Kristen Thomson (SFU):Testing the Attentional Slot Hypothesis: an ERP Study on Visual Search in the Attentional Blink
In our complex visual environment, attention must be divided between sources of information that are presented sequentially as well as simultaneously. This competition for attentional resources results in reduced accuracy and increased reactio n time for the second of two targets presented in close temporal proximity, an effect known as the attentional blink (AB) (for a review see Martens & Wyble, 2010). Paradoxically, an event-r elated potential (ERP) component called the N2pc (a measure of the allocation of attention), is only slightly delayed in AB tasks (Lagroix, Grubert, Spalek, Di Lollo, & Eimer, 2015) indicating that visual search is still possible during the AB. In order to reconcile these contradictory results, a model of attentional processing is proposed whereby attention contains a slot mechanism. The classic AB paradigm, where a single object is presented for T1, may result in a single attentional slot being filled. The current research switches the T1 task to require participants to attend to either a single or multiple objects. When multiple attention slots are filled during T1, the N2pc is delayed for T2, indicating that attention is not redirected until T1 has been processed and more attentional slots become available.
Joel Collard (UVic):Effectiveness of Tactical Breathing at Mitigating Stress
Canadian Forces (CF) members are at greater risk than their civilian complement for developing several stress related disorders (Zamorski, 2016). This along with an increase in CF stress related disorder prevalence suggests a need for effective stress preventive measures. This study investigates the relative effectiveness of Tactical Breathing (TB; a CF breathing exercise) at mitigating acute stress in comparison to Victory Breathing (VB; yogic ujjayi breathing), and Spontaneous Breathing (SB). Participants (N = 74; 79.7% female) were recruited from an undergraduate student population and were allocated to breathing condition using a cluster randomized control design. Participants were instructed to employ their assigned breathing exercise throughout von Dawans et al.’s (2011) Grouped Trier Social Stress Test (TSST-G). Stress was determined by comparing group differences in heart rates and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores for anxiety between baseline and post-antici pation as well as baseline and post-interview phases of the TSST-G. The difference between baseline and post-anticipatory VAS scores was significantly lower for TB when compared to VB, F(2,64) = 4.64, p = 0.011, 95% CI [3.4, 31.2]; no significant differences were observed with SB. Tactical Breathing was reported as more useful, t(41) = 2.11, p = 0.041, 95% CI [0.8, 35.4], and more comfortable, t(41) = 3.07, p = 0.004, 95% CI [8.9, 43.2], than VB. Although TB was most practical, performance-wise, it provided no statistically significant effect on acute stress mitigation. Differences observed between it and VB demonstrate a lack of causal understanding behind its performance.
Patrick Dwyer (UVic): Investigating Neural Sensitivity to Face Identity in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using EEG
Behavioural research suggests that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with impairments in face recognition; however, electrophysiological approaches have yielded mixed findings. The present study used the fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) oddball paradigm to compare responses to faces in 16 high-functioning adults with ASD and 16 typically-developing (TD) controls. Same-identity faces (A) were presented at a frequency of 6Hz (F) with different-identity oddball faces (B, C, etc.) replacing every fifth face (F/5 = 1.2Hz; i.e., AAAABAAAACAAAADA...). It is hypothesized that the brain’s EEG response at the 6Hz frequency reflects generic detection of the face stimulus, while the response at the 1.2Hz frequency is hypothesized to reflect sensitivity to face identity. Four blocks of upright faces and four blocks of inverted faces were presented; the difference between responses to upright and inverted faces is hypothesized to reflect configural processing of upright faces. An enhanced EEG response was found at 6Hz and its harmonics, centred in medical occipital channels, and an enhanced response was also found at 1.2Hz and its harmonics, centred in occipito-temporal channels with right hemispheric dominance. Differences were found between activation to upright and inverted face blocks in both the occipital 6Hz response and the occipito-temporal 1.2Hz response, indicating that upright faces were processed configurally. No group differences or interactions with group were found in either response. This may suggest that face recognition impairments in autism are attributable to later stages of face memory, rather than the earlier stages of face perception examined by the FPVS paradigm.
UVic Honours Posters
Buse Bedir: Language Use in Immigrant Chinese Families: Relations with Parent-Child Relationship Quality
This thesis investigated the relation between language use and relationship quality in mother-child and father-child dyads from 181 immigrant Chinese families in Canada. Language is often one of the most discussed topics in immigrant families as children usually experience a rapid language shift towards English, whereas parents retain greater comfort operating in their heritage language. This can create nonreciprocal language pattern in immigrant families, in which parents and children speak in different languages when they interact with each other. Previous research has found that nonreciprocal language is associated with low parent-child relationship quality. This study sought to clarify the link between language use patterns and relationship congruence and conflict in immigrant families. Results of ANOVA analyses found no effect of nonreciprocal language use on relationship congruence and conflict. Findings supported the hypothesis that generational status was associated with language use patterns. In addition, differences between effects of mothers’ and fathers’ English proficiency on conflict was found. Directions for future research and implications were discussed.
