stemming from ineffective pedagogical approaches. It is thought that neurophobia begins when students first encounter academic neuroscience; however, the prevalence and associated risk factors of neurophobia in undergraduate students is not known. Investigating these relationships in this population is relevant because they represent a pipeline for future neurologists and associated healthcare professionals. Furthermore, interventions for phobias are most effective when started early. The aim of the first study was to provide an in-depth analysis of the prevalence and factors contributing to neurophobia among undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory neuroanatomy course at The Ohio State University. The presence of neurophobia in this population was found to be comparable to that reported in medical students and junior doctors. Additionally, neurophobic students were found to have significantly higher cognitive load, assessment anxiety, and perceived difficulty, as well as lower intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and course grades compared to their non-neurophobic peers. This highlights the urgent need for early intervention, suggesting that techniques to manage cognitive load and enhance motivation could be beneficial. Based on the principles of cognitive load theory, self-determination theory, and social cognitive theory, 11 e-learning modules were developed for the two most difficult blocks in the undergraduate neuroanatomy curriculum. Featuring interactive slides with toggleable animations, practice questions with explanations, video content, and clinical scenarios, these modules aimed to manage cognitive load and enhance motivation of neuroanatomy learners. The aim of the sec (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders in the workforce are highly prevalent, especially in material handling operations. In addition to completing physically demanding work that is required in this domain, workers must also manage concurrent mental demands present in their tasks. Few studies have examined the effect of concurrent mental demands in occupationally-relevant tasks. This study attempted to fill this void by quantifying the effects of varying degrees of cognitive loads and task precision demands on a material handling task by examining these effects on the kinematics and muscle activity of the trunk and shoulders. Methods: Twelve subjects lifted and placed a 5 kg box on a rack at one of three destination heights (low, middle, high) while under a simultaneous cognitive load (no load, simple load, complex load) and/or precision constraint (low precision, high precision). Cognitive load consisted of time-based arithmetic questions where participants were tasked with determining the amount of time remaining from a given time to a target time (e.g., Get to 4:00 PM from 3:15 for simple load or get to 4:10 PM from 3:27 PM for complex load). The primary dependent measures were the angular velocities of the trunk and shoulders as well as muscle activity in the erector spinae, rectus abdominus, external oblique, latissimus dorsi, and anterior deltoid muscles. Results: Significant decreases in angular velocities for both higher cognitive load complexities and higher precision conditions were observed. Additionally, lower 90th percentile normalized muscle activity values were observed as complexity and precision increased. Cumulative muscle activity, however, increased with these increases in complexity and precision. Conclusions: This study examined the impact of varying levels of cognitive and precision conditions on muscle activity and kinematics of the trunk and shoulders. Results indicated that increased complexity and precision led to longer lift t (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2022, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

ADHD symptoms are associated with dysfunctional automatic thoughts that increase avoidance, impairment, and distress; however, little is known about factors that increase the likelihood of these thoughts. The current study developed an Experimental Vignette Measure of Automatic Thoughts for ADHD (VMATA-E), which was used to test how task-specific factors (Immediacy, Aversiveness, and History of Failure) and ADHD Status influenced automatic thoughts. This study systematically manipulated components of the vignettes, using a 23-1 between-subjects fractional factorial design. After randomization to an experimental condition, 320 participants read three brief vignettes and rated automatic thoughts in response to each one. EFA was used to develop the measure, convergent validity was examined via correlations. MANOVAs were used to examine main effects of task-specific factors and interaction with ADHD status. The VMATA-E demonstrated a three-factor structure which supports the stability of negative (NAT), rationalizing (RAT), and adaptive (GOAT) thoughts found in prior work. Task-specific factors of Immediacy and Aversiveness were found to have effects on NAT and GOAT. Compared to non-ADHD participants, individuals with clinically significant ADHD symptoms reported higher levels of dysfunctional automatic thoughts and lower levels of adaptive automatic thoughts (i.e., GOAT), even after controlling for prior mood disorder diagnoses. In contrast to expectations, there were no interactions between ADHD status and any task-specific factor. The findings of the current study have theoretical and practical implications for research on the role of automatic thoughts in ADHD-related impairment.