The present study evaluated relations between life stress exposure and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis functioning, indicated by salivary cortisol levels. Prior research on HPA axis functioning under conditions of significant life stress exposure among children has been inconclusive. Inconsistencies in prior research were thought to be partially attributable to the influences of several moderating variables. In particular, children's trauma exposure, perceptions of the impact of stressors, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress symptoms were hypothesized to moderate relations between life stress exposure and cortisol levels. Age was positively associated with both A.M. and P.M. cortisol levels. Life stress exposure was positively associated with P.M. cortisol levels. However, this relation was moderated by posttraumatic stress symptoms. In circumstances of low life stress exposure, children with higher posttraumatic stress symptoms exhibited higher P.M. cortisol levels than children with lower symptoms. As exposure to life stress increased, P.M. cortisol increased among children with lower posttraumatic stress symptoms, but remained the same among children with higher. In addition, recurrent trauma exposure contributed to decreased A.M. cortisol levels and increased P.M. cortisol levels. These findings were also illustrated in an exploratory cluster analysis, which revealed three distinct patterns of cortisol levels, each of which were associated with a specific levels of life stress exposure, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results suggest that associations between stress exposure and basal cortisol levels are influenced by complex interactions among development, frequency of life stressors, frequency and duration of traumatic events, and posttraumatic stress symptoms / acase@tulane.edu

This study sought to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of various treatment approaches using the nicotine transdermal patch to treat nicotine dependency. The sample consisted of 89 smokers with a history of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day who lived in a spouse-like relationship with a non-smoker. A pretest-posttest experimental design was used in which subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups; Patch-only (PO), Wait-list Control (CNTL), No partner Biopsychosocial Treatment NBT), and Partner Participation Biopsychosocial Treatment (PBT). / Treatment was administered for 10 weeks and observations were made at weeks 3, 7, 10, and 15. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, Fagerstrom Nicotine Dependency Test (FNDT), and self-report measures confirmed by expired levels of carbon monoxide or an informant. / Repeated measures ANOVA identified significant differences between groups across time. Planned comparisons on the percentage abstinent, and the number of abstinent days, revealed significant differences between the PO and the CNTL group at weeks 7, 10, and 15. Participants who received biopsychosocial treatment recorded a significantly greater number of days abstinent than the PO group at weeks 7 and 10, but not week 15. No difference was found between the PBT and NBT group, nor the male and female comparisons, on either dependent measure of treatment outcome. / Further research is recommended on the efficacy of family systems intervention in the treatment of nicotine dependence using larger sample sizes and a variety of family typologies. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-04, Section: A, page: 1528. / Major Professor: Charles R. Figley. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

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<p> Suggestion is a part of communication that cannot be stripped from or be considered separate from verbal and nonverbal communication. It is through the need to view the communication processes from a complete understanding that this study investigated the possible influence that suggestion may have on an individual&rsquo;s perception of reality. The existing literature was reviewed with various results from different researchers, however, much of the literature supported previous research done by Spanos et al. (1984) and Bartels et al. (2006). Their research showed some indications that suggestion, and possibly priming may have an influence on an individual&rsquo;s perception. Using their research as a starting point this study developed a mixed-method approach in order to test some aspects of their research. Ten volunteers participated in a mixed-methods experiment. A Factorial Design of 2 x 2 enabled a testing of two treatments at the same time. The participants were tested for level of suggestibility using the Stanford Scale and were then divided into one of four groups. Groups consisted of high or low suggestible participants who were treated with a suggestion or priming words to determine their level of discomfort when their arm was placed in ice water. The results were measured on a scale from one to ten. </p><p> The ANOVA showed no statistical difference in the groups. However, the number of individuals who were unable to complete the testing was all in the high suggestibility group and it appeared that individuals in the priming group, both high and low suggestible, had the greatest reduction in discomfort relative to their baseline.</p>

This study was designed to assess the impact of aging and Alzheimer's disease on conscious appraisal of emotional experience, facial expression, and emotion-modulated action tendencies. Participants included healthy young adults (YA), healthy older adults (OA), and individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Self-report of emotional experience while viewing emotionally-salient images was recorded, action tendencies in the form of eye-blink startle reflex modulation and its resolution over time (300ms and 3000ms post-stimulus offset) were recorded, and facial expression of emotion was assessed utilizing EMG recordings of corrugator and zygomatic facial muscles. Consistent with previous studies of emotion in YA, showed the predicted linear relationship with normatively-determined image type (positive, neutral, & negative), and arousal experience ratings were in the predicted quadratic pattern. Corrugator EMG activity increased while viewing negative images and zygomatic EMG activity increased while viewing positive images, as predicted. Startle reflex magnitude was observed in the predicted valenced direction (i.e., greatest for negative images) while viewing images and 300ms post-image removal, but this pattern inverted at the 3000ms probe-time. Similar findings were observed in a comparison of the YA and OA groups, however a difference was observed in the resolution of the startle reflex, with the expected valenced pattern dissipating by the 300ms probe-time for the OA group. Comparisons of the OA and AD groups were limited by small sample sizes, but the AD group was similar to the OA group on measures of self-report of emotional experience patterns and corrugator EMG activity. Zygomatic EMG activity while viewing positive images appeared reduced in the AD group, and no effect of startle reflex modulation was observed in the AD group. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Psychophysiological responses (e.g. startle blink magnitude and ERPs) have demonstrated sensitivity to individual differences in humans (e.g. Patrick, Bradley, & Lang, 1993), as well as discriminating between the valence and arousal qualities of affective stimuli such as photographs depicting varying emotional content. The present study examines startle blink responses and event-related potential (ERP) measures in students, selected based on their level of socialization, as they viewed 54 slides that fell into one of three affective categories (pleasant, neutral, unpleasant). Results supported a slightly modified version of a theory suggesting that attentional processes are modified by the affective environment (Cuthbert et al., (2000)). Results did not support hypotheses predicting that low socialized individuals would respond to affective stimuli in much the same way as true psychopaths do.

