Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1995. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-04, Section: B, page: 2930.

Earlier research has shown that certain fluctuations are characteristic of mental work curves. Other investigations have revealed changes in muscular tension during mental work. The aim of the present experiment was to follow simultaneously these changes in output and in tension throughout a simple mental task. As the variations were likely to be rapid, recordings were made over short intervals of time˙ Two methods were employed to modify and thereby illuminate the relationship discovered between the two variables: (1) Muscular tension was induced during work. (2) An attempt was made to change the mental set of the subjects towards the work. Ten female subjects took part in the experiment and worked at addition sums under the three conditions: 1˙ N type when addition was performed at an easy steady speed which could be kept up for ten minutes. 2. P type when addition was performed as above while a spring balance was pulled at half maximum effort. 3 M type when subjects worked at maximum speed. The addition sums were of three lengths, 6, 11, and 21 figures per sum, and subjects added three sums of each length under each condition (27 sums in all). In order to prevent a possible slowing down due to the progressive increase in -ii-the size of the addend, addition in pairs was employed. Subjects added aloud and each verbalization was recorded on a tape and a later check made for errors. Electrodes were placed on the chin and the dorsal surface of the right forearm and leads taken to an electromyograph which recorded by "pen" on Teledeltos paper. The chin electrodes gave an indication of the moment of speaking and the arm electrodes a measure of tension in the forearm. It was thus possible to correlate the speed of work, indicated by the distance between clusters of spikes on the chin record, and the level of muscular tension, indicated by the mean height of the waveform from the forearm during the period between the verbalizations. In this way variations in output and tension could be followed during the course of work. It was found that a high negative correlation occurred between speed and tension under all three conditions. Starting and end spurts occurred over short time intervals in all sums in both time and tension curves. The longer sums led to slower work and tended to lead to more tension. These results can be interpreted to support the hypothesis that tension facilitates work of this kind, a suggestion which is reinforced by the results from the induced tension conditions. Subjects worked more quickly under P conditions and became more tense under M conditions. Large individual differences were noted but not examined in detail. The ways in which tension may facilitate mental processes and the relevance of this work to the peripheral theory of thought are briefly discussed.

Glogower et al. (1978) have suggested that coping self-statements (CSS) form the major therapeutic component of cognitive restructuring therapies. However, to date there has been no consensus in the literature about the nature of effective CSS. Indeed, many studies which have examined the effects of cognitive therapies have failed to adequately describe the CSS component of the therapies. The initial focus of this thesis was on two coping strategies which have been described (Meichenbaum, 1971; Evans, 1977). Both strategies encourage fearful subjects to cope with the physiological concomitants of fear on the assumption that fear is mediated by their perceptions of such concomitants. However, the emphasis of these strategies is quite different; Evans' strategy encourages subjects to passively accept the physiological concomitants of fear (PCS) while Meichenbaum's encourages subjects to actively cope with this aspect of fear by self-instructing to relax and keep calm (ACS). It was found that the former strategy (PCS) had a beneficial effect upon fear of spiders but lead to an increase in fear for a group of speech-anxious subjects. The ACS had a significant fear-reducing effect upon speech anxiety. In addition, it was found that fearful public speakers who devised their own strategies experienced a reduction in fear. The possible interpretation of these findings prompted an investigation of the relationship between locus of control orientation and the expression of fear. It was found that externality was positively correlated with fear of many of the items on the FSS III (Wolpe, 1973) including the item 'Speaking in Public'. However, when actually presenting a speech it was found that fearful internals expressed significantly more fear than fearful externals. Interpretations of this finding are discussed along with possible implications for therapy. A practically convenient procedure for investigating speech anxiety is described. An investigation of the recognition of the non-verbal expression of speech anxiety is also reported.

abstract: The goal of this experiment is to observe the relation between synchrony and performance in 3-person teams in a simulated Army medic training environment (i.e., Monitoring Extracting and Decoding Indicators of Cognitive workload: MEDIC). The cardiac measure Interbeat-Interval (IBI) was monitored during a physically oriented, and a cognitively oriented task. IBI was measured using NIRS (Near-Infrared Spectrology), and performance was measured using a team task score during a balance board and puzzle task. Synchrony has not previously been monitored across completely different tasks in the same experiment. I hypothesize that teams with high synchrony will show high performance on both tasks. Although no significant results were discovered by the correlational analysis, a trend was revealed that suggests there is a positive relationship between synchrony and performance. This study has contributed to the literature by monitoring physiological measures in a simulated team training environment, making suggestions for future research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Applied Psychology 2016

