Browsing by Subject "Psychophysiology"
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Item An exploration of the effects of breast cancer on survivors' and partners' female body image and sexuality(Texas Tech University, 2003-12) Bryan, Laura AnnBreast cancer strikes thousands of women in the United States every year, and previous research has shown that it has an impact on sexuality and female body image. This phenomenological study explored the experience of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare from the point of view of both members of a couple, the survivor and her partner. Six heterosexual couples agreed to be interviewed regarding their experience of breast cancer and their perceptions of its effect on their relationship. Several significant categories emerged from the data, which were analyzed intergender. Survivors' categories included a description of the discovery of her breast cancer and how others reacted, her experience of the medical treatment, the strength-based coping strategies she used, the support she received from others, her relationship with her partner, and her quality of life after breast cancer. Partners' categories included his previous experience with illness, his experience of breast cancer as an observer, and his quality of life after the breast cancer. The data revealed that the partner played a significant role in the survivor's positive outcome, especially her positive view of her sexuality and body image. The final chapter includes a discussion about the theoretical, clinical, and research implications, as well as possible directions for future research.Item An investigation of the interaction of light and sound variables on reaction time(Texas Tech University, 1964-05) Medeiros, Raymond RichardNot availableItem Attribunal processes concerning medication taking and their subsequent effects on fear reduction during exposure-based treatment(2006-05) Powers, Mark Bradley, 1971-; Telch, Michael JosephThe primary aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of attributions on fear reduction by having participants undergo exposurebased treatment in the context of an inactive medication that they were led to believe made the exposures easier (informed that the medication had a relaxing/sedating side-effect profile) or made the exposures more difficult (informed that the medication had an activating side-effect profile). Participants (N = 95) displaying marked claustrophobic fear were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 conditions: (a) Exposure Only (EO), (b) Exposure + Pill Placebo + Arousal Instruction (EPA attribution for pill interference), (c) Exposure + Pill Placebo + Neutral Instruction (EPN), (d) Exposure + Pill Placebo + Relaxation Instruction (EPR attribution for pill facilitation), (e) credible psychological placebo treatment (PLT), or (f) wait-list (WL). Consistent with prediction, results showed that an attribution for pill facilitation (EPR: relaxing/sedating instruction) interfered with fear reduction and led to higher relapse. Contrary to prediction, an attribution for pill interference (EPA: arousal instruction) did not outperform the other exposure conditions. Clinically significant improvement rates at posttreatment were as follows: EO = 73%, EPA = 75%, EPN = 78%, EPR = 76%, PLT = 60%, WL = 10%. Clinically significant improvement rates at follow-up were as follows: EO = 87%, EPA = 85%, EPN = 89%, EPR = 53%, PLT = 40%, WL = 30%. Relapse rates at follow-up were as follows: EO=0%, EPA=0%, EPN=0%, and EPR=39%. The deleterious effects of the relaxation instructions were fully mediated by attributions about the helpful effects of the medication reducing the variance accounted for by treatment from 30% to 7%. Findings suggest the importance of assessing attributions during combined exposure-based and pharmacological treatments and attention to a slow medication taper and reapplication of exposure during the taper.Item The effects of acute and chronic stress on sexual arousal in women(2010-05) Hamilton, Lisa Dawn, 1979-; Meston, Cindy M.; Delville, Yvon; Jones, Theresa A.; Gore, Andrea C.; Dormire, Sharon L.In most adult animals, stress is generally thought to be detrimental to reproductive (sexual) function. However, in humans, there is a limited body of literature that indicates some stress can potentially be beneficial for sexual function. One theory is that there is an inverted U relationship between stress and sexual function with low and high levels of stress (or anxiety) causing an impairment of sexual response, while a moderate level of stress facilitates sexual arousal. This aim of this dissertation is to identify the mechanisms through which both acute and chronic stress may facilitate or impair sexual arousal in women. In particular, I examined the role of adrenal hormones, the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and psychological factors. To test these mechanisms, I measured cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), heart rate, distraction, and misattribution of arousal during stressful and sexual laboratory situations. Two of the studies examined the effects of acute stress, and the final study focused on chronic stress. Results indicated that acute stress is beneficial for genital arousal in women, and that the sympathetic branch of the ANS is the key mechanism involved in that relationship. High levels of chronic stress were found to significantly impair genital arousal compared to average levels of chronic stress. Increased levels of cortisol and distractions contributed to this effect. DHEAS did not appear to play a role in the relationship between stress and sexual arousal, and there was no evidence for