This study examined youths' (mean age = 16) responses to videotaped scenes depicting various family exchanges as a function of their exposure to family violence during childhood. Children exposed to family violence (n = 92) and a comparison group of children (n = 31) demographically similar to those in the index group described their family backgrounds and domestic violence experiences during interviews in 1990-91, when the children were between the ages of 6 and 12. Approximately eight years later, these participants viewed film clips depicting family members engaged in hostile, prosocial, and neutral exchanges while a computer monitored their skin conductance responses. Youths also provided self-reports of their emotions and arousal after watching these scenes. Analyses of self-reported emotions failed to yield differences based on family violence background. Analyses of skin conductance responses, however, indicated that males and females exposed to family violence during childhood responded to the films in divergent ways, and these responses usually differed from those of youths in the comparison group. Specifically, males from originally violent homes displayed physiological overarousal, whereas females evinced physiological underarousal. These findings provide evidence for the potentially long-term effects of family violence as well as sex differences in responding to family violence. Results are discussed in light of the literature on the sensitization effects of family conflict.

Discrimination learning, the ability to better discriminate fine perceptual changes, is an important skill humans possess. In the present set of studies, some of the parameters that govern line orientation discrimination teaming are examined along with theories of the mechanisms underlying such learning. Specifically, three questions are addressed. First, how does training on one part of the orientation dimension affect the rest of that dimension? When subjects were trained with one pair of orientations at one retinal location, learning that was a true change in perception did occur. When subjects were tested with a novel orientation, rotated 90 degrees at the same retinal location, significant interference was found. Next, how training at one part of the orientation dimension affects the retinal location dimension was examined. Retinal location is coded in the same part of the brain as orientation and therefore may also be affected by training. Training with one pair of orientations at one retinal location did have an effect on at least one neighboring retinal location such that performance dropped below baseline, indicating interference. Finally, how training on the entire dimension of orientation affects the process of discrimination learning was examined. Training subjects with four pairs of orientations that span the entire orientation dimension did allow learning to occur. This learning may not have been a true change in perception. When tested with a novel, intermediate pair of orientations, previous learning may have positively transferred, but did not appear to interfere. Testing with a neighboring retinal location showed no sign of interference as did training with one pair of orientations. Based on the neurophysiological studies on monkeys by Recanzone et al. (1992; 1993), it was suggested that increased discrimination ability occurs through the reorganization of cortical sensory maps such that there is more cortical area devoted to the practiced stimuli. The results of the present set of studies suggest that discrimination learning does occur by recruiting neighboring cells to respond to the practiced stimuli when learning is occurring for one part of a dimension. When learning occurs for an entire dimension, a different mechanism appears to be at work.

As the number of women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer continues to rise, so does the population of long-term breast cancer survivors. Many factors influence the overall outcome of their experience, one of which is the support from their partners. Much has been written on the issues of women with breast cancer, but what is lacking in the literature are the voices of their partners during the long-term survival phase of the disease. The purpose of this study was to conduct a phenomenological study to (1) describe the essential structure of the experience of being a partner of a long-term breast cancer survivor, and (2) compare theme patterns of the partners of long-term breast cancer survivors with those of long-term breast cancer survivors. The sample consisted of seven participants with the average age of 55 years. Time together as partners averaged 25.2 years. The average time since the cancer diagnosis was 9.5 years. The research method consisted of open-ended audiotaped interviews. Colaizzi's eight-step method of analysis was utilized. Ten theme categories were identified from the data: the invisible enemies--cancer and uncertainty, a sense of duty, constant vigilance, from dreams to reality, turning my eyes away but not my heart, paying the price, don't worry--be happy, who are we now, rebuilding our home, and the everlasting journey. From these theme categories, the essential structure was identified. In searching for the meaning of the journey, the partner is influenced by several factors: their own as well as the patient's coping skills and quality of life, as well as the patient's overall response to cancer treatment. Partners experience many of the same issues as the patient, but their response to and the ability to travel along this cancer journey is based on their role as a partner and their sense of duty to the patient. The partner's goal is to bring structure and stability to the uncertainty of cancer and to find meaning for oneself and the patient during this experience.