<p>Video games players (VGPs) regularly demonstrate marked success over non-video game players (NVGPs) on a variety of tasks that tap visuospatial attention. Localization of these benefits remains elusive. Drawing from experiments reported in this thesis and considering each in light of the current literature, it would appear that said benefits are the result of development of the mechanisms and processes involved in the representation of visuospatial information rather than due to a benefit of higher cognitive control mechanisms. This assertion is supported by a series of effects. First, experience with an action video game immediately prior to a measure of visuospatial attention showed no effect on performance. VGPs demonstrated only a general tendency to complete the task more rapidly than NVGPs. There was no indication that VGPs may have been engaging contextually-related control mechanisms to more efficiently search through displays. Second, VGPs did not experience a general task switching benefit during trials that included a high level of proactive interference, only outperforming NVGPs when provided with enough time and information to engage in endogenous task-set reconfiguration. Finally, previous work has demonstrated parietal slow wave ERP correlates of central executive activity in working memory, with greater amplitudes of these components indexing increased executive control demands. In the present work, VGPs showed distinctively smaller degrees of central-executive (CE) related ERP activity in a demanding visuospatial WM condition relative to NVGPs, while maintaining equivalent behavioural performance. Thus, VGPs appear to recruit smaller degrees of CE-related processing compared to NVGPs on difficult visuospatial tasks. Taken together, these findings suggest that the observed performance benefits for VGPs in visuospatial tasks are likely not due to improved cognitive control ability, but are more probably the result of a superior representational ability for visuospatial information.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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BACKGROUND: Suicide rates among veterans are disproportionately high compared to rates among the general population. Veterans may experience a number of negative emotions (e.g., anger, self-directed hostility, shame, guilt) during periods of postwar adjustment and reintegration into civilian life that may uniquely confer risk for suicide. Mechanisms of these associations, however, are less well studied. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between negative emotions and suicide risk in veterans through the theoretical framework of the interpersonal theory of suicide. METHODS: A large sample of veterans (N = 541) completed measures assessing their negative emotions, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and suicide risk. RESULTS: Self-directed hostility and shame related indirectly to suicide risk through both perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. Thwarted belongingness accounted for the association between anger and suicide risk, whereas perceived burdensomeness accounted for the relationship between guilt and suicide risk. LIMITATIONS: This study had a cross-sectional design and relied solely on self-report measures. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence for the role of negative emotions in conferring risk for suicide in veterans. Clinical implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

Religiousness and spirituality are important to most Americans and while beneficial associations between forgiveness and health are consistently observed, little is known regarding the mechanism of association. Cross-sectional multiple mediation-based analyses of associations between dimensions of forgiveness and physical and mental health were conducted using a sample of 363 undergraduate students from rural Southern Appalachia. Controlling for demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, education, ethnicity, and marital status) and lifetime religiousness, multivariable analyses reflected associations of forgiveness of self and forgiveness of others, but not feeling forgiven by God, with physical health status, somatic symptoms, mental health status, and psychological distress. All such associations operated through health behavior and/or social support; however, only in the context of forgiveness of self did such associations also operate through interpersonal functioning (problems). While forgiveness of self and forgiveness of others each appear to have a robust indirect relationship with health, mediation-based associations involving forgiveness of self were nearly twice as frequent. It may be that forgiveness of self is relatively more important to health-related outcomes.

Perceived social problem-solving deficits are associated with suicide risk; however, little research has examined the mechanisms underlying this relationship. The interpersonal theory of suicide proposes 2 mechanisms in the pathogenesis of suicidal desire: intractable feelings of thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB). This study tested whether TB and PB serve as explanatory links in the relationship between perceived social problem-solving (SPS) deficits and suicidal thoughts and behaviors cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The specificity of TB and PB was evaluated by testing depression as a rival mediator. Self-report measures of perceived SPS deficits, TB, PB, suicidal ideation, and depression were administered in 5 adult samples: 336 and 105 undergraduates from 2 universities, 53 homeless individuals, 222 primary care patients, and 329 military members. Bias-corrected bootstrap mediation and meta-analyses were conducted to examine the magnitude of the direct and indirect effects, and the proposed mediation paths were tested using zero-inflated negative binomial regressions. Cross-sectionally, TB and PB were significant parallel mediators of the relationship between perceived SPS deficits and ideation, beyond depression. Longitudinally and beyond depression, in 1 study, both TB and PB emerged as significant explanatory factors, and in the other, only PB was a significant mediator. Findings supported the specificity of TB and PB: Depression and SPS deficits were not significant mediators. The relationship between perceived SPS deficits and ideation was explained by interpersonal theory variables, particularly PB. Findings support a novel application of the interpersonal theory, and bolster a growing compendium of literature implicating perceived SPS deficits in suicide risk.

