Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1994. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-04, Section: B, page: 2933.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1983. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-06, Section: B, page: 2007.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-11, Section: B, page: 7183. Adviser: Monica Fabiani. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-116) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

The purpose of this study was to investigate imagery procedures used by visually impaired athletes prior to and during competition. Individual in depth interviews were conducted with 15 visually impaired goal ball players, competing at a national level. The results indicate that regardless of the degree of visual impairment, these athletes used imagery on a daily basis for functioning effectively within their handicap. Due to their lack of vision, a great deal of feeling and sound was incorporated into their imagery. Suggestions are made for the enhancement of "feeling oriented imagery" with sighted persons.

L'une des visions dans la recherche portant sur les émotions et les expressions faciales interprète les expressions comme le miroir des états intérieurs (Darwin, 1872/1965). Aujourd'hui, bien que plusieurs travaux aient mis en évidence qu'il existait effectivement une concordance entre l'émotion ressentie et l'expression faciale (Ekman, Friesen, & Ancoli, 1980, Roseberg & Ekman, 1994; Smith, McHugo, & Lanzetta, 1986), d'autres recherches ont démontré que l'activité du visage pouvait être trompeuse (Ekman & Friesen, 1974; Ekman, Friesen, & O'Sullivan, 1988). Certains indices faciaux favorisent la discrimination entre les expressions émotionnelles authentiques et non authentiques (i.e., dynamique temporelle de l'expression, temps de latence de la montée, certains mouvements faciaux, durée totale de l'expression). En dépit de ces indices, les êtres humains semblent avoir de la difficulté à distinguer entre ces deux types d'expression émotionnelle. L'objectif principal de la présente thèse est d'examiner la sensibilité des décodeurs à deux indices faciaux révélateurs de l'authenticité de l'expression faciale de la joie, soit la présence de la contraction de l'orbicularis oculi et la symétrie de l'expression. Le deuxième objectif est de vérifier si l'appréciation de l'authenticité varie selon le type de jugement (catégoriel vs intensité). Le troisième objectif est d'étudier le degré de confiance des décodeurs dans leurs jugements. Le quatrième objectif vise l'examen de la capacité des décodeurs à détecter ces deux caractéristiques de l'authenticité de la joie alors que le cinquième objectif est de mettre en relation la détection des indices et le jugement de l'authenticité. Trois études ont été effectuées afin d'atteindre ces objectifs. Les résultats des études suggèrent que, dans certaines circonstances, les décodeurs sont sensibles aux indices de l'authenticité de la joie et, ce, peu importe la modalité de jugement employée. Les résultats indiquent également que les décodeurs sont confiants dans leurs jugements, mais qu'il n'y a pas de relation entre la confiance et l'exactitude des jugements. De plus, il semble que les décodeurs soient capables de détecter les indices révélateurs de l'authenticité et que certains décodeurs sont plus habiles à repérer ces indices que d'autres. Toutefois, ceux-ci ne semblent pas interpréter la signification de ces indices aussi bien lorsqu'ils portent un jugement d'authenticité. Les forces, les limites et les applications pratiques de nos travaux sont également présentées.

In this study, the time courses of slow wave sleep (SWS) and EEG slow wave activity (SWA) were examined in relation to core body temperature (CBT) during extended sleep periods of 15 hours. This investigation examined the merits of a hypothetical 12-hour rhythm of SWS to: (1) confirm its existence; (2) see if it was reflected by the more objective measure of SWA (power spectral analysis); and (3) determine if there was any relationship between this 12-hour rhythm and the CBT rhythm. In Study 1, 7 subjects (age 18-22 years) slept in the laboratory for 3 consecutive nights (2 of 8 hours, then 1 of 15 hours). Rectal CBT was monitored during sleep periods. The main findings were that SWS and SWA both significantly increase in the final 3-hour block over the center 3-hour block, and that these late increases were not related to waking after sleep onset (WASO) or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Five of the 7 subjects showed a return of SWA, which was defined by the maximum 15 minute running average in the last 5 hours exceeding the same measure for the previous 4 hours (about 2 sleep cycles with lower SWA). With CBT phase defined as the delay from sleep onset to CBT minimum, it was found that late SWS (in the last 3 hours), and magnitude of the SWA return had significant positive relationships to CBT phase. In Study 2, 3 subjects (age 19, 21, and 29) were studied for 4 series of 4 consecutive nights, with bedtime at 23:30h on all nights. Two series served as baseline (8HBL, and 6HBL). During one series (ML) CBT rhythm was phase advanced using morning bright light (7000-11000 lux, 6:00h-9:00h), and during another series (EL) CBT was delayed using evening bright light (20:00h-23:00h). Subjects were kept in dim light (250 lux) during these morning and evening periods for the 8HBL and 6HBL. A range of CBT phase to sleep timing combinations resulted, with ML always phase advanced relative to EL. CBT phase plotted against late SWS and SWA measures showed a positive association between CBT phase and timing of SWA return (except in one subject (#3)), and a smaller positive association to SWA in the last 3 hours (except in one subject (#1)). When data from Study 1 and the equivalent 8HBL of Study 2 were combined, SWS and SWA late in the sleep period were not significantly related to WASO or REM, and magnitude of the SWA return was statistically significant. There was also a significant relationship between CBT phase and late SWS, magnitude of SWA return, and timing of the SWA return, but not with SWA in the last 3 hours. The data were consistent with a 12-hour rhythm of SWS and SWA, in which the minor pole does not depend solely on WASO or REM, and is related in timing and magnitude to the CBT rhythm. Magnitude of both poles are likely influenced by prior amounts of waking, but the special conditions of extended sleep illustrate the association of the minor pole to the CBT rhythm.

