Browsing by Author "Oriet, Christopher"

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Open Access
Age Differences in Pain Responses
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2020-07) Shackleton, Delaine Ariele; Hadjistavropoulos, Thomas; Sykes Tottenham, Laurie; Oriet, Christopher; Wickson Griffith, Abigail; Martel, Marc O.
One in five Canadians report experiencing chronic pain, which is associated with numerous negative psychological and physical consequences (Schopflocher et al., 2011). Older adults are more likely to experience pain than younger people and the degree of pain-related interference increases with age (Thomas et al., 2004). This is concerning given that pain is routinely underassessed and undertreated in older persons (American Pain Foundation, 2008; Kaye et al., 2010; Lautenbacher, 2014; Malec & Shega, 2015). Researchers have found many age-related differences in pain responses, such as pain perception and reporting and attitudes toward pain (Gibson & Farrell, 2004; Gibson & Helme, 2001; Lautenbacher et al., 2017; Tumi et al., 2017; Yong et al., 2001). Coping is thought to play an important role in the pain experience (Chan et al., 2012; Keefe & Williams, 1990; LaChapelle & Hadjistavropoulos, 2005; Sorkin et al., 1990; Watkins et al., 1999). Despite researchers having examined the influence of coping on pain, there is a lack of research comparing younger and older adults’ coping with pain, while measuring multiple facets of the pain experience (e.g., pain threshold/tolerance, non-verbal facial expressions of pain, and self-reported pain intensity/unpleasantness), during a controlled experimental pain-task. The goal of this investigation was to examine age differences in a variety of pain responses in real time by comparing older and younger adults’ verbal and nonverbal pain responses during a thermal pain task. Real-time coping strategies were measured through the use of a ‘think aloud’ protocol that was analyzed and coded based on empirically-supported coping categories. It was hypothesized that there would be age differences in pain responses (i.e., pain threshold, pain tolerance), coping, and pain attitudes. Non-verbal pain/emotional expressions were not expected to differ as a function of age (Hadjistavropoulos et al., 2002; Hadjistavropoulos et al., 2000; Kunz et al., 2008; Prkachin, 2009; Sheu et al., 2011). Drawing from the communications model of pain (Craig, 2009; Hadjistavropoulos & Craig, 2002; Hadjistavropoulos et al., 2004; Hadjistavropoulos et al., 2011; Prkachin & Craig, 1995), and in line with previous research suggesting that specific coping strategies play an important role in pain outcomes (Harland & Georgieff, 2003; McCormick et al., 2015; Monticone et al., 2014; Robinson et al., 1997), it was expected that coping would mediate the relationship between age and pain outcomes. As expected, there were age differences in coping, with younger adults using more Coping Self-Statements, Ignoring Sensation, and Other real-time coping strategies than older adults. In a retrospective measure of coping (i.e., the CSQ-R), younger adults endorsed more Coping Self-Statements and older adults indicated using more Praying. Also as expected, use of “CSQ-R Adaptive Coping” strategies was related to lower pain ratings, whereas use of “CSQ-R Maladaptive Coping” strategies was related to higher pain ratings. Results from mediation analyses revealed that older adults made less use of “CSQ-R Adaptive Coping” strategies than younger adults, which was related to older adults having higher self-reported pain ratings than younger adults. No age differences were found in pain threshold/tolerance or pain attitudes (i.e., stoicism and cautiousness). Although there were age-differences in the specificity of facial responses—e.g., specific action units related to pain—there were no age-differences in global facial expressions of pain intensity. Results from this investigation add specificity to the communications model of pain. Furthermore, findings may contribute to the advancement of pain treatment protocols and age-specific guidelines for the management of pain.
