Matching Items (3)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: neuropsychology
- Creators: Hooyman, Andrew
- Creators: Lavoie, Michael
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
- Resource Type: Text
- Status: Published
Description
In recent years, the use of biologically based (neurological, neuropsychological, genetic) evidence in criminal trials as support for claims of mental impairments among offenders has increased in popularity. However, research on how exposure to those arguments affects jury decision-making remains unclear. Specifically, arguments rooted in biology sometimes mitigate and sometimes aggravate judgments of criminal responsibility for mentally ill offenders, and this discrepancy seems to stem from the specific conditions by which that disorder was acquired. The following study’s aim was to uncover the precise mechanism(s) behind this elusive effect. Utilizing a 2x2 between subjects experimental design, participants were presented with a hypothetical crime summary involving an offender with either an onset controllable or uncontrollable mental disorder. Ratings of criminal responsibility and other variables hypothesized to function as mediators were obtained after presentation of a prime supporting either a biologically deterministic or free will argument for human behavior in general. Results indicated that when the defendant’s disorder was the result of the his own actions (onset controllable), a biological prime decreased judgments of criminal responsibility; however, when the disorder was caused by factors out of his control (onset uncontrollable), the prime increased judgments of criminal responsibility. An examination of several possible mechanisms finds the effect mediated by the perception of control the defendant could have had over his own actions at the time of the crime. These results suggest that perceptions of behavioral control are an important contributor to jurors’ formation of criminal responsibility judgments when an offender possesses a mental illness; and arguments advocating a biological basis for human behavior reliably affect blame attribution, suggesting that a societal shift in the perception of free will as a result of increased exposure to biology in general may alter the framework of criminal responsibility judgments.
ContributorsHunter, Shelby (Author) / Schweitzer, Nick (Thesis advisor) / Neal, Tess (Committee member) / Salerno, Jessica (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
The purpose of this study was to test the reproducibility of the current data set. It was hypothesized that older adults’ scores on the Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) would decrease from their initial visit to their one year follow-up visit and that greater overall age is associated with worse performance. Overall, the older adults with a follow-up visit in this study experienced greater decline on the RBANS DMI than on the RBANS total scaled score. There seems to be a negative trend in which individuals with higher first-visit VCI scores experience greater improvement on the first trial of the motor task with the non-dominant hand. The same trend can be seen in DMI scores where higher initial DMI scores are associated with greater improvement on the first non-dominant hand trial of the motor task. This initial trend suggests that visuospatial scores have an association with long-term change in the motor task. The number of participants in this data set were limited, thus more data will be needed to increase confidence in conclusions about these relationships in the future.
ContributorsDettmer, Alaina Nicole (Author) / Schaefer, Sydney (Thesis director) / Hooyman, Andrew (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in aspects of executive functioning such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022). These challenges may impact learning and information retrieval, leading to variations in academic, vocational, and social skill development (APA, 2022). Precise assessment of these skills is crucial for understanding the diverse cognitive, behavioral, and emotional challenges associated with an ADHD diagnosis. Despite a global prevalence rate between 5-10%, no standardized assessment method has been established (Neprily et al., 2023). The development of digital tools like the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NTCB) and Test of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A.) offer enhanced accessibility and efficacy in early detection (Greenberg et al., 2007; Weintraub et al., 2013).The study evaluates select NTCB measures of executive functioning, assessing their convergent and discriminant validity alongside established neuropsychological tests. It also investigates whether the T.O.V.A. and NTCB can identify unique cognitive profiles in an ADHD sample, further evaluating sex- and age-based profile differences. Correlation analyses using SPSS (Version 28) revealed strong convergent and discriminant validity of the NTCB Flanker, Dimensional Change Card Sort, and Pattern Comparison tests, with variable discriminant validity on the List Sorting test. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify distinct profiles using NTCB and T.O.V.A. tests within a sample of 213 participants between the ages of 5 and 26 years diagnosed with ADHD. Analyses were performed using MPlus8 statistical software, with missing data being accounted for by using full information likelihood estimation (FIML). Model selections were based on the number of fit indices and criteria (Nylund et al., 2013). By adjusting unique combinations of subtests and scores from both measures, 2 to 3 distinct profiles emerged within the data, underscoring the heterogeneity and complexity of this clinical population. The data did not support sex-based performance differences; however, older cohorts demonstrated stronger NTCB working memory and processing speed performances.
The results highlight the versatility of the NTCB and T.O.V.A. in identifying unique neurocognitive profiles. Future research should explore their efficacy in diagnosing ADHD within diverse medical and psychiatric cohorts, aligning with emerging neuronal circuit theories.
ContributorsSchaefer, Amber Nicole (Author) / Capielo Rosario, Cristalís (Thesis advisor) / Truong, Nancy (Committee member) / Nicholls, Christopher J (Committee member) / Lavoie, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023