Department of Psychology

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The 2013 Doris Schwartz Gerontological Nursing Research Award
(Slack, 2014) McDougall, Graham J., Jr.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
25 years of neurocognitive aging theories: What have we learned?
(Frontiers, 2022) McDonough, Ian M.; Nolin, Sara A.; Visscher, Kristina M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of Alabama Birmingham
The past 25 years have provided a rich discovery of at least four fundamental patterns that represent structural and functional brain aging across multiple cognitive domains. Of the many potential patterns of brain aging, few are ever examined simultaneously in a given study, leading one to question their mutual exclusivity. Moreover, more studies are emerging that note failures to replicate some brain aging patterns, thereby questioning the universality and prevalence of these patterns. Although some attempts have been made to create unifying theories incorporating many of these age-related brain patterns, we propose that the field's understanding of the aging brain has been hindered due to a large number of influential models with little crosstalk between them. We briefly review these brain patterns, the influential domain-general theories of neurocognitive aging that attempt to explain them, and provide examples of recent challenges to these theories. Lastly, we elaborate on improvements that can be made to lead the field to more comprehensive and robust models of neurocognitive aging.
A Study of the Effects of an Affective Curriculum Program on the Awareness, Self-Concept, and Social Interaction of First Grade Students
(The University of Alabama, 1973) Sweaney, David R.
The past decade has witnessed an increasing interest in elementary school counseling programs. Although the geneses of this movement have come from many sources, the rationales and justifications for child counseling can be broken down into two major functions: (1) the prevention of maladjustment and (2) the development of human potential (Dimick & Huff, 1970). The need for a preventive approach is· painfully obvious. Everyday, newspapers report some antisocial act/ committed by a young person. It is not necessary to document the increase in crime, drug usage, violence, and general anomie among high school and college students~ The evidence is there for all to see. Mental disturbances incapacitate more people than all other health problems combined, and mental patients occupy more than half the country's hospital beds. What is even more frightening is the estimate that for each of those currently hospitalized for mental illness, at least twenty more are in need of psychiatric or psychological help (Coleman, 1964). For these people, most of whom were ones elementary school students, it is too late for preventive measures. Prevention must precede the symptom.
Academic performance under COVID-19: The role of online learning readiness and emotional competence
(Springer, 2022) Wang, Yurou; Xia, Mengya; Guo, Wenjing; Xu, Fangjie; Zhao, Yadan; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Beijing Normal University
The COVID-19 pandemic caused school closures and social isolation, which created both learning and emotional challenges for adolescents. Schools worked hard to move classes online, but less attention was paid to whether students were cognitively and emotionally ready to learn effectively in a virtual environment. This study focused on online learning readiness and emotional competence as key constructs to investigate their implications for students' academic performance during the COVID-19 period. Two groups of students participated in this study, with 1,316 high school students (Mean age = 16.32, SD = 0.63) representing adolescents and 668 college students (Mean age = 20.20, SD = 1.43) representing young adults. Structural equation modeling was conducted to explore the associations among online learning readiness, emotional competence, and online academic performance during COVID-19 after controlling for pre-COVID-19 academic performance. The results showed that, for high school students, both online learning readiness and emotional competence were positively associated with online academic performance during COVID-19. However, for college students, only online learning readiness showed a significant positive relationship with online academic performance during COVID-19. These results demonstrated that being ready to study online and having high emotional competence could make adolescents more resilient toward COVID-19-related challenges and help them learn more effectively online. This study also highlighted different patterns of associations among cognitive factors, emotional factors, and online academic performance during COVID-19 in adolescence and young adulthood. Developmental implications were also discussed.