Philip Chkipov: An Investigation into the Role of Athleticism on Long-Term Deficits in Set Shifting Following Concussive Impacts
Research on the effect of concussions on neurological and cognitive pathways is a relatively new and controversial topic. Until recently, it has been assumed that concussions show no long-term cognitive impairment. However, an increasing amount of literature using more sophisticated and powerful techniques, like EEG/ERP analysis, have demonstrated some subtle, but persistent, long-term effects of concussions on cognition. The ERP component associated with set shifting is the P300, indexing attentional resource allocation. In the present study, 3 groups were examined: athletes with a history of concussions (n=16), athletes without a history of concussions (n=13), and sedentary controls without a history of concussions (n=19). All groups were given a set shifting task, in which EEG and reaction time data was collected. We hypothesized no behavioral differences between groups. At an electrophysiological level, it was hypothesized that concussed athletes would have significantly attenuated P300 relative to healthy athletes, indicating a deficit in attentional resource allocation. We also predicted P300 in concussed athletes would be greater than in sedentary controls, as athleticism would cushion effects of concussions. Overall, results indicated no significant differences in P300 amplitude or latency between groups, p>.05. Trends showed that sedentary controls exhibited the largest P300 activity and the slowest behavioral responses, suggesting a less efficient neural network as they required greater neural activity for a slower behavioral result. Both athlete groups had lower P300 activation and performed faster than sedentary controls, inferring a cognitive advantage associated with athleticism. Concussions did appear to have a negative effect on brain functioning, as concussed athletes had lower P300 activation and slower reaction times relative to healthy athletes. Concussed athletes appeared to have a more efficient neural connectivity than sedentary controls, suggesting that athleticism may mediate the damaging effects of concussions.
Holly Conklin: Perception of Introversion and the Display of Social Anxiety Symptoms
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by a fear of negative evaluation that can interfere with a person’s ability to interact with others in a healthy way. North America currently has some of the highest rates of SAD in the world, possibly because North American culture values extraverted qualities to such an extent that many introverted individuals feel there is something wrong with them for being naturally quieter. This could lead to fear of negative evaluation and, by extension, social anxiety. The present study provides a preliminary empirical evaluation of this claim. One hundred forty-two undergraduates completed a personality inventory and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and were asked to rate introverted and extraverted qualities according to how valuable they are. Multiple regression analyses indicated that participants who valued extraverted dispositions more reported significantly more social anxiety, suggesting that the way we view personality relates to development of maladaptive behaviours and attitudes. More research needs to be conducted to determine causality.
Patrick Dwyer (UVic): Investigating Neural Sensitivity to Face Identity in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using EEG
Behavioural research suggests that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with impairments in face recognition; however, electrophysiological approaches have yielded mixed findings. The present study used the fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) oddball paradigm to compare responses to faces in 16 high-functioning adults with ASD and 16 typically-developing (TD) controls. Same-identity faces (A) were presented at a frequency of 6Hz (F) with different-identity oddball faces (B, C, etc.) replacing every fifth face (F/5 = 1.2Hz; i.e., AAAABAAAACAAAADA...). It is hypothesized that the brain’s EEG response at the 6Hz frequency reflects generic detection of the face stimulus, while the response at the 1.2Hz frequency is hypothesized to reflect sensitivity to face identity. Four blocks of upright faces and four blocks of inverted faces were presented; the difference between responses to upright and inverted faces is hypothesized to reflect configural processing of upright faces. An enhanced EEG response was found at 6Hz and its harmonics, centred in medical occipital channels, and an enhanced response was also found at 1.2Hz and its harmonics, centred in occipito-temporal channels with right hemispheric dominance. Differences were found between activation to upright and inverted face blocks in both the occipital 6Hz response and the occipito-temporal 1.2Hz response, indicating that upright faces were processed configurally. No group differences or interactions with group were found in either response. This may suggest that face recognition impairments in autism are attributable to later stages of face memory, rather than the earlier stages of face perception examined by the FPVS paradigm.
Yae Won (Amie) Kim: Pragmatic Skills and Executive Function in Preschoolers
Pragmatic skills (PS) are the skills needed to convey meanings in social contexts, being the key element of social interactions. PS undergo a protracted development, with rapid changes during preschool period. Despite its importance, there has been limited research on PS in typically developing children, and its relation to executive function (EF). By examining the relation between PS and EF, the current study addresses this knowledge gap. Twenty-seven preschoolers were recruited (mean age = 39.95 months). Measures of inhibition, working memory, and flexibility were administered to assess EF. PS were assessed during a semi-structured conversation between the child and the experimenter. Overall, a significant association between PS and flexibility was found, even after controlling children’s general language knowledge. Limitations and recommendations for future studies are discussed.