The hypothesis that individual differences in mental ability depend, in part, on the speed or efficiency of performing elementary cognitive tasks was examined. Performance and event-related potential measures were determined during the performance of a Sternberg memory scanning task with three levels of difficulty, a category matching task, and a synonym-antonym task. In each task two stimuli were presented sequentially on each trial. In the Sternberg task, the first stimulus was one, three, or five letters and is called the memory set. The second stimulus was a probe stimulus. A category name and a category exemplar were presented in each trial of the category matching task. The two stimulus words presented in each trial of the synonym-antonym task were either synonyms or antonyms. Reaction time, movement time, and reaction time standard deviation were all negatively correlated with intelligence at levels consistent with previous research. In the Sternberg task, P300 amplitude to the first stimulus increased as the number of items in the memory set increased, affirming that P300 amplitude is sensitive to demands for processing resources. P300 amplitude to the first stimulus was smaller for higher ability than lower ability subjects. This is consistent with the idea that lower ability subjects require greater processing resources than higher ability subjects. The ERP differences between higher and lower ability subjects to the first stimulus were greater at fronto-central electrode sites than at Pz where P300 is maximal. P300 amplitude to the target stimulus decreased as set size increased. This is consistent with the view that P300 amplitude is sensitive to changes in task difficulty. P300 amplitude to the second stimulus tended to be larger for the higher ability group, an effect that can be understood in terms of equivocation. P300 latency to both the first and second stimulus increased as the set size increased, affirming that P300 latency is a measure of the time required for stimulus evaluation and classification. Higher ability subjects displayed longer P300 latency to the first stimulus than lower ability subjects. The longer P300 latency to the first stimulus suggests that higher ability subjects devote more time to stimulus analysis and planning than lower ability subjects. The performance of higher ability subjects on these tasks was characterised by the more efficient deployment of processing resources and less equivocation than lower ability subjects. Speed of processing and speed of motor response were faster for higher ability than lower ability subjects.

Les resultats de plusieurs etudes appuient la notion d'une relation potentielle entre le sommeil paradoxal (SP) et le traitement de l'information. La presente recherche avait pour but d'examiner de plus pres cette relation en etudiant l'activite interhemispherique (EEG) en SP durant un apprentissage intensif de langue second. Huit etudiants droitiers unilingues anglophones, 5 femmes et 3 hommes (moyenne d'age = 24 ans), inscrits dans un cours d'immersion en francais d'une duree de six semaines, ont dormi en laboratoire pendant neuf nuits: 3 nuits avant le debut du cours, 2 nuits apres le cours. Nous avons mesure l'activite interhemispherique en SP a partir de deux sites: parieto-temporal (W1 et W2) ainsi que frontal (F3 et F4). En guise de comparaison, l'activite cerebrale a l'eveil a egalement ete enregistree pendant une serie de taches cognitives; soit la relaxation avec les yeux ouverts et fermes, l'ecoute de trois pieces musicales (classique, paroles francaises et paroles anglaises), et lors de la lecture d'un texte francais et anglais. Des analyses de la variance (ANOVAs) a mesures repetees ont revele des tendances lineaires significatives () au niveau du site parieto-temporal en SP pour les 7 frequences suivantes: delta, theta, alpha, beta, beta 1, beta 2, et totale. Cex memes analyses avec les donnees du site frontal ont decele des tendances lineaires significatives ($) dans deux frequences; theta et alpha. Il ressort de l'examen des resultats que la dominance de l'hemisphere gauche, apparente au debut du cours, s'est dirigee davantage vers une symetrie interhemispherique a mesure que le cours se deroulait. Des analyses identiques a partir des donnees enregistrees a l'eveil n'ont pas decele les tendances consistantes observees en SP. Ces donnees offrent donc un appui supplementaire au lien apparent entre le SP et le traitement de l'information, et suggerent que le sommeil serait une periode privilegiee pour mesurer le traitement hemispherique d'une langue seconde. Des analyses plus approfondies en utilisant des donnees provenant des autres stades de sommeil, nous permettrons de conclure si ce phenomene est reserve exclusivement au SP.