Acoustic Correlates and Adult Perceptions of Distress in Infant Speech-Like Vocalizations and Cries
(Frontiers, 2019) Yoo, Hyunjoo; Buder, Eugene H.; Bowman, Dale D.; Bidelman, Gavin M.; Oller, D. Kimbrough; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of Memphis; University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Prior research has not evaluated acoustic features contributing to perception of human infant vocal distress or lack thereof on a continuum. The present research evaluates perception of infant vocalizations along a continuum ranging from the most prototypical intensely distressful cry sounds ("wails") to the most prototypical of infant sounds that typically express no distress (non-distress "vocants"). Wails are deemed little if at all related to speech while vocants are taken to be clear precursors to speech. We selected prototypical exemplars of utterances representing the whole continuum from 0 and 1 month-olds. In this initial study of the continuum, our goals are to determine (1) listener agreement on level of vocal distress across the continuum, (2) acoustic parameters predicting ratings of distress, (3) the extent to which individual listeners maintain or change their acoustic criteria for distress judgments across the study, (4) the extent to which different listeners use similar or different acoustic criteria to make judgments, and (5) the role of short-term experience among the listeners in judgments of infant vocalization distress. Results indicated that (1) both inter-rater and intra-rater listener agreement on degree of vocal distress was high, (2) the best predictors of vocal distress were number of vibratory regimes within utterances, utterance duration, spectral ratio (spectral concentration) in vibratory regimes within utterances, and mean pitch, (3) individual listeners significantly modified their acoustic criteria for distress judgments across the 10 trial blocks, (4) different listeners, while showing overall similarities in ratings of the 42 stimuli, also showed significant differences in acoustic criteria used in assigning the ratings of vocal distress, and (5) listeners who were both experienced and inexperienced in infant vocalizations coding showed high agreement in rating level of distress, but differed in the extent to which they relied on the different acoustic cues in making the ratings. The study provides clearer characterization of vocal distress expression in infants based on acoustic parameters and a new perspective on active adult perception of infant vocalizations. The results also highlight the importance of vibratory regime segmentation and analysis in acoustically based research on infant vocalizations and their perception.
The acquisition of survey knowledge across repeated exposures to a novel environment in individuals with down syndrome
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Himmelberger, Zachary Mark; Merrill, Edward C.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Down syndrome (DS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with many cognitive weaknesses, including certain aspects of wayfinding. There are several theoretical reasons, such as abnormal brain development and similar weaknesses in smaller scales of space, that these deficits include developing survey knowledge of an environment. However, few studies have directly investigated this ability. The current study compared people with DS to typical adults matched on chronological age and typical children matched on the KBIT-II Matrices Subtest on a measure of survey knowledge. More specifically, an experimenter exposed participants to a novel virtual environment, and then were asked to find a specific target on their own. The total distance traveled and time taken to find the target served as dependent variables. The task was repeated three times, such that the participants navigated to the target after the experimenter showed them the environment once, two additional times, and again after two more times. Participants in both comparison groups demonstrated linear improvement across the three trials, with the children travelling a longer distance and taking longer to find the target at each trial compared to the adults. Participants with DS performed similarly to the typical children after the initial exposure, but did not demonstrate any learning across the trials, thereby resulting in a worse performance than both control groups on subsequent trials. The findings suggest that survey representations are impaired in DS, specifically in the ability to improve these representations over time. This has important implications for developing wayfinding interventions, and for understanding how these individuals learn about new environments.
The Acquisition of Survey Knowledge by Individuals With Down Syndrome
(Frontiers Media, 2020-07-03) Himmelberger, Zachary M.; Merrill, Edward C.; Conners, Frances A.; Roskos, Beverly; Yang, Yingying; Robinson, Trent; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Montclair State University
People with Down syndrome often exhibit deficiencies in wayfinding activities, particularly route learning (e.g.,Courbois et al., 2013;Davis et al., 2014;Farran et al., 2015). Evidence concerning more sophisticated survey learning has been sparse. In the research reported here, two experiments are reported that evaluated survey learning of youth with DS and typically developing children (TD) matched on mental age. In Experiment 1, participants learned two overlapping routes consisting of three turns each through a virtual environment depicting 9 square city blocks. Following acquisition, they were tested on multiple measures of survey knowledge: finding a shortcut, identifying the direction of landmarks not currently visible from their location in the environment, and recognizing a bird's-eye representation of the overall environment. Under these conditions, which should provide relatively optimal opportunities for survey learning, the participants with DS performed comparably to TD participants matched on non-verbal ability on all of our measures of survey learning. Hence, we concluded that people with DS can acquire some survey knowledge when tasked with learning a small environment and given the opportunity to do so. In Experiment 2, the experimenter navigated participants through a large, relatively complex, virtual environment along a circuitous path, beginning and ending at a target landmark. Then, the participants were placed at a pre-specified location in the environment that they had viewed previously and instructed to navigate to the same target (a door) using the shortest possible path from their current location. They completed the task three times: once after being shown the environment one time, once after three exposures, and once after five exposures. Results indicated that the participants with DS exhibited significantly less skill at identifying the shortcut than did the TD participants, with differences emerging as the number of exposures increased. Participants with DS were also less able to recall landmarks at the end of the experiment. Overall, however, the performance of both groups was relatively poor in both experiments - with the performance of participants with DS being worse as conditions became less optimal. These results were discussed in terms of underlying mechanisms that may account for variations in survey learning as environmental complexity increases.