Tara Kuhn: The Relationship between Mental Representations of Left Versus Right Hand Actions and Their Possible Influence on the Speeded Classification of Directional Symbols
Our perceptions of the world are often more complex than may be initially evident. What is even more complex is how different objects may influence how we perceive and interact with other objects. One tool to examine how we interact with objects is through stimulus response compatibilities. Stimulus response compatibilities can either be the result of spatial coding or motor activation. To differentiate between these two accounts, one can examine the limb specificity of the task. Previous studies have shown that the brief presentation of an aligned hand prime or mug prime – primes being a stimulus that is to influence the response to another stimulus – produced motor inhibition, which resulted in the slowing down of a response to a target arrow (negative compatibility). However, some of these studies are either significantly underpowered or do not examine limb specificity. We argue that in this context, spatial coding produces negative compatibility effects – not motor inhibition. Additionally, we argue that these effects are not be limb specific Using methodology established by previous experiments, we examined how pictured mug and hand primes can influence a response to an arrow. We did this by using hand or mug primes, arrows as targets, prime durations of 30 ms or 370 ms, and between-hand or within-hand responses. In total, 122 participants participated in this study. Our results indicate negative compatibility effects are not limb specific, are present at short prime durations, and occur regardless of prime stimulus. We provide evidence that objects are processed by their spatial properties, which are transformed into spatial codes.
Sarah Matheson: Depression and Anxiety Across the Transition to Parenthood: Examining Infant and Toddler Adjustment
Maternal depression and anxiety are common during pregnancy and increase the risk of problematic early child development. Fathers experience similar levels of depression and anxiety as mothers during the prenatal period, which may have a negative impact on mothers’ mental health and indirect effects on child development. In this paper, we will present data on the mental health of 98 expectant couples and the early development of their first child. Participants completed measures of depression and anxiety symptoms at three time points: during pregnancy (T1), at one year postpartum (T2), and at two years postpartum (T3). Measures on infant and toddler outcomes were completed at T2 and T3. Analyses evaluated the hypotheses that (1) maternal prenatal depression and anxiety would have a negative impact on infant and toddler adjustment, and that (2) paternal prenatal depression and anxiety would increase the strength of this association. Findings from this study demonstrated that higher levels of maternal prenatal depression increased the risk for behaviour problems in infants. No significant interactions were found between maternal and paternal prenatal depression and anxiety in predicting early child problems. Future research is needed to increase understanding on the nature of this complex relationship. Keywords: depression, anxiety, prenatal, postnatal, parents, child adjustment, transition to parenthood
Kelly Miksche:An Investigation into the Relationship between Physical Activity and MS Symptoms of Fatigue, Depression and Cognitive Impairment Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that results in the accumulation of neurological deficits. Although there is currently no cure for MS, it is possible that behavioural interventions could help with symptom management. Specifically, exercise has shown promise in a number of neurodegenerative diseases. In order to examine the relationship between exercise and MS symptoms, the current study recruited 35 participants from the Vancouver Island Health Authority Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, which serves individuals from around Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada. Participants were sent six questionnaires to complete and return to the research team via Canada Post. Measures included the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTE), which evaluates physical activity levels, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess levels of depression symptoms, the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) to assess fatigue levels and the Perceived Deficits Questionnaire (PDQ) to assess cognitive function. Correlational data analyses were used to examine the relationship between exercise and mood, fatigue and cognition, separately. In agreement with other recent reports, all three symptoms appeared to have a significant negative relationship with exercise levels. Specifically, there were significant correlations between GLTE and PDQ scores (r(33) = - 0.418, p < 0.05), GLTE and PHQ-9 scores (r(33) = -0.379, p<0.05) and GLTE and MFIS scores r(33) = -0.368, p<0.05). According to these results, participants who exercised more frequently and/or engaged in more strenuous physical activity endorsed lower depression symptoms, were less challenged by fatigue and experienced fewer cognitive deficits. These results support the idea that exercise holds potential as a technique for symptom management in patients with MS, although rigorous research exploring the effects of exercise therapies for patients with MS are required.
Katherine Prior: Deciding Criminal Responsibility: How Suspect Conduct Overrides Evidence in Alibi Evaluation
This study examined how alibi strength, victim emotionality, and suspect’s alleged past interactions with the victim impacted alibi believability and perceptions of the suspect’s guilt. Participants listened to an audiotaped report of a fictitious crime: A woman (the victim) returned home after a short absence to find her dog (left in the yard while she was away) had been fed poisoned meat. The victim reported either high or low emotional distress. A neighbour (crime suspect) claimed to have been at home doing a home renovation project at the time the dog was poisoned. The suspect’s expressed liking for the dog was manipulated (neutral, dislike). The strength of evidence supporting the suspect’s alibi (weak, moderate, strong) was manipulated in accordance with Olson & Wells (2004) alibi taxonomy. Although participants could discern differences in the strength of evidence supporting the alibi, the alibi evidence was largely ignored by participants. Instead, participants were affected by the expressed emotion of the victim (judging the suspect as more guilty when she was emotional) and by the suspect’s conduct with the dog (perceiving a higher likelihood of guilt when he had previously complained to police about the dog and described it in a derogatory manner - “damn dog”). The study illuminates strong bias in how people process alibi evidence.
