The impact of self awareness during sexual activity has been widely discussed. However, research has been largely focused on the effects of performance anxiety in male erectile functioning. Based on research linking sexual difficulties to lower levels of body image, it has been suggested that physical appearance concerns may have a similar influence on sexual functioning in women as does men's self-awareness about erectile functioning. On the other hand, research has also shown that in some cases self awareness can improve sexual functioning among women. The role that physical appearance or awareness of one's body specifically may play in female sexual response has received little empirical attention. The aim of the current study was to examine the impact of body image on sexual arousal response to erotica among 48 women with Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD). Women were randomized to one of two Body Image conditions: Positive Body Image or Negative Body Image. Each woman participated in two sessions: Experimental and Control. In the experimental sessions, participants were asked to adopt and attend to their positive or negative body parts, and a full-length mirror was placed in front of them. Self-reported mental arousal, perceptions of physical arousal, body awareness, body image, anxiety, and cognitive distraction were assessed. Results showed that in the negative and positive experimental sessions, women experienced increased mental and perceptions of physical sexual arousal compared to the control session. Findings were mainly accounted for by levels of body image and body awareness. There were no differences in anxiety or cognitive distraction. Findings suggest that body image and body awareness, whether positive or negative, can result in increased subjective sexual arousal response. / text

There are at least two types of response to stimuli: an automatic response that happens before conscious thought (a Type 1 response) and a deliberative, intentional response (a Type 2 response). These responses are related to behavior associated with the affective loading of the stimulus presented. Prior research has shown, for example, that a Type 1 tendency to spend more time looking at fear-provoking stimuli is associated with higher levels of general anxiety, while a Type 2 tendency to spend more time looking away from happy faces is associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. Some stimuli categories elicit mixed responses, indicated by discrepant Type 1 and Type 2 responses. For example, alcoholics in recovery tend to look toward alcohol-themed pictures in the first 200 milliseconds, then look away. This suggests that alcoholics in recovery have an automatic draw to alcohol that is overridden by the conscious application of a cognitive schema to avoid alcohol. Sexual response studies to date have measured Type 1 and Type 2 responses separately; however, no study has yet measured both types of response within the same person. This study was the first to examine both Type 1 and Type 2 responses to erotic stimuli within the same individual as a test of within-individual variation of attentional responses to sexual stimuli. Results do not support a connection between either attentional bias or conflicting Type 1 and Type 2 responses and sexual desire or distress. Implications of these non-findings are discussed in theoretical and methodological contexts, and future research is suggested.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Rebecca Gould / Chihyung Ok / Offering memorable experiences to customers is an effective marketing strategy in hospitality and tourism. However, the effects of memorable experiences have remained largely unexamined. Two research models were proposed through a literature review to present the antecedents that effectively lead to memorizing travel experiences. Since researchers in customer service management have recently claimed the significance of creating good memories related to consumption experiences, this study developed the discussion on links among the antecedents and memory and hypothesized the sequential relationships among the constructs. Study 1 examined the relationships between antecedents (experience quality, hedonic value, utilitarian value, and satisfaction) and post-experience memory in cruise tourism. Using an online survey, 375 vacationers who traveled on an ocean cruise ship were recruited. Structure Equation Modeling showed that the experience quality of cruise travel consisting of seven experience dimensions had a positive influence on helping memory formation through hedonic value and utilitarian value. The results underscored the critical effect of memory on word-of-mouth. This study documented that hedonic value driven by travel experience quality had a more important role in delivering the effect to memory than utilitarian value. However, in the research model of study 1, satisfaction was not connected to memory. Mediation effect analysis individually tested the partial mediating role of memory in the relationship between hedonic value/utilitarian value/satisfaction and word-of-mouth. Study 2 examined the effects of emotions on memory, particularly the potential moderating effect of arousal on the relationship between valence and memory. This study not only proposed the direct influence of arousal and valence on memory, but also hypothesized the quasi-moderating effect of arousal in amplifying the influence of valence on increasing memory. The results of hierarchical regression analysis using the dataset of 375 samples presented the direct relationships between arousal/valence and memory were shown although the hypothesis regarding the moderating role of arousal was rejected. Two emotional dimensions (arousal and valence) were found to be significant predictors of increased memory quality, but the moderating effect of arousal was not supported. Based on the findings of this study, practical implications for the tourism industry are provided, along with future research ideas.