Actigraphy Reliability with Normal Sleepers
(Routledge, 2012-12) Ustinov, Yuriy; Lichstein, Kenneth L.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Introduction: Actigraphy has gained popularity as an objective method for measuring sleep in a home setting. We evaluated whether missing data affects the utility of actigraphy for the measurement of sleep parameters in normal sleepers. Methods: We evaluated actigraphy data from 60 normal sleepers who participated in a study of the effects of changes in setting on sleep. Participants were asked to wear a Mini Mitter Actiwatch actigraph for 35 days and to use event markers to record bedtime and arising time. Counts of nights on which participants failed to supply usable data were computed using the following criteria: missing nights, missing bedtime markers, missing arising time markers, and multiple markers supplied at bedtime or arising time. A night on which any of these problems occurred was counted as unscorable. Results: We evaluated a total of 2,100 nights, of which 559 (27%) nights were deemed unscorable due to missing data. Missing markers at bedtime (206) and arising time (172) accounted for the majority of missing data. Trends over the five weeks indicated that incidence of missing data increased over the assessment period. Conclusion: We found that missing data was a significant problem for long-term assessment of sleep using actigraphy. We suggest that researchers consider compensatory strategies, such as extending the assessment period and using adjunctive measures, in order to obtain sufficient data for analysis. We also recommend that future improvements in actigraphy instruments should aim to address the sources of missing data.
Adaptation of a Nursing Home Culture Change Research Instrument for Frontline Staff Quality Improvement Use
(American Psychological Association, 2017) Hartmann, Christine W.; Palmer, Jennifer A.; Mills, Whitney L.; Pimentel, Camilla B.; Allen, Rebecca S.; Wewiorski, Nancy J.; Dillon, Kristen R.; Snow, A. Lynn; Boston University; Baylor College of Medicine; University of Massachusetts Amherst; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Enhanced interpersonal relationships and meaningful resident engagement in daily life are central to nursing home cultural transformation, yet these critical components of person-centered care may be difficult for frontline staff to measure using traditional research instruments. To address the need for easy-to-use instruments to help nursing home staff members evaluate and improve person-centered care, the psychometric method of cognitive-based interviewing was used to adapt a structured observation instrument originally developed for researchers and nursing home surveyors. Twenty-eight staff members from 2 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) nursing homes participated in 1 of 3 rounds of cognitive-based interviews, using the instrument in real-life situations. Modifications to the original instrument were guided by a cognitive processing model of instrument refinement. Following 2 rounds of cognitive interviews, pretesting of the revised instrument, and another round of cognitive interviews, the resulting set of 3 short instruments mirrored the concepts of the original longer instrument but were significantly easier for frontline staff to understand and use. Final results indicated frontline staff found the revised instruments feasible to use and clinically relevant in measuring and improving the lived experience of a changing culture. This article provides a framework for developing or adapting other measurement tools for frontline culture change efforts in nursing homes, in addition to reporting on a practical set of instruments to measure aspects of person-centered care.
Addicted to Cellphones: Exploring the Psychometric Properties between the Nomophobia Questionnaire and Obsessiveness in College Students
(Elsevier Ltd, 2018-11) Lee, Seungyeon; Kim, Minsung; Mendoza, Jessica S.; McDonough, Ian M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
A potential new clinical disorder is arising due to the addiction to cellphones called nomophobia - or feelings of discomfort or anxiety experienced by individuals when they are unable to use their mobile phones or utilize the conveniences these devices provide. However, before being able to officially classify this disorder as clinically relevant, more research needs to be conducted to determine how nomophobia relates to existing disorders. In a sample of 397 undergraduate students, the present study examined the relationship between the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) and the Obsessiveness Content Scale (OBS) of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (the MMPI-2). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test whether the OBS Content Scale would be related to a one-factor NMP-Q solution (Fig. 1) or a four-factor NMP-Q solution (Fig. 2). Convergent and divergent validity were also investigated. The four-factor model was a better fit than the one-factor model as indicated by most fit indices. The findings showed that the OBS latent variable was correlated with all of the four NMP-Q latent variables. Mixed support was found for convergent validity, but high support was found for the divergent validity of the NMP-Q factors. This study contributes to a growing body of literature seeking to better understand the addictive nature of cellphones and takes a new perspective on addiction research and obsessiveness. These findings provide a better understanding between pre-existing assessments of personality disorders (e.g., obsessiveness) that are emerging from the overuse of mobile phones or the excessive fear of losing one's cell phone.