Kurt Shulver: Sensitivity of the ACC to Prediction Errors at Multiple Levels of Learning Past research has shown that phasic changes in the release of dopamine codes for a reward prediction error (RPE), a signal indicating whether environmental events are better or worse than expected. Furthermore, complex real-life tasks that display a hierarchical structure have been evidenced to produce multiple prediction errors. One theory suggests that a component of the human event-related brain potential originating in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), called the reward positivity, may be reflective of these RPE signals. A previous study utilizing a gambling-like task evidenced multiple prediction errors at multiple levels of hierarchy. However, this study was unable to disambiguate which level of the task was represented as having the greater reward. In the present study, we utilized a computerized casino gambling task to investigate whether or not participants were able to successfully represent two separate sources of information in a hierarchical manner in order to maximize their monetary earnings. As predicted, a reward positivity was elicited at the lower level of hierarchy. However, contrary to our hypothesis, no reward positivity was elicited at the higher-level of hierarchy. These results compliment previous findings that reward positivity might reflect both lower level RPEs and higher level RPEs, and works to further elucidate the role of ACC in human planning and decision making.
Suzanne Starkiewicz: Investigation of Brain Activation Differences in Executive Functions for Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a condition characterized by memory and cognitive deficits that are abnormal for a person’s age, but not severe enough to affect normal activities of daily living. MCI is broadly accepted as a transitional state between healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This progression necessitates research on earlier detection of the pathology to facilitate earlier intervention. The goals of this study were to (a) examine cognitive status group (MCI vs. control) differences in functional brain activation indicators, and to (b) evaluate the efficacy of select indicators for correctly classifying MCI risk. Twelve older adults (6 with MCI) were administered a neuropsychological battery and two computerized measures of executive function (EF): the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) and the Scarborough adaptation of the Tower of London (STOL). We measured the hemodynamic response during EF tasks using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and observed that the MCI group recruited more oxyhaemoglobin (HbO) in the prefrontal and frontal cortex than controls. This suggests that the MCI group engaged additional cortical tissue even though they performed less accurately than the controls on the STOL. Reduced cognitive performance was also observed in the MCI group for global cognition and verbal memory learning; no group differences were found for MSIT. Finally, a discriminant function analysis indicated that behavioural cognitive data and HbO concentrations were very strong predictors of MCI classification (sensitivity=100%, specificity=80%). These findings suggest that measuring brain activation with fNIRS may provide a complementary tool for earlier and more accurate classification of MCI.
Jessica Tegart: Coping Strategy Change Profiles in Recovery from Brain Injury: A Cluster Analysis
The present study is an examination of coping strategy change profiles of brain injury survivors following participation in a targeted coping skills program. Coping evaluation is important since active or problem-focused coping has been linked to the optimization of psychosocial and mental health outcomes in recovery, and passive or emotion-focused coping has been linked to risk in those outcomes (Curran, Ponsford, and Crowe, 2000; Wolters Gregório et al., 2014). Additionally, there is evidence that intervention programs may be able to modify coping for survivors to increase use of active strategies (Anson and Ponsford, 2006). The three hypotheses are: (1) there will be distinct clusters, or profiles of individuals that share relatively homogenous profiles of changes to self-reported frequency of coping strategy use between the first and last days of the program, (2) the dominant profile will represent individuals who present changes involving seeking emotional and instrumental social support- those strategies that within Snell and colleagues’ (2011) factor structure belong to the problem-focused, or the social-oriented dimensions, respectively, and (3) this dominant cluster will represent individuals who have never attended a coping program before and/or who have entered the program at more than three years past the time of injury. Coping use was evaluated with an adapted version of the Brief COPE (Carver, 1997) on the first and last days of the 6-month program. Three coping change profiles were identified, all representing unique patterns of emphasis and de-emphasis on varying strategies in a way that supports the persons represented in those profiles towards positive and healthy long-term recovery outcomes. Coping program facilitators can use this illustration of the coping change profiles to target cluster-specific needs.
Nicolas Toupin:Exploring the Time Course of Motor Affordances Evoked by Handled Objects Using Color as an Action Cue
Does perceiving a manipulable object lead to activation of associated motor actions? Research into this question has uncovered the existence of alignment effects, which are response time benefits observed when people complete a reach-and-grasp task where the responding hand is congruent with the prime object’s handle location. Such alignment effects are evidence that handled objects may evoke some kind of action representation when viewed. However, the circumstances defining when such alignment effects occur are still under investigation. Bub and Masson (2010) found that when subjects performed a color-cued reach-and-grasp task while ignoring a depicted object prime, alignment effects were found at a longer stimulus onset asynchrony but not at a shorter one. The present experiments aim to build on these findings by adding a requirement for participants to attend to the object prime. By directly attending to such primes, it may be more likely that these objects will evoke hand action representations which would lead to robust alignment effects even at a shorter SOA. The results showed that alignment effects were present at both the short and long SOAs regardless of whether participants attended to or ignored object primes. There was also evidence that this task requirement recruited contributions from a conceptual route between object perception and action representations, and this contribution was short-lived and helped to elevate the alignment effect only at a short SOA.