The Spontaneously Diabetic Wistar B.B. Rat (SDR) is considered to be a genetically determined animal model of human Type-1 diabetes. The overall objective of this thesis was to elucidate the behavioral and neurochemical profile of the SDR. This objective was attained using various pharmacological, behavioral and neurochemical approaches. The course of the changes was followed sequentially, at discretely defined time frames (0-2, 2-8 and 8-12 months duration of diabetes), to explore and characterize the contended dysfunctions. Overall, it was found that the insulin treated SDR exhibited a significantly attenuated locomotor and rearing response to the systemically administered dopamine agonists d-amphetamine and amfonelic acid. In the case of d-amphetamine, it was found that the attenuated response was robust and chronic as it persisted across all three time frames. The attenuated response of the insulin treated SDR to amfonelic acid demonstrated that the behavioral deficit could also be elicited by a dopamine agonist with a different mechanism of action from d-amphetamine. In a nonpharmacological experiment, it was found that the insulin treated SDR manifested a significantly attenuated nocturnal locomotor and rearing response, particularly to transitional photoperiodic cues. This deficit in responding was chronic and robust as it was observed across all three time frames. The possible neurochemical substrates of the aforementioned effects were investigated. A post-mortem neurochemical analysis of the region specific basal levels of CNS catecholamines and metabolites, in the insulin maintained and deprived SDR, was undertaken. There were no significant differences between the insulin maintained SDR and non-diabetic littermates or genetically distinct controls. The cessation of insulin administration to the SDR for four consecutive days resulted in significant increases in the levels of norepinephrine in the cortex and hypothalamus, dopamine in the hippocampus, and homovanillic acid in the striatum. The neurochemical response of the insulin treated SDR was assessed following a pharmacological challenge. The SDR was exposed to a single dose of (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) amfonelic acid. The SDR exhibited a significantly greater reduction in the post-mortem levels of dopamine in the striatum, midbrain, and olfactory bulbs as well as striatal norepinephrine. The behavioral effects elicited by d-amphetamine and amfonelic acid are believed to be dopamine mediated. Thus, it was hypothesized that one source of the observed neurochemical and behavioral deficits may be related to an impairment of dopaminergic neurotransmission. Therefore, the concomitant measurement of spontaneous nocturnal locomotor activity and levels of interstitial dopamine from the ventral striatum was measured using in vivo microdialysis. No significant differences between the insulin treated SDR and controls were found. The SDR did exhibit significantly lower levels of locomotor activity. In a different vein, the behavioral response of the insulin treated SDR was assessed following exposure to environments varying in degree of novelty. It was found that the SDR exhibited a heightened behavioral response to novelty-stress. The insulin maintained SDR manifested a greater aversion to the anxiogenic regions of the open field and elevated plus maze whilst being treated with chlordiazepoxide. The anxiolytic effects of this drug were significantly attenuated in the SDR when compared to controls. In essence, it would appear that the SDR when treated with insulin and unchallenged by: (1) withdrawal of insulin treatment, (2) pharmacological stimulation or, (3) environmental stimulation, is able to maintain relatively stable baseline levels of brain catecholamines and behavior. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been reported to have electroencephalographic (EEG) abnormalities in the form of increased levels of theta band activity and lower than normal levels of beta band activity. The purpose of the present study was to determine if these abnormalities can also be observed in adults with ADHD. There were 32 control subjects, 25 subjects with ADHD of the primarily hyperactive type (ADHDhy), and 17 subjects with ADHD of the primarily inattentive type (ADHDpi). For the purposes of analysis, the ADHDhy and ADHDpi groups were combined to form a CLINICAL group. The subjects were right handed males and females between the ages of 20 and 50 years of age. During the study, EEG activity was recorded from 19 electrode sites while subjects sat with their eyes open and eyes closed, and while they performed a variety of tasks including: the Tests of Variability of Attention (TOVA), a reading task, a mental rotation task, a selective attention task, and a listening task. The results of the discriminant function analyses produced functions that correctly classified an average of 60 out of 74 of the control and ADHD subjects during the TOVA, listening, and selective attention tasks (p < .0005). An ANOVA of inter-hemispheric activity revealed that only the ADHDpi group were significantly different from the control group with more right than left hemispheric activity in the delta band during the mental rotation task (p < .006). A paired t-test analysis of inter-hemispheric activity showed that both the ADHDhy and ADHDpi groups had different percentage levels of right and left hemispheric activity (p < .005) during the performance of the eyes closed, T.O.V.A., mental rotation, and reading tasks; there were no significant differences in the control group in any of these comparisons. A MANOVA of regional (frontal, central, posterior, left temporal, and right temporal) activity revealed statistically significant differences in the theta/beta ratio during the eyes closed condition for the ADHDhy group with a higher ratio in the frontal region and right temporal area (p < .006). The results suggest that the differences between normal and ADHD children continues into adulthood but that the magnitude of the differences is reduced. A dysfunction in EEG activity caused by a maturational lag is supported by the results of this study. Based on the results of the analyses, recommendations are made as to which frequency bands and electrode sites should be targeted for use in neurotherapy.