Open Access
Beliefs about the Healthfulness of Common Foods
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2016-07) Wallace, Jamie Charles Terrence; Arbuthnott, Katherine; Oriet, Christopher; Carleton, R. Nicholas
The primary focus of this research was to evaluate beliefs about the healthfulness of common foods. There is widespread agreement that a whole foods, plants-based diet, such as that depicted by Canada’s Food Guide, promotes optimal health. However, many processed foods are marketed with nutrition messages that are purportedly designed to assist people in making healthier food choices, but may in fact be misleading. This study evaluated beliefs about the healthfulness of 30 common foods across three categories, whole, processed, and highly processed foods, and compared them to an objective measurement of nutritiousness. An array of food choice items, including values such as health, price, and convenience, as well as physical health and fitness questions, were included in the current study to explore relationships with ratings of healthfulness and frequency. Results indicate that participants underestimated the healthfulness of whole foods, were reasonably accurate when rating processed foods, and overrated the healthfulness of highly processed foods. Participants rated whole foods as being included in their diets more frequently than either processed or highly processed foods. Correlation analyses indicated relationships between ratings of healthfulness, frequency, food choice values and health and fitness items. Consumers must be able to understand the relative healthfulness of foods in the marketplace in order to choose a healthy diet. The current study suggests that consumer understanding of the healthfulness of common foods, especially whole and highly processed foods, is questionable. Additionally, food and nutrition information sources were not related to healthfulness ratings. These findings have implications for healthy eating policies because they suggest the need for other strategies beyond information interventions.
Open Access
Childhood Abuse and Health Anxiety: The Roles of Attachment and Emotion Regulation
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2013-07) Reiser, Sarah Jane; Wright, Kristi; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather; Oriet, Christopher; Staples, Kerri
Health anxiety refers to excessive preoccupation or worry about one’s health. A number of childhood experiences have been linked to the development of health anxiety in adulthood; however, the influence of childhood abuse on health anxiety is unclear. Previous literature has revealed mixed findings (e.g., Noyes et al., 2002; Salmon & Calderbank, 1996). The purpose of the current study was to examine levels of health anxiety in adults who have a history of childhood abuse (i.e., physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect) and to investigate the roles of emotion regulation and attachment in this relationship. It was hypothesized that there would be significant, positive relationships between health anxiety, childhood abuse, and the associated constructs, that childhood abuse experiences and the associated constructs would be predictive of health anxiety, and that emotion regulation and attachment would mediate the relationship between childhood abuse and health anxiety. The sample was comprised of 181 University of Regina students ranging from 18 to 29 years of age (Mage = 20.29 years). Participants completed a battery of measures that assessed health anxiety, childhood abuse experiences, emotion regulation, attachment, and associated constructs. The results revealed that health anxiety was associated with all categories of childhood abuse and overall childhood abuse severity. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that childhood abuse was predictive of health anxiety in adulthood; however, the unique contribution of these experiences was no longer significant following the inclusion of the other variables of interest. Results from mediation analyses demonstrated that emotion dysregulation, attachment anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity were all revealed as partial mediators in the relationship between childhood abuse and health anxiety. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between abuse in childhood and health anxiety in adulthood. Further, these findings may assist in identifying those at risk for developing health anxiety and may also have implications for strategies that may be useful in the prevention and treatment of health anxiety.
Open Access
Clarifying the Nature of Pain-Related Anxiety: Implications for Assessment and Treatment of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2014-10) Abrams, Murray Peter; Asmundson, Gordon J.G.; Candow, Darren; Oriet, Christopher; Wright, Kristi; Keogh, Edmund