Selective attention is a specific area of executive control that declines in older adulthood and may be amenable to cognitive rehabilitation. This study explored background music as an accessible and typically enjoyable tool that may exogenously facilitate attention. Two particular properties of a musical piece – (1) mode (i.e., major, minor, or atonal), and (2) tempo (i.e., stimulative or sedative) – influence affect, arousal, and cognitive function, ultimately enhancing or hindering cognitive performance on attention-demanding tasks. Six musical pieces were selected to represent different combinations of mode and tempo. Older adults (i.e., 65-80 years-old; n=16) were recruited from Victoria, BC. Participants completed the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) assessing selective attention at baseline and under the six counterbalanced musical conditions. In each condition, participants reported motivation and task-difficulty, as well as affect and arousal on the Activation-Deactivation Checklist (AD ACL). Musical affect impacted reaction times on MSIT control and interference trials for the first block, but had no influence during the last block. Musical arousal did not significantly impact attention. AD ACL responses, as well as task-difficulty and motivation to succeed on the task did not vary as a function of the music. The results illuminate older adults’ allocation of executive resources between competing goals of regulating musical affect and succeeding on an attention task. Implications are discussed for selecting music specifically to facilitate older adults’ attention in everyday life. / Graduate / 2017-09-22

A atenção é uma função neuropsicológica básica que está subjacente a todos os processos cognitivos. Pode ser definida como a capacidade do indivíduo selecionar e focalizar seus processos mentais em algum aspecto do ambiente interno ou externo, respondendo predominantemente aos estímulos que lhe são significativos e inibindo respostas aos demais estímulos. Considerando que ao longo de anos de trabalho clínico tem-se observado pacientes, em sua grande maioria crianças, com muitas queixas escolares, sem quaisquer alterações auditivas, a atenção tem se mostrado uma habilidade de grande importância. A existência de uma deficiência auditiva por si só compromete o desenvolvimento normal de uma criança, uma vez que a privação sensorial pode gerar alterações em diversas habilidades auditivas, incluindo a atenção. Desta forma, este trabalho tem por objetivo comparar o desempenho de crianças no Teste da Habilidade de Atenção Auditiva Sustentada - THAAS (FENIMAN, 2004), no que se refere às diferentes formas de aplicação (com fones auriculares e em campo livre), ao gênero e, à ordem de aplicação, visando, assim, avaliar esta importante habilidade em crianças usuárias de AASI e IC e àquelas que não permitem a colocação de fones para a realização do teste de modo convencional. Fizeram parte do estudo 40 crianças, com idade de sete anos, divididas em dois grupos, o grupo um (G1) e o grupo dois (G2), compostos de 20 crianças cada um, sendo que a aplicação do THAAS no G1 se deu primeiramente com fones auriculares e em seguida em campo livre e no G2 o processo foi o inverso. O processo de avaliação constituiu-se em: aplicação de um questionário específico, bateria de testes auditivos, incluindo audiometria tonal e audiometria em campo livre e aplicação do THAAS. Os resultados demonstraram não haver diferença estatisticamente significativa quanto ao gênero, na comparação entre os grupos para THAAS com fones, o G1 teve desempenho estatisticamente significativo para os erros de desatenção e para o total de erros (p=0,021615 e p=0,013393 respectivamente); na comparação dos grupos em campo o G2 teve desempenho significativo estatisticamente apenas para o decréscimo de vigilância (p=0,021615); na comparação entre fone e campo para o G1, o desempenho das crianças para o campo foi significativo para os erros de desatenção (p=0,00024), total de erros (p=0,000238) e decréscimo de vigilância (p=0,020526) e, na comparação entre fone e campo para o G2, a diferença foi estatisticamente significativa para os erros de impulsividade (p=0,000174). Com isso, pode ser observado que a diferença encontrada entre as duas formas de aplicação