Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-92). Also available on the Internet.

Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-38).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1993.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, / Title from title page screen, viewed December 6, 2005. Dissertation Committee: Marilyn P. Newby (chair), Susan F. Amster, E. Robert Stefl, James J. Johnson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-89) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1975. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-120).

Project (D. Min.)--Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, 1986. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 339-346).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1986. / Includes index. Bibliography: leaves 178-183.

This study proposes a series of 3 experiments to explore how the use of mental imagery affects expert vs. novice golfers differently, by comparing alpha and beta waves. In Experiment 1 experts and novices will putt under a pressure task or no pressure task. The researcher will analyze golfers’ putting success rate in addition to examining alpha and beta waves. Experiment 2 will expand upon the expected results of Experiment 1, focusing on experts’ and novices’ use of task-relevant and task-irrelevant mental imagery as pre-performance routines just before a putting task, with all conditions facing pressure. Finally, Experiment 3 will explore experts’ vs. novices’ use of task-relevant and task-irrelevant mental imagery the day before the pressure putting task. Researchers are expected to find increases in alpha wave activity to occur prior to the putting task in experts regardless of condition, which is consistent with the attention-arousal set theory’s concept of an optimal state of performance. Novices should display increases in alpha wave activity and reach their optimal state of performance when the type of mental imagery they use helps them relax, which should lead to a higher putting success rate.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by episodes of mania and depression and serious suicidal risks. Recent studies reported high mental imagery susceptibility (general use of imagery in daily life and emotional impact of prospective imagery) in euthymic bipolar patients. This thesis aims to: a) replicate these findings in patients at different phases of bipolar disorder and with varying degrees of bipolarity, and b) explore how mental imagery susceptibility, ruminative processing, and behavioural approach system (BAS) sensitivity interact to amplify mood symptoms. Chapter 1 provides an overview of current theories of mood amplification and recurrence in bipolar disorders. Chapter 2 details the local validation of scales used in the thesis. Chapter 3 (Study 1) investigated whether mental imagery susceptibility, positive rumination and BAS sensitivity were elevated in remitted bipolar I disorder compared with major depressive disorder and non-psychiatric controls. Results suggested that these cognitive variables were elevated in remitted bipolar I disorder. Positive rumination also interacted with positive prospective images to predict bipolarity. Chapter 4 (Study 2) found that these cognitive variables were elevated in bipolar I disorder during manic and euthymic phases, compared to major depression. Further, the number of positive prospective images predicted recovery status and manic symptom severity. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 report that, compared with people without bipolar spectrum conditions, these cognitive characteristics were elevated in sub-threshold bipolar disorder (Study 3), individuals with high bipolar risks based on a behavioural paradigm (Study 4), and individuals with high familial risk (Study 5). Studies 3-5 confirmed that positive and negative prospective images interacted with rumination to amplify hypomanic and depressive symptoms respectively. Chapter 8 (Study 6) showed that suicidal flash-forwards function as a psychological escape from perceived entrapment and defeat in suicidality. Based on these findings, Chapter 9 proposes novel imagery-based techniques for targeting problematic imagery in bipolar disorders.