Pain-related anxiety and anxiety sensitivity (AS) are important constructs in fearanxiety- avoidance models of chronic pain (Asmundson, P. J. Norton, & Vlaeyen, 2004). Pain-related anxiety (McCracken & Gross, 1998) includes dimensions of cognitive anxiety (e.g., concentration difficulties as result of pain), behavioural avoidance, fearful thinking about pain, and physiological reactivity to pain (e.g., autonomic arousal, nausea). AS (Reiss, Peterson, Gursky, & McNally, 1986) is the trait tendency to fear the physiological sensations of anxiety due to the belief such sensations signal imminent harm. Evidence suggests an association between AS and pain-related anxiety (e.g., Muris, Schmidt, Merckelbach, & Schouten, 2001; P. J. Norton & Asmundson, 2003); however, the nature of this relationship remains unclear. An overlapping but empirically distinct relationship has been suggested (Carleton, Abrams, Asmundson, Antony, & McCabe, 2009) but there is also evidence pain-related anxiety may be a manifestation of AS (Greenberg & Burns, 2003). The current study sought to assess the posited view that pain-related anxiety may be an expression of AS. An experimental design was used in an attempt to extend the findings of Greenberg and Burns (2003) with a non-clinical analogue sample. Participants were healthy adults (N = 61, 62% women, M age = 31, SD = 11.45) who completed measures of pain-related anxiety, AS, social anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and general negative affectivity (i.e., depression, trait anxiety). They underwent a pain induction task intended to elicit pain-related anxiety and a mental arithmetic task intended to elicit social-evaluative anxiety. Data gathered at baseline, during, and post-experimental tasks included (a) cardiovascular variables to provide indices of anxious arousal; (b) self-report measures of pain-related anxiety, social evaluative anxiety, and general negative affectivity; and (c) behavioural performance measures (i.e., correct answers on the mental arithmetic task, pain tolerance). Two hypotheses were tested: 1. Consistent with the view that pain-related anxiety may be a manifestation of AS, it was hypothesized that a measure of pain-related anxiety (i.e., Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20[PASS-20]; McCracken & Dhingra, 2002) would significantly and substantively predict scores on post-task dependent measures for both the pain-related anxiety and social-evaluative anxiety induction tasks in regression models while controlling for effects of general negative affectivity; 2. It was hypothesized that the predictive effects of pain-related anxiety (PASS-20) on dependent measure scores would be accounted for by scores on a measure of AS (Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 [ASI-3]; Taylor et al., 2007) in regression models. Neither of these hypotheses was supported. For the first hypothesis, results revealed that PASS-20 scores predicted positive variance in only the pain induction post-task measure of current painanxiety. Contrary to prediction, the PASS-20 did not account for variance in any of the mental arithmetic task dependent measures. For the second hypothesis, the results similarly failed to reject the null hypothesis. Despite exhibiting a high degree of correlation with the PASS-20, ASI-3 scores failed to account for positive variance in either the pain induction or mental arithmetic post-task dependent measures. Results indicated that AS was not associated with pain-related anxiety in a sample of participants not reporting current pain. These findings may lend support to the view that the apparently robust relationship observed between AS and pain-related anxiety among persons with chronic pain, may, in part, be a consequence of a persistent pain experience.
Open Access
Climate change denial and associated characteristics in Saskatchewan agricultural producers
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2022-07) Stewart, Sheena Ann; Arbuthnott, Katherine; Sauchyn, David; Oriet, Christopher; Magnan, André
Climate change (CC) poses a threat to agricultural sustainability, which is important in Saskatchewan as agriculture is a major occupation and driver of the economy. Agriculture involves both creation and mitigation of emissions related to CC. To implement adaptation and mitigation practices producers should accept CC as fact; however, CC denial is prevalent in Saskatchewan. This study provided a snapshot of views toward CC and examined characteristic influences on CC denial in 330 Saskatchewan producers. To assess whether personal characteristics influence changes in CC understanding and perception following a CC information video, a subset of participants were randomized to an experimental (N = 79) or control (N = 84) condition. Participants watched a video produced by the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency. Measures of CC understanding and perception, as well as personal characteristics were assessed before and after the video for the experimental group, with the control group viewing the video once both questionnaires were complete. Results indicated more CC denial in Saskatchewan producers than in other Canadian samples. The following characteristics were associated with less acceptance and concern of CC: lower levels of formal education, identifying as male, conservative political affiliation and ideation, low trust in science, and low mental flexibility. Viewing the video increased CC perception in the experimental group and protected against a history effect that decreased climate knowledge in the control group. Change in climate knowledge is predicted by baseline knowledge, with lower baseline climate knowledge scores associated with more improvement. Change in CC perception could be predicted by trust in climate science and baseline CC perception. A higher baseline score for trust in science predicted greater change in CC perception following the video, indicating the importance of a foundational trust in climate science in changing perspective following the provision of CC information. It is recommended that further research be conducted to examine different teaching methods (e.g., lecture, workshop, webinar) and dissemination methods (e.g., online versus in-person sessions) to see how various techniques may influence learning, as well as the way the information is used by particular groups.
