Master of Science

thesisAffect suppression (AS) is an emotion regulation strategy that is known to be associated with temporary depletion of executive functioning. The purpose of this study was to examine the ramification of this effect on clinical neuropsychological evaluations, as well as whether this effect generalizes to working memory and processing speed. Fifty-six adults (mean age 22.89) completed the Burden of State Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (measuring AS burden generally vs. on the day of testing), subtests from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III Working Memory and Processing Speed subtests. Individuals with high AS burden on the day of testing exhibited poorer executive performance, but only when their general AS burden was low. The magnitude of this effect was clinically significant (i.e., 2/3 of SD). This effect held even after accounting of demographics, depression levels, processing speed, and working memory. AS did not account for variance in working memory or processing speed performances above and beyond executive functioning. These results suggest that AS burden on the day of testing has deleterious effects on executive functioning and represents a clinically meaningful bias in clinical evaluation

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationAccurate detection of executive dysfunction in neuropsychological assessments is complicated by the fact that executive functioning (EF) is vulnerable to temporary disruption (i.e., lapses) across the lifespan, with more frequent lapses in older adulthood. Effortful regulation of affect (i.e., expressive suppression) is a well-known source of executive lapses in younger adults, but the generalizability of this depleting effect to older adults is unknown. The purpose of this study was to 1) determine whether EF is subject to depletion via expressive suppression and 2) to explore the possible relationship between depletion and global cognitive status in older adults. We compared the performance of 97 nondemented, community dwelling older adults on a battery of tests measuring EF and component processes both before and after exposure to emotionally-evocative stimuli (in either the nonregulating control group or the expressive suppression group). Participants also completed a screening of global cognitive status at baseline. Consistent with the hypothesized depletion effect, suppressing participants showed an attenuated practice effect on postmanipulation EF relative to controls, while performance on component processes was unaffected by suppression. Level of improvement on executive measures was unrelated to global cognitive status in both groups. These results suggest that depletion contributes to executive lapses in older adulthood

Reflecting on nostalgic, positive, and novel experiences increases state Openness

Objective Personality change is a growing field of interest, but relatively few studies have examined causes of change in Openness. We investigated whether it is possible to influence state Openness, and through what mechanisms this effect may occur. Method In two experiments (Study 1: N = 144, Mage = 36.4, 58% female, 88% White; Study 2: N = 269, Mage = 34.0, 60% female, 91% White), participants reflected on and wrote about a personal experience requested to be either: nostalgic; positive and novel (Study 1); positive or novel (Study 2); or ordinary. They rated the events for nostalgia, positivity, novelty, and sociality, and completed measures of state positive affect, self‐esteem, social connectedness, meaning in life, and state Openness. Results Participants who recalled positive and/or novel events reported greater state Openness than those who recalled ordinary events. In Study 1, this also applied to those recalling nostalgic events. Event ratings of positivity (both studies), nostalgia and novelty (Study 2) independently predicted state Openness. State positive affect and self‐esteem were independent predictors in both studies, suggesting possible indirect paths. Conclusions Reflecting on nostalgic, positive, and novel experiences can increase state Openness. This finding may be useful for interventions targeting trait‐level change

Intra-individual variability identifies individuals vulnerable to contextually induced executive lapses

Contextual stressors, such as engagement in burdensome emotion regulation known as expressive suppression (ES), can result in transient but clinically meaningful decrement in performance on measures of executive functioning (EF). The goal of the present investigation was to examine whether intra-individual variability (IIV-I), which has been identified as an indicator of cognitive weakness, could serve as a marker of vulnerability to EF decrements due to both naturally-occurring and experimentally-manipulated ES. In Study 1, 180 cognitively healthy older adults completed the Push-Turn-Taptap (PTT) task to assess IIV-I, four Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) subtests to assess EF, and the Burden of State Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (B-SERQ) to assess naturally-occurring ES. In Study 2, a subset (n = 81) of participants underwent experimental manipulation to induce ES, followed by second administration of the D-KEFS to examine ES-induced decrements in EF. In Study 1, hierarchical linear regression yielded a significant interaction between ES and IIV-I as predictors of EF performance, demonstrating that high ES was associated with low EF only among individuals with high IIV-I. In Study 2, repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated an interaction between time (pre- vs. post- manipulation), group (ES vs. control), and IIV-I (high vs. low), such that only individuals who exhibited high IIV-I were negatively impacted by the ES manipulation. IIV-I moderates the association between ES and EF, such that only individuals with high IIV-I exhibit vulnerability to the impact of ES. Thus, IIV-I may act as a marker of vulnerability to temporary EF depletion

Naturally occurring expressive suppression is associated with lapses in instrumental activities of daily living among community-dwelling older adults

OBJECTIVES: Expressive suppression (i.e., effortful regulation of overt affect) has a deleterious impact on executive functioning (EF). This relationship has potential ramifications for daily functioning, especially among older adults, because a close relationship exists between EF and functional independence. However, past research has not directly examined whether expressive suppression impacts instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). The present study examined this association among older adults. METHODS: One hundred ten community-dwelling older adults completed a self-report measure of acute (past 24 hr) and chronic (past 2 weeks) expressive suppression, a timed test of IADL, and the Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale as a measure of EF. RESULTS: High chronic expressive suppression was related to slow IADL performance beyond covariates (age, IQ, depression), but only for individuals with low EF. High acute expressive suppression was associated with lower accuracy on IADL tasks beyond covariates (IQ, depression), but this association was fully explained by EF. CONCLUSIONS: The current results suggest that expressive suppression is associated with less efficient and more error-prone IADL performance. EF fully accounted for the relationship between acute expressive suppression and IADL performance, showing that suppression is a risk factor for both poorer EF performance and functional lapses in daily life. Furthermore, individuals with weaker EF may be particularly vulnerable to the effect of chronic expressive suppression. (JINS, 2019, 25, 718-728)

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Personality Associations With Self-Report, Performance, and Awareness of Functional Difficulties

Self-reports of the ability to engage in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) among older adults are known to be related to personality traits. However, self-reports are sometimes discrepant with performance-based IADL assessments, and little is known about personality associations with objective functionality or with poor insight about functional deficits. This study examined the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised profiles associated with (a) self-report of functional problems, (b) functional errors evidenced on performance-based IADL assessment, and (c) discrepancies between self-report and performance. Participants were 65 community-dwelling individuals ranging in age from 60 to 87 years. The results showed that self-report of IADL problems are associated with higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness, actual IADL difficulties with higher neuroticism and lower agreeableness and openness to experience, underreporting of problems with higher conscientiousness, and overreporting of problems with higher extraversion and neuroticism. These relationships were partly mediated by age, education, and cognitive status. When unique personality associations with self-report and performance were examined, neuroticism and agreeableness, respectively, emerged as the strongest predictors. Copyright 2010, Oxford University Press.