Shalina Kara: Individual Differences in the Other Race Effect
When police are trying to assess the accuracy of an eyewitness identification, they must consider 2 classes of variables: system variables, factors under the control of the justice system, and estimator variables, uncontrollable factors that arise from the crime scene or the pre-existing condition of the eyewitness (Wells 1987). An estimator variable that requires more attention is race, as the degree to which it hinders eyewitness testimonies is not largely acknowledged or reflected in current police practices. This hindrance in identification accuracy is in part due to the Other Race Effect (ORE). In the present study, individual differences in the ORE were assessed to determine if they could be used as a predictive measure in performance on future memory tasks similar to lineups. Two-hundred ninety-eight Caucasian undergraduate students completed a delayed-match-to-sample task with Caucasian and African-American face stimuli, and were asked some demographic questions. Results showed that while a significant ORE was found for New/New trials, ORE in Old/New trials did not reach significance. Split-half reliability checks with proportion accuracy scores revealed strong to very strong correlations across both halves of randomly selected trials in the Old/New and New/New conditions, but split-half difference reliability checks revealed only low to moderate correlations. While this experiment shows promise in the stability of the ORE across trials, more research should be done to replicate these effects, as the application of such as predictive measure could prevent countless miscarriages of justice.
Robyn Kilshaw: Validating the Complex Trauma Questionnaire (ComplexTQ) Self-Report Version in a Canadian Undergraduate Sample
Introduction: Numerous self-report measures exist for the assessment of retrospective childhood maltreatment. Few have been extensively validated however, and many are discrepant in how they define and capture psychological abuse and neglect. The Complex Trauma Questionnaire (ComplexTQ) is a promising new measure for the assessment of childhood abuse and neglect in adults. Method: Undergraduate students 17 years of age or older (n = 410) were recruited from a mid-sized Canadian university. Participants responded to a series of computerized questionnaires including the ComplexTQ, a measure of trauma symptomatology, and a measure of childhood psychological maltreatment and support. Results: A series of confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that a five-factor measurement model (Emotional Neglect, Psychological Abuse, Physical Abuse, Failure of Protection, Material Neglect) fit the sample data best. Structural equation modelling was used to determine that the ComplexTQ possessed good predictive validity of trauma symptomatology, but that its Emotional Neglect and Psychological Abuse subscales lacked adequate discriminant validity. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the ComplexTQ has the potential to be a superior measure of emotional neglect; however, the questionnaire’s format should be reassessed before further psychometric testing is conducted.
Carolyn Helps: Tell Me a Story: Narrative Ability and Executive Function in Preschoolers
Previous research has established that the early years of childhood are a crucial period for the development of narrative ability. Narrative ability, also called storytelling ability, is an important communication skill that has been linked to future language ability, school readiness, and higher-order cognitive control processes such as executive functioning. The purpose of this study was to examine the range of narrative abilities in a typically developing sample of three-year-olds, and to determine if any relations existed between narrative skills and executive functions (EF). 27 children (Mage=39.95 months) produced oral narratives based on a picture book, and stories were scored for structural complexity based on Applebee’s (1978) six stages of development. Narratives were also scored for referential clarity based on the proportion of adequate references to story characters. Participants completed a battery of EF tasks to assess working memory (WM), response inhibition, and set-shifting. Findings showed that children who produced more complex narratives also demonstrated a greater capacity for response inhibition, but not for WM or set-shifting. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are explored.
Open Poster Session
Taryn Berman (UVic):Sheinbugs: Using Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation to Measure Perceptual Expertise
Previous research has shown that people can be trained to learn a wide variety of stimuli. After receiving training, studies have shown that people can even become experts at differentiating melanoma from benign lesions. Similar to previous experiments this experiment trains people to differentiate between categories and species of “Sheinbugs”- artificially created stimuli which resemble land and sea creatures. While using electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain waves, participants view Sheinbugs with a Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation (FPVS) presentation. Subjects view six Sheinbugs per second, with the first five images from one category, and the last from a different category of Sheinbug. Displaying different categories in this fashion is known as an oddball paradigm. Participants experience 16 trials, each lasting one minute, with Sheinbugs being presented in the FPVS manner, using the oddball paradigm. In the middle of each Sheinbug image, participants will view a black fixation cross. When the cross becomes red, the participants are required to respond by pressing the spacebar. This functions to make sure that subjects are paying attention. This entire procedure is performed twice, one week apart. During the week, participants will undergo training on one category of Sheinbugs (this process is further explained on another poster that will also be presented). We hypothesize that prior to training, participants will be unaware of the different categories being presented, and that after training they will be aware of this difference. Our expected results are a significant difference in the neural activation when viewing the Sheinbugs prior to the training and after the training.