<p> This phenomenological study used a qualitative, hermeneutic analysis to explore the lived experiences of the moments of psychological change in five women and one man recovering from alcoholism. Interviews with the participants were coded thematically and analyzed in relation to a psychic movement that initiated sobriety. The data were compared to the process of transformation in the myth of <i>Inanna&ndash;Queen of heaven and earth</i> as a metaphor for psychic movement. Jung&rsquo;s concepts of matter, spirit, and the psychoid function of the archetype were explored through a Post-Jungian approach, which also incorporated current research in neuroscience. Based on the analysis, the results suggest the psychoid nature of the archetype to be a function of an organically anchored archetype/primordial image analogous to implicit, dormant neural ensembles/representations in the body. These underlying representations or images activate cognitive/spirit and emotional/matter processes, and energy charges ideas, emotions, and feelings, either separately or together. Images are then released, producing cognitive and/or emotional responses. The analysis revealed that ambiguous energy charges are responsible for less complete cognitive, emotional, or feeling images, observable in unfinished sentences, phrases, words, and pauses in narration. The analysis also discovered how spiritual material supports the suggestion that cognitive and emotional processes are present at the same time in a psychophysical process releasing images, which produce thoughts, emotions, and feelings. The findings also indicate that raising awareness of how these cognitive, emotional, and feeling images interchangeably play a role in recovery could be a therapeutically beneficial approach when working with recovering addicts.</p><p>

<p> This research investigates the effects of music vibration defined in terms of harmonic sound relationships emitted by way of the Swiss Resonance Monochord Table on health-promoting change in physiological response, anxiety, mood and subjective experience in undergraduate musicians. Physiological measures include electromyography, temperature, skin conductance, heart rate, respiration, and immune system. Anxiety and mood are assessed by the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, &amp; Jacobs, 1983) and the Profile of Mood States (McNair, Lorr, &amp; Doppleman, 1971). Subjective rating scales measure tension-relaxation and enjoyment. </p><p> Themes from participant descriptions are extracted borrowing from procedures developed by Moustakas (1994) and Colaizzi (1978) and placed into categories defined by Murphy (1992) that suggest access to one's extraordinary functioning and transformative capacity. A cross-over design is applied where participants serve as their own control, randomly assigned to both vibrational sound and no sound conditions. A mixed-methods embedded design is also employed. Quantitative data is subject to statistical analyses and qualitative data is subject to content analyses. Findings reflect statistically significant positive physiological change to include electromyography, skin conductance, and respiration rate during vibrational sound conditions in comparison to conditions of silence. Anxiety, mood, and subjective ratings also reflect positive change. Thematic comments favor receiving vibrational sound within the physical, emotional, cognitive, auditory perception, visual imagery, mental-consciousness, somatic experience, aesthetic experience, and individuation of self and higher self domains.</p><p> This research addresses a gap in scientific knowledge about the links between physiological and psychological constructs to include states of consciousness as affected by vibrational sound. Findings reflect positive change effects across multiple domains within the perspectives of integral health and wellness addressing a call for a paradigm shift from the Western allopathic approach and model of illness to a health, wellness, and integral model. This research addresses the increasing trend in health care as individuals seek to understand and participate in maintaining their health and well-being. This research will interest professionals and researchers in music therapy, sound healing, psychophysiology, nursing, health care, psychoneuroimmunology, integrative medicine, energy medicine, transpersonal psychology, consciousness studies, and transformative inquiry.</p>

<p> Sensory systems are believed to take advantage of the properties of natural stimuli. Natural images, for example, follow normality and a power-law which are reflected in the dynamics of visual cells. In order to better understand the vestibular system we examined natural human motion. We measured torso and head angular velocities of human subjects who walked, jogged, and climbed a staircase. Angular velocity distributions of the head and torso were fit well by Cauchy distributions, while power spectral densities did not follow a power law. We found that neither a power law nor a two-line-segment fit were sufficient to fit power spectral densities of angular velocity. Increases in power at the gait frequency and its harmonics are not well fit by lines. Differences between torso and head motion show a more evenly distributed reduction of angular velocities, presumably by the neck, in the semicircular canal frame of reference. Coherence between torso and head angular velocity did not show a linear relationship over all frequencies, but did suggest a linear relationship at the fundamental gait frequency and its harmonics. Reduction in angular velocity between the torso and head was then modeled by an adaptive linear filter. Results were mixed and depended on subject, condition, and axis. Qualitatively, predictions of angular velocity were good, capturing both the amplitude and periodicity of the actual head velocity. Finally, initial results were replicated while normalizing gait cycles using linear length normalization. Natural walking and running conditions were compared to treadmill walking and running. Subjects showed significantly different peak velocities during natural and treadmill conditions despite similar movement speeds. Coherence was also different between natural and treadmill conditions. These results provide evidence that natural and treadmill locomotion are treated differently, possibly due to the lack of visual input during treadmill locomotion. Subjects also walked with their heads turned to either the left or right, separating direction of motion and direction of the head. Angular velocity during these conditions show that head direction is not important for stabilizing the head, suggesting that efference copies play a role in head stabilization.</p><p>