nos grupos deveu-se à ordem de aplicação, ou seja, como foi aplicado primeiramente e como o teste foi aplicado pela segunda vez, sendo este o determinante para o desempenho, devido, possivelmente, ao efeito de aprendizagem do teste. A pesquisa demonstrou ser viável a aplicação do THAAS em Campo Livre para casos em que não é possível a realização convencional com fones auriculares, podendo ser adotado os mesmos valores normativos usados para o modo convencional de avaliação. / Attention is a basic neuropsychological function subjacent to all cognitive processes. It can be defined as the ability of one to select and focus its mental processes in either inner or outer aspect, responding specially to meaningful stimulus or inhibiting the answer to other ones. Given that in many years of clinical work it has been observed that patients, especially children, have complained about their school performance without any auditory alteration, attention has been considered as very significant. Hearing loss compromises the regular development of a child since sensorial privation can alter several auditory abilities including attention. Thus, this study aims to compare children performance in Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test SAAAT (FENIMAN, 2004), on the various ways of application (with earphones in free field), on the gender, application sequence aiming to assess this important ability in children using AASI and IC and on those who do not accept ear phones to perform the test in a standard way. 40 children, with 7 years old were divided into two groups: G1- and G2 with 20 children each. The SAAAT in G1 was applied firstly with wear phones and later in free field; in G2 the process was inverted. The evaluation process consisted of one specific questionnaire, a battery of auditory tests including tonal audiometry and audiometry in free field and SAAAT application. Results showed there was no significant difference in gender compared to the other groups for THAAS with earphones. G1 had statistically significant performance for inattention mistakes and total of errors (p=0.021615 e p=0.013393 respectively); When compared the groups in field, G2 had statistically significant performance just for vigilance decrease (p=0.021615); comparing the earphone and campo G1 had significant performance regarding inattention and vigilance decrease (p=0.020526) and in the same comparison with G2the difference was statistically significant for impulsivity mistakes (p=0.000174). Therefore, the difference observed between the two ways of application on the groups was due to the sequence of application, how it was applied on the first and second times. It was the determining factor to the performance given the learning effect of the test. This research showed the application of THAAS in free field is viable for cases which the standard application with earphones is not possible with the same normative values used for the standard way of assessment.

A atenção é uma função neuropsicológica básica que está subjacente a todos os processos cognitivos. Pode ser definida como a capacidade do indivíduo selecionar e focalizar seus processos mentais em algum aspecto do ambiente interno ou externo, respondendo predominantemente aos estímulos que lhe são significativos e inibindo respostas aos demais estímulos. Considerando que ao longo de anos de trabalho clínico tem-se observado pacientes, em sua grande maioria crianças, com muitas queixas escolares, sem quaisquer alterações auditivas, a atenção tem se mostrado uma habilidade de grande importância. A existência de uma deficiência auditiva por si só compromete o desenvolvimento normal de uma criança, uma vez que a privação sensorial pode gerar alterações em diversas habilidades auditivas, incluindo a atenção. Desta forma, este trabalho tem por objetivo comparar o desempenho de crianças no Teste da Habilidade de Atenção Auditiva Sustentada - THAAS (FENIMAN, 2004), no que se refere às diferentes formas de aplicação (com fones auriculares e em campo livre), ao gênero e, à ordem de aplicação, visando, assim, avaliar esta importante habilidade em crianças usuárias de AASI e IC e àquelas que não permitem a colocação de fones para a realização do teste de modo convencional. Fizeram parte do estudo 40 crianças, com