Jocelyn Chalmers (UVic): Training Perceptual Object Expertise with Artificial Object Creatures
Most people would recognize an object at the level of a bird, a car, or a dog; an expert in the respective domains, in contrast, would instantly recognize the same objects at the more specific category level of a Field Sparrow, a BMW M3 1993, and a Golden Retriever (e.g., Rosch, Mervis, Gray, Johnson, & Boyes-Braem, 1976; Tanaka & Taylor, 1991). The aim of the current study was to examine how categorization training influences perceptual strategies. In this study, two families of computer-generated object creatures (i.e, SheinBugs) were designed such that creatures from the same family shared a similar body shape and a common set of diagnostic features. The participants in this study were 12 undergraduate students, 6 of whom were assigned to Family A and 6 of whom were assigned to Family B. Participants were trained to recognize creatures from Family A (or Family B) at the species level, and creatures from Family B (or Family A) at the family level. Thus, participants were trained to be like experts in their specific recognition for one family and to be like novices in the general recognition of objects from the other family. To evaluate their recognition performance before and after training, participants were tested in a sequential same-different matching task, in which the participants had to discriminate between sequentially presented species from both Family A and Family B SheinBugs. The dprime scores were analyzed in a mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) using training (pretraining, posttraining) and category level of training (family, species) as within-subjects factors and expert type (Family A, Family B) as a between-subjects factor. Our results showed that performance gains were only observed for the family with which the participants engaged in expert-like recognition. Thus, mere exposure to objects categories was not sufficient to produce expert-like behavior; instead, expert recognition was a consequence of effortful practice and training at specific level recognition.
Kara Kristoffersson (SFU): Attachment Insecurity and Cohabiting Couples’ Perceptions of Sexual Conflict Discussions in the Laboratory
Sexual communication is critical to the development and maintenance of mutually satisfying sexual relationships (e.g., Rehman et al., 2011), but it can be challenging because it requires disclosing intimate aspects of the self and being vulnerable to considerable discomfort, embarrassment, and rejection (Metts & Cupach, 1989). Thus, we predicted that individuals’attachment anxiety (i.e., fear of rejection) and attachment avoidance (i.e., discomfort with intimacy) would be associated with more difficulty and less comfort engaging in a sexual conflict discussion with their partner, and that insecurity (i.e., anxiety and avoidance) would predict using more indirect and less direct information seeking strategies because indirect strategies can offer protection from negative consequences (e.g., Afifi et al., 2004). Cohabiting couples (N=124) completed questionnaires assessing attachment security(Fraley et al., 2000), discussed a sexual issue in the laboratory, then rated the perceived difficulty and discomfort with the discussion, and use of information seeking strategies during the discussion (adapted from Miller, 1996 and Berger & Kellerman, 1984). Multiple regression analyses revealed that as expected for men, attachment anxiety and avoidance were positively associated with perceived difficulty of the discussion and avoidance was negatively associated with comfort. For women, insecurity was not associated with perceived difficulty, but as expected, anxiety and avoidance were negatively associated with comfort during the discussion. Unexpectedly, men’s insecurity was not associated with any information seeking strategies, and women’s anxiety and avoidance were not associated with indirect strategies. However as predicted, women’s anxiety was negatively associated with direct strategies such as using specific to-the-point questions to ask for more information. Results suggest that fostering comfort with and use of direct strategies while discussing sexual issues may be an important point of clinical intervention to improve insecure individuals’ sexual relationships.
Parky Lau (UBC): Sometimes Hesitance is Key: The Effect of Moral Situations on Children's Interpretation of Cues to Credibility
Children are active learners, preferring to learn from, and attribute more positive traits to those who demonstrate cues to credibility such as confidence. However, these studies have tended to employ factual knowledge, often with one correct answer. The present study investigated whether subjective topics regarding moral situations can impact children's interpretation of paralinguistic cues of confidence. In a 2x2 between-subjects design, 6- to 8-year-old children listened to either a confident or unconfident actor provide a response to a factual or moral situation. Results replicated earlier findings, whereby children tended to agree with and attributed more positive traits to the confident actor in the factual condition. However, the opposite effect was found in the moral condition, in which children demonstrated higher levels of agreement when the actor was hesitant in their response compared to when they were confident. The unconfident actor was also rated as more intelligent and likeable in the moral condition. These findings further delineate children's role as an active learner, suggesting that children are sensitive not only to cues to credibility, but also to whether these cues are congruent and appropriate to the specificity of the situation.
Catherine Li (UBC):Exploring the Relationship between Sacred Values and Pro-environmental Behaviour
Although most people believe that climate change is a serious problem, many do not act on this belief to help conserve the environment. Here, we sought to capture whether or not, and if so in what ways, 786 Americans conceptualized environmental protection as a sacred value – a moral obligation that is immune to instrumental trade-offs. Thus, we asked participants to respond to scenarios in which financial compensation is offered in exchange for environmental damage. We also measured their intentions to engage in sustainable behaviour, and the amount of donation they were willing to make to support an environmental organization. Additionally, we assessed the breadth of participants’ circles of moral concern. Our findings indicate that there are individuals who sacralize the environment; they differ from those who do not by demonstrating more anger towards environmental trade-offs, greater likelihood of engaging in sustainable behaviours, greater willingness to financially support environmental organizations, and greater breadth of moral concern.