ADHD symptoms predicting changes in friendship stability and quality over time
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2019) Ferretti, Nicole Marie; Jarrett, Matthew A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Research has identified friendship and friendship quality as important variables in predicting positive outcomes concurrently and longitudinally for children and adolescents. This work has identified friendship as a developmental construct that changes over time; however, not all children develop these abilities at the same rate, and some children struggle in navigating the social world. In particular, children with ADHD present with difficulty obtaining and maintaining friendships beginning in childhood and extending through young adulthood. Current literature has identified these difficulties but has yet to examine how friendship stability and quality may change over time for children with ADHD symptoms. The present study sought to explore the stability of friendships over time and the growth of friendship quality over time. In particular, we were interested in how the presence of ADHD symptoms predicts both friendship stability and friendship quality over time. It was hypothesized that children with more ADHD symptoms would show less friendship stability over time and a slower rate of development of friendship quality over time relative to children with fewer ADHD symptoms. ADHD symptoms were not a significant predictor of friendship social support over time, but they were a significant predictor of friendship negative interactions over time.
Adjacent-Categories Mokken Models for Rater-Mediated Assessments
(Sage, 2017) Wind, Stefanie A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Molenaar extended Mokken's original probabilistic-nonparametric scaling models for use with polytomous data. These polytomous extensions of Mokken's original scaling procedure have facilitated the use of Mokken scale analysis as an approach to exploring fundamental measurement properties across a variety of domains in which polytomous ratings are used, including rater-mediated educational assessments. Because their underlying item step response functions (i.e., category response functions) are defined using cumulative probabilities, polytomous Mokken models can be classified as cumulative models based on the classifications of polytomous item response theory models proposed by several scholars. In order to permit a closer conceptual alignment with educational performance assessments, this study presents an adjacent-categories variation on the polytomous monotone homogeneity and double monotonicity models. Data from a large-scale rater-mediated writing assessment are used to illustrate the adjacent-categories approach, and results are compared with the original formulations. Major findings suggest that the adjacent-categories models provide additional diagnostic information related to individual raters' use of rating scale categories that is not observed under the original formulation. Implications are discussed in terms of methods for evaluating rating quality.
Affective mediators of the association between pleasant events and global sleep quality in community-dwelling adults
(Springer, 2016) Tighe, Caitlan A.; Shoji, Kristy D.; Dautovich, Natalie D.; Lichstein, Kenneth L.; Scogin, Forrest; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study explored the association of engagement in pleasant events and global sleep quality, as well as examined the intermediary roles of positive affect and depressive symptoms in this association. Data were derived from the Midlife in the United States-II study. The sample consisted of 1054 community-dwelling adults. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and indicated the frequency and enjoyableness of experiences on a positive events scale. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Positive affect was measured using the Mood and Symptoms Questionnaire. Regression analyses indicated more frequent engagement in pleasant events was associated with better global sleep quality. Depressive symptoms, but not positive affect, partially mediated the association between pleasant events and global sleep quality. The findings suggest that behavioral engagement in pleasant events may be related to global sleep quality via depressive symptoms, but not positive affect. These findings highlight the potential for engagement in pleasant activities to influence both mood and sleep.
Age differences in risky decision making: the effects of explicitness, personality, and working memory
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) Wood, Meagan Michelle; Black, Sheila R.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
In the current study, I examined the effects of age, explicitness of instructional materials, and personality differences on risky decision making while playing the Game of Dice Task (GDT). Participants were randomly assigned to one of two instruction conditions: Explicit vs. Standard. In the explicit condition, the instructions were very straightforward, with respect to risk, while the instructions in the standard condition were not. To describe this game in more detail, in the GDT, participants decide how risky they wish to be on each trial. To optimize performance, participants should make “safe” rather than risky choices. Overall, older adults were riskier than younger adults on the GDT even though they self-report being more risk averse than younger adults in several different risk domains except for social. In regards to the instruction condition, there were no significant age differences in the standard condition. Younger and older adults perform similarly. However, there were age differences in the explicit condition. Older adults were riskier in the explicit condition than younger adults were. In addition, a 3-way interaction between age, instruction, and conscientiousness was discovered. Older adults who are low in conscientiousness perform similar to regular older adults in the standard and explicit conditions. However, the effect of instruction condition disappears for those who are high in conscientiousness.