idade de sete anos, divididas em dois grupos, o grupo um (G1) e o grupo dois (G2), compostos de 20 crianças cada um, sendo que a aplicação do THAAS no G1 se deu primeiramente com fones auriculares e em seguida em campo livre e no G2 o processo foi o inverso. O processo de avaliação constituiu-se em: aplicação de um questionário específico, bateria de testes auditivos, incluindo audiometria tonal e audiometria em campo livre e aplicação do THAAS. Os resultados demonstraram não haver diferença estatisticamente significativa quanto ao gênero, na comparação entre os grupos para THAAS com fones, o G1 teve desempenho estatisticamente significativo para os erros de desatenção e para o total de erros (p=0,021615 e p=0,013393 respectivamente); na comparação dos grupos em campo o G2 teve desempenho significativo estatisticamente apenas para o decréscimo de vigilância (p=0,021615); na comparação entre fone e campo para o G1, o desempenho das crianças para o campo foi significativo para os erros de desatenção (p=0,00024), total de erros (p=0,000238) e decréscimo de vigilância (p=0,020526) e, na comparação entre fone e campo para o G2, a diferença foi estatisticamente significativa para os erros de impulsividade (p=0,000174). Com isso, pode ser observado que a diferença encontrada entre as duas formas de aplicação nos grupos deveu-se à ordem de aplicação, ou seja, como foi aplicado primeiramente e como o teste foi aplicado pela segunda vez, sendo este o determinante para o desempenho, devido, possivelmente, ao efeito de aprendizagem do teste. A pesquisa demonstrou ser viável a aplicação do THAAS em Campo Livre para casos em que não é possível a realização convencional com fones auriculares, podendo ser adotado os mesmos valores normativos usados para o modo convencional de avaliação. / Attention is a basic neuropsychological function subjacent to all cognitive processes. It can be defined as the ability of one to select and focus its mental processes in either inner or outer aspect, responding specially to meaningful stimulus or inhibiting the answer to other ones. Given that in many years of clinical work it has been observed that patients, especially children, have complained about their school performance without any auditory alteration, attention has been considered as very significant. Hearing loss compromises the regular development of a child since sensorial privation can alter several auditory abilities including attention. Thus, this study aims to compare children performance in Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test SAAAT (FENIMAN, 2004), on the various ways of application (with earphones in free field), on the gender, application sequence aiming to assess this important ability in children using AASI and IC and on those who do not accept ear phones to perform the test in a standard way. 40 children, with 7 years old were divided into two groups: G1- and G2 with 20 children each. The SAAAT in G1 was applied firstly with wear phones and later in free field; in G2 the process was inverted. The evaluation process consisted of one specific questionnaire, a battery of auditory tests including tonal audiometry and audiometry in free field and SAAAT application. Results showed there was no significant difference in gender compared to the other groups for THAAS with earphones. G1 had statistically significant performance for inattention mistakes and total of errors (p=0.021615 e p=0.013393 respectively); When compared the groups in field, G2 had statistically significant performance just for vigilance decrease (p=0.021615); comparing the earphone and campo G1 had significant performance regarding inattention and vigilance decrease (p=0.020526) and in the same comparison with G2the difference was statistically significant for impulsivity mistakes (p=0.000174). Therefore, the difference observed between the two ways of application on the groups was due to the sequence of application, how it was applied on the first and second times. It was the determining factor to the performance given the learning effect of the test. This research showed the application of THAAS in free field is viable for cases which the standard application with earphones is not possible with the same normative values used for the standard way of assessment.