OBJECTIVES: We compared the magnitude and direction of associations between forgiveness and pain, mental and physical health, quality of life, and anger in a sample of fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) participants and healthy controls. In addition, we compared FM and controls on mean levels of these variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 173 individuals with FM and 81 controls completed this study. FM participants and controls were residents of Germany recruited with the support of the German Fibromyalgia Patient Association and several self-help groups. FM participants and controls were about 53 years of age, mostly married (70%), Christians (81%), with levels of education ranging from 9 to 13+ years. All participants completed assessments of forgiveness, pain, health, quality of life, and anger. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that FM participants reported higher pain and anger and poorer health and quality of life. FM participants also reported lower levels of both forgiveness of self and others. Size and direction of associations of forgiveness with pain, health, quality of life, and anger in were not significantly different between healthy individuals and individuals with FM. DISCUSSION: Forgiveness of self and others is beneficially associated with pain, health, quality of life, and anger in FM participants at levels that are of similar size and direction as in healthy controls. However, FM participants manifest lower levels of forgiveness of self and others. Therapeutic promotion of forgiveness as a psychosocial coping strategy may help patients with FM to better manage psychological and physical symptoms, thereby enhancing well-being.

In the present study, we examined the relations between perfectionism and spirituality in a sample of college students. Results of correlational analyses were generally consistent with the notion that adaptive perfectionism dimensions (e.g., personal standards & organization) were positively associated with spirituality, whereas maladaptive perfectionism dimensions (e.g., concern over mistakes, parental criticism) were negatively associated with spirituality. Furthermore, results of conducting regression analyses provided support for perfectionism dimensions as unique predictors of different dimensions of spirituality. Interestingly, we found parental expectations to be a positive and unique predictor for all three dimensions of spirituality. Some implications on the importance of the present findings for future research on perfectionism and spirituality in adults are discussed.

Background: Evidence suggests that indoor tanning may have addictive properties. However, many instruments for measuring indoor tanning addiction show poor validity and reliability. Recently, a new instrument, the Behavioral Addiction Indoor Tanning Screener (BAITS), has been developed. Objectives: To test the validity and reliability of the BAITS by using a multimethod approach. Methods: We used data from the first wave of the National Cancer Aid Monitoring on Sunbed Use, which included a cognitive pretest (August 2015) and a Germany‐wide representative survey (October to December 2015). In the cognitive pretest 10 users of tanning beds were interviewed and 3000 individuals aged 14–45 years were included in the representative survey. Potential symptoms of indoor tanning addiction were measured using the BAITS, a brief screening survey with seven items (answer categories: yes vs. no). Criterion validity was assessed by comparing the results of BAITS with usage parameters. Additionally, we tested internal consistency and construct validity. Results: A total of 19·7% of current and 1·8% of former indoor tanning users were screened positive for symptoms of a potential indoor tanning addiction. We found significant associations between usage parameters and the BAITS (criterion validity). Internal consistency (reliability) was good (Kuder–Richardson‐20, 0·854). The BAITS was shown to be a homogeneous construct (construct validity). Conclusions: Compared with other short instruments measuring symptoms of a potential indoor tanning addiction, the BAITS seems to be a valid and reliable tool. With its short length and the binary items the BAITS is easy to use in large surveys.

There has been limited research published about the characteristics of alumni donors in higher education. The majority of the research that has been done focused on large universities, consequently, such research findings may not be generalizable to smaller institutions.;The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent selected demographic, academic, behavioral, and attitudinal variables would discriminate between donors and nondonors in a smaller college or university such as a Comprehensive I institution.;Data for the study were gathered through a questionnaire mailed to a simple random sample of 300 alumni of a Comprehensive I institution. A 72 percent response to the questionnaire was realized. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics and discriminant analysis techniques available through Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) software.;It was concluded that it is probable that a Comprehensive I institution can predict group classification of alumni as donors versus nondonors at a success rate of approximately 75 percent and that: (1) the most powerful discriminating variables between alumni donors and nondonors within the population examined were planned visits, household income, designation of funds to the library, year of graduation, identification with the institution, and attendance of family members; (2) it is probable that descriptive and discriminant statistical analysis of selected variables can enhance fund raising strategies; (3) some variables affect all groups of donors similarly, but variables such as institutional size, type, age and location may affect alumni donors differently and to different degrees.

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