Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 226-242). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Although the topic is rarely discussed, performance anxiety is a debilitating condition that sometimes even successful actors face. This thesis chronicles my experience dealing with performance anxiety in four productions as an actor in the M.F.A. acting program at The University of Texas at Austin. It includes an overview of research on the topic and calls for additional study from researchers of psychological disorders and practitioners of the acting craft. / text

Erectile performance anxiety (EPA) is a subset of sexual anxiety characterized by a fear of erectile failure. EPA has been shown to play a pivotal role in male sexual problems including premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction (Loudon, 1998; Perelman, 2006). EPA affects approximately 14% to 23% of U.S. men across age groups (Laumann, Paik, & Rosen, 1999), and is the most common proximal cause of psychogenic ED (Hale & Strassberg, 1990; Hedon, 2003; Perelman, 1994; Rosen, 2001). Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors such as sildenafil citrate (brand-name Viagra) are the first line of pharmacological treatment for ED. Recreational use of PDE5 inhibitors -- defined as unprescribed use with the goal of sexual enhancement and prevention of erectile failure among men without clinically significant erectile difficulties. Approximately 13.4% of young men between the ages of 18 - 30 report using PDE5 inhibitors recreationally. The most commonly reported reason for off-prescription use is to enhance one's sexual performance, i.e., longer lasting erections or impress one's sexual partner (Bechara, Casabe, De Bonis, Helien, & Bertolino, 2010; Harte & Meston, 2011; Holt, 2009; Korkes, Costa-Matos, Gasperini, Reginato, & Perez, 2008; Musacchio, Hartrich, & Garofalo, 2006). Reducing anxiety -- specifically EPA is often given as a reason for recreational use, though to a lesser extent (Korkes et al., 2008; Schnetzler, Banks, Kirby, Zou, & Symonds, 2010). However, PDE5 inhibitors do not exert a significant increase in penile tumescence among men without erectile dysfunction (Mondaini et al., 2008). The actual sexual enhancement from recreational use of PDE5 inhibitors among this population would be limited in that blood flow to the healthy erectile tissue is already optimal. The proposed study aimed to examine the effects of an erection-enhancing pill description misattribution on anticipatory anxiety and subsequent subjective and physiological sexual response to an audiovisual erotic stimulus. Participants underwent two assessments of their subjective and physiological arousal response to an erotic film after randomization to one of three conditions (erection-enhancing pill description, memory-enhancing pill description, or a no pill control). It was hypothesized that compared to those in the memory-enhancing pill group and the no pill control group, participants in the erection-enhancing pill group would respond with greater anticipatory anxiety and dampened penile tumescence in response to a subsequent no-pill erotic film presentation. Results of the study provided partial support for the hypothesized negative effects of the pill attribution manipulation. In the subset of subjects with complete pre and post-manipulation physiological data, those led to believe they ingested an erectile-enhancing herb showed a dampening of erectile tumescence to a subsequent erotic film presentation. Also, consistent with prediction, erectile performance anxiety was associated with decreased tumescence after the bogus "average" erectile performance feedback compared to baseline. These findings suggest that pill attribution may influence sexual arousal to some extent, despite methodological issues such as partial physiological data loss and believability of the pill instructional set manipulation. / text

The purpose of the present research was to provide ideas for positive stress management in the orchestra world to help achieve high-level performances. The author developed the Orchestral Performance and Stress Survey and distributed it to 230 musicians of three orchestras that comprised full-time and part-time professional as well as community orchestra musicians. The survey sought to identify stress-causing and performance-enhancing factors in the orchestra environment. Questions on the musicians' background allowed for comparisons to identify groups with particular needs. Results show that musical training often does not include stress management training. Playing-related injuries are common. Two-thirds of full-time musicians who responded have suffered injuries that forced them to stop playing for more than one week. On average, musicians reported that stress neither detracts from, nor enhances performances. The most stressful concert types were classical concerts. Highly critical audiences are the most stressful. / School of Music

Treatise (D.M.A.) -- Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Douglas Fisher, Florida State University, School of Music. Title and description from treatise home page (viewed 9-29-04). Document formatted into pages; contains 73 pages. Includes biographical sketch. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2007. / "May, 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-53). Online version available on the World Wide Web. Library also has microfilm. Ann Arbor, Mich. : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [2007]. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm.

Thesis (Ph. D., Education)--University of Idaho, October 2008. / Major professor: Damon D. Burton. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-93). Also available online (PDF file) by subscription or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Gershon Tenenbaum, Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 14, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains x, 98 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Dissertation (D.M.A.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed May 11, 2010). Directed by Randy Kohlenberg; submitted to the School of Music. Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-81).

Thesis (M.Mus.)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references: S-1 - S-13.