Age differences in risky decision making: the effects of priming, personality, & working memory
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Wood, Meagan Michelle; Black, Sheila R.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
In the current study, we examined the effects of priming and personality on risky decision making while playing the Game of Dice Task (GDT). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three priming conditions: Risk Aversive, Risk-Seeking, or Control. In the Risk Seeking condition, a fictional character benefited from risky behavior while in the Risk Aversive condition, a fictional character benefited from exercising caution. In the GDT, participants decide how risky they wish to be on each trial. To optimize performance, one should make "safe" rather than risky choices. Although older adults self-reported being more cautious than younger adults, older adults made riskier decisions than younger adults on the GDT. However, there were no longer significant age differences on the GDT after controlling for working memory. More than likely, the aforementioned age differences were due to age-related changes in effective strategy usage, rather than age-related changes in the propensity to take risks. In addition, for young adults, certain personality traits significantly predicted risky decision making on the GDT. The findings from this study have implications for older adults' decision making in everyday situations. Older adults may make risky decisions and thereby jeopardize their financial and other resources, not because they intentionally want "to roll the dice," but because of an inability to strategize and fully comprehend the consequences of their decisions.
Age of sign language acquisition has lifelong effect on syntactic preferences in sign language users
(Sage, 2021) Krebs, Julia; Roehm, Dietmar; Wilbur, Ronnie B.; Malaia, Evie A.; Salzburg University; Purdue University; Purdue University West Lafayette Campus; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Acquisition of natural language has been shown to fundamentally impact both one's ability to use the first language and the ability to learn subsequent languages later in life. Sign languages offer a unique perspective on this issue because Deaf signers receive access to signed input at varying ages. The majority acquires sign language in (early) childhood, but some learn sign language later-a situation that is drastically different from that of spoken language acquisition. To investigate the effect of age of sign language acquisition and its potential interplay with age in signers, we examined grammatical acceptability ratings and reaction time measures in a group of Deaf signers (age range = 28-58 years) with early (0-3 years) or later (4-7 years) acquisition of sign language in childhood. Behavioral responses to grammatical word order variations (subject-object-verb [SOV] vs. object-subject-verb [OSV]) were examined in sentences that included (1) simple sentences, (2) topicalized sentences, and (3) sentences involving manual classifier constructions, uniquely characteristic of sign languages. Overall, older participants responded more slowly. Age of acquisition had subtle effects on acceptability ratings, whereby the direction of the effect depended on the specific linguistic structure.
Aggravating, ambiguous, and arbitrary: perceptions of heinousness in capital punishment
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2016) Applegate, Kathryn Christine; Salekin, Karen L.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Of the 32 states with the death penalty, 25 states identify some variation of “heinous, atrocious, or cruel” as a statutory aggravating factor. In recognition of the vague nature of this factor, some states have enacted legislation that limits jurors’ discretion by providing guidance regarding how to define “heinousness,” or by outlining essential characteristics of heinous crimes. Despite this guidance, indiscriminate application is still a concern. Research has explored how heinousness affects juror decision-making, sentencing outcomes, and perceptions of the defendant; however, these studies have varied in their definitions and have not always ensured that perceptions of heinousness were different across conditions. The purpose of the current study was to better understand what elements of crimes are viewed as more or less heinous in the eyes of undergraduate mock jurors. Using a within-subject, vignette-based design, ratings of heinousness were collected for 53 vignettes and eight variables were studied (i.e., method of killing, relationship, victim age, victim vulnerability, mental suffering, physical suffering, gruesomeness, and time). Significant differences were found within each factor (p < .001). Results provide researchers with a framework for future heinousness research, as well as information for the legal system with regard to what constitutes heinousness.