Objective: To examine nutrient-specific and individual-specific correlates of valenced and arousal-based affective evaluations of foods across the spectrum of disordered eating, as well as to examine the validity of automatic and controlled processes of affective evaluation. Methods: 283 undergraduate women provided implicit and explicit valence and arousal-based evaluations of 120 food photos with known nutritional information (i.e., high or low added fat, high or low added sugar). Participants completed structurally similar indirect and direct affect misattribution procedures (AMP; Payne et al., 2005; 2008). These AMPs were paired with novel arousal-based AMPs to investigate both fundamental dimensions of affective evaluations of foods: valence and arousal. Participants completed questionnaires assessing body mass index, hunger, eating restriction, and binge eating. Results: Nomothetically, added fat and added sugar enhance the pleasantness and arousal of affective evaluations of foods. Idiographically, hunger and binge eating are associated with higher arousal, whereas BMI and restriction enhance pleasantness ratings. Added fat enhances the pleasantness ratings of women who are hungrier, or who endorse greater restriction, and enhances both the pleasantness and the arousal ratings of heavier women. In contrast, added sugar is especially influential on the pleasantness and arousal ratings of less hungry women. Restriction was related only to valenced affective evaluations, whereas binge eating related only to arousal affective evaluations. Finally, patterns of findings are largely similar across implicit and explicit affective evaluations, albeit stronger for explicit. Conclusions: Findings support the utility of distinguishing nutrients in future work, underscore the importance of examining both the valence and the arousal dimensions of affective evaluations, and provide modest support for the validity of dual-process models of affective evaluation of foods.

In our pilot study investigating Texas Hold ‘em poker, we found that players bluffing (with a losing hand) elicits a similar physiological arousal response (as measured by skin conductance levels) to those in a position of strength and poised to win. Since arousal has been suggested to be a reinforcing factor in problematic gambling behaviour, we sought to replicate the findings of our pilot study in the current investigation. We aimed to extend our previous findings further by: isolating truthful betting (strong betting) to disambiguate deception when players are in positions of strength (i.e. trapping), measuring subjective excitement levels and risk assessments, investigating the physiological arousal responses following wins versus losses, and finally, exploring group differences (i.e. problem gambling status, experience levels). 71 participants played 20 naturalistic rounds of Texas Hold ‘em poker for monetary rewards. We were able to replicate our previous findings that bluffing triggers a physiological arousal (as measured by skin conductance responses) similar to truthful strong betting. Trapping was also found to elicit a skin conductance response similar to both bluffing and strong betting. Measures of subjective excitement revealed a pattern that converged with physiological data. Furthermore, wins were found to be more arousing than losses. Finally, our exploratory analysis of group differences (i.e. problem gambling status, experience) proved to be an insignificant factor with all measures. We conclude that the effect of bluffing on physiological arousal is so powerful that it pervades all participants; which is problematic due to its risky nature and potential to be self-triggered. With its ever increasing popularity and availability, more research on Texas Hold ‘em poker is warranted for treatment implications.

Forskning visar att människor huvudsakligen återger starkt emotionellt laddade händelser väl. Information och detaljer runt omkring händelsen har dock visat sig vara betydligt svårare att rapportera, jämfört med centrala detaljer som är kritiska för den känslomässiga upplevelsen. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka effekter av emotionell arousal beträffande minne för central respektive perifer detaljinformation. Hypotesen var att negativt känsloladdad information påverkar minnet positivt beträffande centrala detaljer, men negativt för perifera detaljer. Två experiment utfördes, där kontrollgruppen i båda experimenten förevisades 15 neutrala färgbilder föreställande vardagliga situationer. Samma bildspel visades för experimentgruppen, förutom att den åttonde bilden var utbytt mot en arousal-väckande obehaglig bild. I experiment 1 testades undersökningsdeltagarnas minne av detaljer ifrån dessa bilder. I experiment 2 lades ett igenkänningstest till i ett försök att främja minne. Resultaten från båda experimenten var i linje med hypotesen då experimentgruppen mindes den centrala detaljen bättre än kontrollgruppen, och ytterst få undersökningsdeltagare kunde rapportera den perifera detaljen ifrån den arousal-väckande bilden. Studien visar att människor som bevittnat händelser av negativt känsloladdad karaktär inte kan förväntas rapportera en helhetsbild av händelsen, vilket är av yttersta vikt i vittnespsykologiska sammanhang.

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