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the role internalized shame and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) play in the treatment outcomes of people in methadone programs. Clients at two methadone treatment sites were surveyed with Cook's Shame Scale and the MEMPI PK and PS sub-scales for PTSD. Over 63%—ten times that found in the general population and two and a half times the frequency found in other chemically dependent populations—tested for PTSD, which is often passed over as a generalized anxiety disorder. The study showed that the symptoms of PTSD, internalized shame and low self-esteem are highly intercorrelated in this population. The study also showed that there is a strong relationship between internalized shame and PTSD test scores, methadone dose levels, are predictors and the frequency of drug use, frequency which are treatment outcome variables. Secondary findings show that there is a correlation between sexual abuse, age of first drug use, shame and PTSD scores. Internalized shame, PTSD PS Scale scores and race also showed some trends. These findings, along with research on the biochemical effects of not only chemical dependency, but also of trauma and internalized shame support the understanding that PTSD and internalized shame do play a role in affecting treatment outcomes. Research in related fields describe biochemical feedback loops created by responses to trauma and the biochemistry of chemical dependency. These feedback loops are perpetuated and exacerbated by continued drug use and untreated trauma symptomology. The resultant biochemical deficiencies can be stabilized and replenished through time when direct interventions are made on the physical, behavioral and emotional levels of treatment. Methadone, while helping to decrease the use of heroin, may actually contribute to furthering the progression of chemical dependency and block treatment of PTSD by covering symptoms which when addressed could lessen or resolve and improve treatment outcomes. Further studies, which find ways to examine and measure these different aspects of trauma, internalized shame and PTSD need to be designed to understand more clearly how these conditions affect various outcome variables. A variety of therapeutic modalities which focus on overall wellness and recovery can be used and tested to design comprehensive treatment. Hopefully, this study will begin to build a bridge between conventional methadone treatment—which uses behavioral modification and drug replacement therapies—with the exciting new findings in neurobiochemistry.

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the firing pattern of single neurons in cerebellar nucleus interpositus (NI) related to a conditioned response (CR) instilled by conditioning with mixed interstimulus intervals (ISIs). The conditioning with mixed ISIs is a protocol of classical conditioning that involves two different interstimulus intervals (ISIs) alternating randomly. The conditioned stimulus (CS) is a tone and the unconditioned stimulus (US) is an electrical shock to periorbital region that causes eyeblink. This protocol resulted in bimodal responses with peaks corresponding to the timing of the US. A related purpose of this investigation was to explore mechanisms of CR timing and temporal integration using a computational method. Sutton and Barto's (1990) temporal difference (TD) model with a complete serial compound (CSC) representation of CS was used to implement the idea of a neuron-like processing element that receives time-tagged inputs and adjusts their associative strength to generate an appropriate output adaptive to the given conditioning environment. The TD model with CSC representation of time can be aligned with the cerebellum. Within this context, there are several scenarios as to how time is segmented in the cerebellum and how this information is integrated to produce the CR. The current investigation presents evidence that single neurons of NI express a firing pattern closely related to the bimodal response. All forty-two CR-related units recorded in NI showed neuronal activity closely related to the time-course of eyeblink CRs, i.e. a neuronal activity pattern with two distinctive increases in firing rate. Most of the units preceded the behavioral response but the degree by which the neuronal activity preceded the behavioral response varied. Among the 42 CR-related units, 9 units responded to the tone CS with short latency(<100 ms), CS-locked activity. Among twenty-four units tested on a US-only trial, 22 units increased firing rate or remained at the same level, and 2 units decreased firing rate after US presentation. The CR topography on short-ISI reinforced trials was unimodal implying that the US has become a conditioned inhibitor. The corresponding neuronal activity of single neurons were also unimodal. The TD (CSC) model and its cerebellar implementation could account for the suppression of the second peak by employing a US-initiated timing cascade. The suppression of the neuronal activity on short-ISI trials suggests that the excitation and the inhibition could be expressed at the level of single neuron.

Sleep disturbances are common in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) (Hart et al., 2003) and pose a great strain on their family caregivers (Hope, Keene, Gedling, Fairburn, & Jacoby, 1998) including their emotional functioning (Schulz & Martire, 2004). The current study is the first to examine the impact of daily sleep and mood in persons with AD on their caregiver's sleep and emotional functioning. The study examined sleep and mood across eight days in 40 family caregivers of persons with AD. It was hypothesized that poor sleep in the person with AD person would have a negative impact on caregiver emotional functioning the next day. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that sleep disruption or the mood in the person with AD would mediate the association between AD person sleep and caregiver mood. The results demonstrated a direct link between poor sleep in persons with AD and caregiver negative affect (NA), but not positive affect (PA). The results also indicated that poor caregiver sleep and NA in the person with AD partially mediated the relationship between AD person sleep and caregiver NA. The results suggest that addressing AD person and caregiver sleep and AD person affect may improve caregiver emotional functioning. Improving AD person sleep and mood, and caregiver emotional functioning has important implications that may prolong the time until institutionalization.