Aggression Prevention Training for Individuals With Dementia and Their Caregivers: A Randomized Controlled Trial
(Elsevier, 2020) Kunik, Mark E.; Stanley, Melinda A.; Shrestha, Srijana; Ramsey, David; Richey, Sheila; Snow, Lynn; Freshour, Jessica; Evans, Tracy; Newmark, Michael; Williams, Susan; Wilson, Nancy; Amspoker, Amber B.; Baylor College of Medicine; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Objective: International appeals call for interventions to prevent aggression and other behavioral problems in individuals with dementia (IWD). Aggression Prevention Training (APT), based on intervening in three contributors to development of aggression (IWD pain, IWD depression, and caregiver-IWD relationship problems) aims to reduce incidence of aggression in IWD over 1 year. Design: Randomized, controlled trial. Setting: Three clinics that assess, diagnose, and treat dementia. Participants: Two hundred twenty-eight caregiver-IWD dyads who screened positive for IWD pain, IWD depression, or caregiver-IWD relationship problems randomized to APT or Enhanced Usual Primary Care (EU-PC). Intervention: APT, a skills-based intervention delivered over 3 months to address pain/depression/caregiver-IWD relationship issues. EU-PC included printed material on dementia and community resources; and eight brief, weekly support calls. Measurements: The primary outcome was incidence of aggression over 1 year, determined by the Cohen Mansfield Agitation Inventory-Aggression Subscale. Secondary outcomes included pain, depression, caregiver- IWD relationship, caregiver burden, positive caregiving, behavior problems, and anxiety. Results: Aggression incidence and secondary outcomes did not differ between groups. However, in those screening positive for IWD depression or caregiver-IWD relationship problems, those receiving EU-PC had significant increases in depression and significant decreases in quality of the caregiver-IWD relationship, whereas those receiving APT showed no changes in these outcomes over time. Conclusion: The cost to patients, family, and society of behavioral problems in IWD, along with modest efficacy of most pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions, calls for more study of novel preventive approaches.
Alpha-amylase reactivity in relation to psychopathic traits in adults
(Pergamon, 2015) Glenn, Andrea L.; Remmel, Rheanna J.; Raine, Adrian; Schug, Robert A.; Gao, Yu; Granger, Douglas A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of Pennsylvania; California State University System; California State University Long Beach; City University of New York (CUNY) System; Brooklyn College (CUNY); Arizona State University; Arizona State University-Tempe; Johns Hopkins University; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Recent investigations of the psychobiology of stress in antisocial youth have benefited from a multi-system measurement model. The inclusion of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), a surrogate marker of autonomic/sympathetic nervous system (ANS) activity, in addition to salivary cortisol, a biomarker of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis functioning, has helped define a more complete picture of individual differences and potential dysfunction in the stress response system of these individuals. To the authors' knowledge, no studies have examined sAA in relation to antisocial behavior in adults or in relation to psychopathic traits specifically. In the present study, we examined sAA, in addition to salivary cortisol, in a relatively large sample (n=158) of adult males (M age=36.81, range = 22-67 years; 44% African American, 34% Caucasian, 16% Hispanic) recruited from temporary employment agencies with varying levels of psychopathic traits. Males scoring highest in psychopathy were found to have attenuated sAA reactivity to social stress compared to those scoring tower in psychopathy. No differential relationships with the different factors of psychopathy were observed. In contrast to studies of antisocial youth, there were no interactions between sAA and cortisol levels in relation to psychopathy, but there was a significant interaction between pre-stressor levels of sAA and cortisol. Findings reveal potential regulatory deficits in the fast-acting, 'fight or flight', component of the stress response in adult males with psychopathic traits, as well as abnormalities in how this system may interact with the HPA axis. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An analysis of conscious fear and automatic threat response in psychopathy
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2019) Lamoureux, Virginia; Glenn, Andrea L.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
A lack of fear has been proposed to be one of the driving forces behind the callous and antisocial behavior of psychopathic individuals. However, the term “fear” has taken on many different meanings and has been operationalized in many different ways. On one hand, fear can be described as the subjective and conscious experience of fear (e.g., “I feel afraid”). On the other hand, fear is often equated with an automatic bodily response to threat (e.g., physiological responses to threatening stimuli). The present study sought to clarify whether psychopathy is associated with each of these types of “fear.” In a sample of 64 male and female inmates in a county jail, threat detection, as well as the ability to recognize threat directed toward others, were assessed using threatening images along with measures of skin conductance and heart rate. The conscious experience of fear was measured via self-reported emotional experience in response to fear-inducing stimuli, as well as though the peripheral processes of interoception, alexithymia, and empathy. In a departure from previous literature, almost no significant relationships were found between total psychopathy and measures for the conscious experience of fear and automatic threat response. Additionally, gender was not found to be a significant moderator in any of these relationships. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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