Veronica Plihal (UVic): Unfamiliar Face Perception: Using Sorting Tasks to Infer Face-Identity Categories
In the field of facial perception research, the importance of within-person variability in facial processing has often been underestimated, despite findings that indicate it may be larger than between-person variability. Different images of a single identity can vary in several dimensions such as lighting, angle, and expression, making it difficult to correctly match images of one person. This difficulty in grouping together different images of the same identity is especially pronounced when the face’s identity is unfamiliar. The present study examines whether image presentation method (either simultaneous or sequential) has an effect on participants’ performance on a task of unfamiliar face identification, differentiation, and categorization. Two experiments were conducted - cards were presented sequentially during experiment 1, and simultaneously in experiment 2. In both experiments, grey-scale images of two unfamiliar Dutch actresses were presented to participants, who were asked to sort the images into different identity piles. Results showed that participants performed better on the task when images were presented simultaneously. Presenting the images simultaneously may remove the need for working memory to complete the task, allowing participants to sort images with greater accuracy. These results indicate that the method of image presentation can have an effect on accuracy when categorizing unfamiliar faces.
Emma Rigsby (UVic): Using the Posner Cueing Task to Elicit the Effect of Age on Spatial Attention
With age, many of our physiological responses, especially attention, begin to slow down or become impaired at some level. Attention plays a crucial role in filtering information from the environment and provides humans the ability to adapt to environmental changes. In this experiment, we used a spatial cueing task to examine differences in attention processing between a population of community-dwelling older adults and undergraduate students, examining the relationship between age and decreased attention. Four older adults, two female and two male (mage = 71.5, sd = 14.1), and 4 female undergraduate students, from the University of Victoria (mage = 21.5, sd = 0.58), volunteered to participate in this study. Each participant completed a computerized spatial cueing task with a MUSE EEG system recording the electrical activity of the brain (see Krigolson et al., 2017). During data analysis, electrodes TP9 and TP10 were pooled and event-related potential averages were generated for the valid and invalid cueing conditions. For each condition and difference waveform, a grand average waveform was created by averaging corresponding ERPs across all participants. ERP components were extracted and quantified using a mean peak voltage method. For each component (N200, P300) analyses were conducted on the mean peak amplitudes extracted from the difference waves. To confirm the differences between conditions of each component, we compared mean peak difference to zero using 95% confidence intervals and t-tests (= 0.05). We expect that these results will show a negative correlation between age and spatial attention. This research has the potential to recognize age-related impairments and can be used to assess deficits in spatial attention.
Jessica Tong (UBC):Acetaminophen‘s Effect on the Experience of Regret
Acetaminophen (or Tylenol) is a painkiller that has been shown to not only reduce physical pain but also reduce psychological “pain” from negative stimuli and anxious arousal. For example, the negative emotions and anxiety caused by social rejection and feelings of uncertainty are reduced when people are given acetaminophen (DeWall et al., 2010; Randles et al., 2013). However, no research exists on the effects of acetaminophen on anticipated regret, a type of psychological pain that has been shown to affect decision making and behaviours such as buying or exercise (Simonson, 1992; Abraham & Sheeran, 2004). We argue that anticipated regret is a type of anxious arousal that is similar to the psychological discomfort of rejection or uncertainty. Therefore, we hypothesized that if acetaminophen reduces anxious arousal and sensitivity to negative stimuli, then it should also reduce people’s experience of anticipated regret. We employ a double-blind procedure, using undergraduate participants and randomly assign them to receive either 1000 mg of Tylenol or a sugar placebo. After waiting for 45 minutes, participants are asked to complete a number of computerized tasks that involve decision making while anticipating potential regret. The task includes making a difficult purchase decision and rating which situation they would expect to produce more regret. Our current data trends show that those in the Tylenol condition anticipated less regret than those in the control condition.
Alixandra Wong (UVic): New Mothers’ Thoughts of Harm: Prevalence and Relation to OCD and Child Harm
Introduction: Many women experience unwanted thoughts of accidental harm coming to their infant (e.g. suffocation, accidents) during the perinatal period (before and after birth). Some of these women also experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts of intentionally harming their child (e.g., shaking, hitting, sexual touching). These thoughts can be extremely distressing to the new mothers who experience them. Currently, little information is available to address this problem. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 635 pregnant women living in BC. Participants were assessed at three time points: 33-weeks gestation, and 1- and 6-months postpartum. At each assessment, participants completed a questionnaire and telephone interview to assess parenting attitudes, symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, social support, current mood, and sleep quality. During the postpartum stage, interviews included an assessment of postpartum thoughts of infant-related harm, as well as depression and OCD, and an anonymous question about physical and sexual abuse of the newborn was included in the final questionnaire. Responses to this sensitive information could not be traced back to the participant. Outcomes: This research will determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety from pregnancy through to six months postpartum, as well as the relationship, if any, between postpartum intrusive thoughts of infant-related harm and: (a) OCD, and (b) aggressive parenting. The knowledge obtained from this study will address gaps in the present literature surrounding perinatal anxiety and infant-related thoughts of harm, and will add to our understanding on how to educate and treat women experiencing these thoughts.