misattribution of arousal. Neither acute nor chronic stress affected women’s subjective (psychological) arousal. Acute and chronic stressors affect sexual arousal in different ways and through separate mechanisms. The findings from these studies can inform treatment approaches for women with sexual arousal difficulties.Item Emotional factors in mental and emotional stress-induced cardiac ischemia(2001-08) Carr, Blaine Hart; McCarthy, Christopher J.Item Gender differences in the consequences of depressive symptomatology for educational attainment, social support, and health risk behavior during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood: implications for health disparities in mid to late life(2006) Needham, Belinda LeeAnn; Umberson, DebraUsing data from three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, I examine the association between mental health problems experienced early in the life course and factors that impact physical health later in the life course, including educational attainment, social support, and health risk behavior. In addition, I consider whether these associations are conditioned by gender, an important aspect of social structural context. I find that adolescent depression is associated with increased odds of failure to complete high school for girls but not for boys. Among high school graduates of both genders, depressive symptomatology is associated with failure to enter college. In each case, trouble paying attention in school, grade point average, and educational expectations mediate the association between symptoms of depression and school termination. Next, I find that social support and depressive symptomatology interact with one another in a dynamic fashion across the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Parental support during adolescence is inversely associated with initial symptoms of depression for girls and boys, although adolescent girls with low levels of parental support begin the study period with significantly higher levels of depressive symptomatology than their male counterparts. Furthermore, elevated symptoms of depression during adolescence negatively impact parent-child relationships during young adulthood. This association is stronger for girls than boys. Finally, I find that the association between depressive symptomatology and health risk behaviors is bidirectional. Adolescents who are initially more depressed begin the study period with substantially higher rates of binge drinking and drug use than their better-adjusted peers, yet they are less vulnerable to increases in these health risk behaviors across the transition to young adulthood. Also, adolescents who start out with higher than average cigarette, alcohol, and drug use experience a faster rate of decline in symptoms of depression over time compared to those who start out with lower levels of substance use. This association is more pronounced for girls than boys. Despite their faster rate of decline in depressive symptoms, girls and boys who have higher initial levels of substance use report higher levels of depressive symptomatology at all three time points.Item Human performance and physical fitness.(Texas Tech University, 1974-08) Gruber, Robert ChristianNot availableItem Perceptual discrimination as a measure of organic impairment in a psychiatric sample(Texas Tech University, 1969-05) Cohorn, Ronnie LynnNot availableItem Power law poikilitic functions: empirical test for lifted weight(Texas Tech University, 1979-05) Bittner, Alvah CurtisNot availableItem Psychophysical and physiological study of one-handed and two-handed combined tasks(Texas Tech University, 1996-05) Yoon, HoonyongMost psychophysical studies in manual material handling (MMH) have paid more attention to two-handed MMH activities than to one-handed MMH activities. Also, studies have been involved only with single MMH activities - lifting, lowering, carrying, holding, pushing or pulling. Some studies have examined the capacities of two-handed combined MMH activities. However, the capacities for combinations of one-handed MMH activities (lifting a box, then carrying the box, and lowering the box), especially repetitive tasks, have never been examined, although these kinds of combined one-handed tasks are very common in normal life and in industry. The objective of this study was to find the psychophysical and physiological responses of human subjects from a simulated industrial task involving one-handed and two-handed combined tasks and to develop prediction models for one-handed and two-handed combined tasks. Ten male students participated in the experiment. Capacities were determined as the maximum acceptable weight workload for a 1 hr work period for one-handed and two-handed combined tasks: lifting a box from floor-to-knuckle height, carrying the box for 4.3 m, and lowering the box from knuckle-to-floor height. Individual capacities were determined psychophysically under three frequencies: six handlings per minute, one handling per minute and one handling per five minutes. In addition to the maximum acceptable weight, heart rate, tasking time and RPE values for the whole body, the arm, and the back were also measured as responses and statistically analyzed.Item The development of a quantitative scale for a qualitative continuum(Texas Tech University, 1968-08) Tyer, Zita EileenNot availableItem The effects of pre-task adaptation and aversive stimulation upon the performance of a vigilance task(Texas Tech University, 1970-05) Blom, Douglas Irving,Not availableItem The relationship of selected psychological characteristics to physical fitness and motor ability(Texas Tech University, 1970-08) Kaerwer, Bobby NewtonNot available