Jasmine Yadeta (UVic): Efficient Perceptual Training in Melanoma Detection Melanoma, while cancerous, is treatable if detected early. However, the existing rule-based training practices in melanoma detection are not effective (Ashby & O'Brien, 2005). Previous studies have showed that melanoma detection can be trained effectively using the perceptual approach by training with many exemplars and providing immediate feedback regarding decision accuracy (Xu et al., 2016). This study investigates whether the training efficiency can be improved by planning the order of the introduction of the training exemplars in terms of their Ease Value that predicts how easy an item can be learned. Three separate participant groups were trained in three separate sessions in an accumulative way, introducing a new 32 images each training session. The easy-to-hard group learned easy training images in session 1, a new set of intermediate images with the previously trained easy images in session 2, and a new set of hard images in session 3 in addition to all the other images prior. The hard-to-easy group trained with the images introduced in the reverse of the easy-to-hard. Similarly, the balanced group had a mixture of easy, intermediate and hard images each session. All groups acquired 90% accuracy in each training session, and eventually on all 96 images. The results showed that all three training groups achieved significantly better performance one day after the training, and this effect remained a week later. In terms of efficiency, the easy-to-hard and balanced group were equally efficient, both required 30% less training trials than the hard-to-easy group. These results suggest that perceptual training approach can significantly improve melanoma detection abilities, and create more effective training techniques.
Bita Zereian (UBC): Suicidality in Eating Disorders in the Light of Ideation-To-Action Framework
Suicidal ideation and suicide attempt are elevated in eating disorder population and suicide is one of the leading causes of death in anorexia nervosa. Recent literature on suicide suggests that suicidality should be assessed in the ideation-to-action framework—meaning that risk factors for suicide ideation and suicide attempt should be studied separately. The purpose of this review was to assess suicidality in eating disorder population based on this framework. From this perspective, variables that increase psychache and hopelessness, and decrease relatedness, are predictors of suicide ideation, whereas, variables that increase capability may facilitate transition from suicide ideation to suicide attempt. Based on this framework, we predict that, some aspects of eating disorders such as shame associated with binging should increase the risk of suicide ideation, as they can result in psychache, whereas other aspects of eating disorders such as purging should increase the capability, and hence, elevate the risk of suicide attempt. Three databases—PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science—were systematically reviewed. After eliminating duplicates, 2208 abstracts were assessed, and eventually, 15 relevant articles were chosen for the comprehensive assessment of their findings. In comparison to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa was associated with more suicide attempt in almost all articles, and with more suicide ideation in most articles. Purging was associated with more suicide attempt in all eating disorder diagnosis, which was consistent with our prediction. However, results on suicide ideation were mixed and did not allow for a definitive conclusion.
Kylie Ransome (UVic): Improving the Practicality of the Method of Loci (MoL)
The Method of Loci (MoL) is an ancient mnemonic technique that has been demonstrated in both research laboratories and world memory competitions to produce large enhancements in the amount of information that can be recalled. However, its practical use as an educational tool has so far been limited due to difficulties with applying it. While on average across participants we found the MoL produces a huge improvement (Cohen’s d = 1.7, 24% distribution overlap) in the recall of random concrete nouns, its distribution of scores appears bimodal with a large proportion of participants also showing relatively little effect. To identify what factors might predict who is capable of being successfully trained in the MoL, participants’ baseline levels on the following variables were measured using both subjective self-assessments and objective behavioral tests: visualization ability, creativity, general spatial memory ability, and specific characteristics about participants’ memories of the locations used in the MoL. Only performance on a divergent thinking task (r = 0.79) and a recall task that assessed long-term memory of the locations used in the MoL (r = 0.79) were predictive of successful MoL performance. Finally, as an experimental test of whether limitations with using the MoL could be overcome by compensating for deficits in divergent thinking, we found that MoL performance could be further enhanced (Cohen’s d = 4.2, 2% distribution overlap) by supplying participants with examples, in the form of both visual images and verbal descriptions, of how to visualize to-be-remembered items in the MoL.
Proposal Blitz
Graham Baigent (SFU): Mindfulness and Binge-Drinking Reduction of High School Athletes
High school athletes are at greater risk of engaging in binge drinking, or extreme binge drinking behaviours (Veliz, McCabe, Boyd, 2016). Decreasing binge drinking behaviours in high school athletes will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle. Mindfulness is an ability to be aware and engaged in the present which helps maintain a healthy lifestyle (Bayles, 2014). The use of mindfulness has been shown to be effective in treating binge drinking (Bowen, et al., 2009). There has been minimal research on the interaction between mindfulness training and binge drinking particularly in high school athletes. Utilizing mindfulness with high school athletes will reduce the impact of binge drinking. The proposed study would examine whether giving high school athletes training in mindfulness would reduce binge drinking behaviour. 200 participants would be drawn from the Greater Vancouver Area and in grades 10 to 12. Participants would then be randomly assigned to receive one month of mindfulness training or not. The training would be given by therapists who have at least a master’s level of training in clinical or counselling psychology. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: Interview Version Extended (AUDIT) would be used to examine drinking behaviours at the initiation of the study, and every three months for one year. Participants would complete the questionnaire online at the predetermined times. After data collection, an ANOVA would be conducted to measure the variance between the means of participants’ AUDIT scores depending on if they received mindfulness training.