Open Access
Conceptually-Based Strategy Use Investigating Underlying Mechanisms and Development Across Adolescence and into Early Adulthood
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2012-03) Dube, Adam Kenneth; Robinson, Katherine; Arbuthnott, Katherine; Oriet, Christopher; Seaman, Charles; Smith-Chant, Brenda
Researchers have used inversion and associativity problems (e.g., 2 × 8 ÷ 8, 3 + 19 − 17, respectively) to assess whether or not individuals have the conceptual understanding that addition and subtraction and multiplication and division are inverse operations (i.e., the inversion concept, Robinson & Ninowski, 2003; Starkey & Gelman, 1982) and whether or not they understand that numbers can be decomposed and recombined in various ways and still result in the same answer (i.e., the associativity concept, Canobi, Reeve, & Pattison, 1998; Robinson, Ninowski, & Gray, 2006). It is not known when the development of these two concepts reaches adult levels. Furthermore, it is not known whether the application of these concepts during problem solving requires individuals to interrupt the execution of well-practiced procedural knowledge (e.g., Siegler & Araya, 2005). In the present study, 40 adolescent participants per grade from Grades 7, 9, and 11 and 40 adult participants who had graduated from high school the previous academic year solved multiplication and division inversion and associativity problems. Also, participants completed a task that measured whether the execution of the inversion shortcut or associativity strategy interrupted the execution of computational strategies. The results suggest that inversion shortcut and associativity strategy use increase in Grade 9, that inversion shortcut use approaches adult levels before associativity strategy use, and that the execution of both conceptually-based strategies interrupts computational strategies. Therefore, the present study identifies adolescence as an important developmental period for inversion shortcut and associativity strategy use and provides the first evidence that applying conceptual mathematical knowledge to problem solving requires the interruption of procedural mathematical knowledge.
Open Access
Executive Function, Social Emotional Learning, and Social Competence in Autism Spectrum Disorder
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2014-05) Berard, Nathalie Catherine Marie; Loutzenhiser, Lynn; Alfano, Dennis; Oriet, Christopher; Wright, Kristi; Staples, Kerri; Montgomery, Janine
The main objective of this study was to investigate the concurrent role of multiple antecedents of social competence in a group of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Existing models of social competence were adapted to include three domains of executive function (EF: Cognitive, Behavioural, and Emotional Regulation), and two domains of Social Emotional Learning (SEL: Nonverbal Awareness, Social Understanding). The EF domains were related to sustained attention, working memory, planning, behavioural inhibition, and affective decision making; SEL domains included social comprehension, and identification and interpretation of social cues. Social competence was defined in terms of social skills and adaptive social functioning. The relationships amongst the EF and SEL domains, and social competence were examined in a sample of 49 boys with ASD and 48 neurotypical boys, aged 8 to 13 years. Results showed that the ASD group performed significantly below the control group on most SEL and EF domains. Children with ASD were also rated significantly lower on social competence measures and parental ratings of EF. Importantly, the EF domain of Cognitive Regulation predicted social competence in boys with ASD whereas the SEL domain of Social Understanding predicted social competence in neurotypical boys. These findings contribute significantly to our understanding of social competence and quality of life in boys with ASD. The observation that Cognitive Regulation predicts social competence in boys with ASD has important clinical implications for specifically targeting EF in both assessment and treatment.
Open Access
Facet-Time: Using Information Seeking Strategies to Support Exploration of Time Series Data
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2019-12) Butt, Haider Ali; Hoeber, Orland; Hamilton, Howard J.; Maguire, Brien; Oriet, Christopher
The notion of time has important value in people’s lives. By analyzing timeoriented data, we can understand underlying trends in the data. Graphically representing the data is useful for analysis because a single visualization can represent much information. Some tools providing visualizations for time-series data are well supported for lookup tasks; however, their support for exploratory search tasks are minimal. In exploratory search tasks, users may not have a specific search goal or they may have ill-defined information needs. They usually learn by iterating through and interpreting search results and perform investigation over them before integrating the obtained information into their knowledge. In this thesis, an analytical tool (Facet-Time) is proposed that supports users in analyzing temporal data with a specific focus on supporting exploratory search. Facet-Time utilizes information visualization and interactive techniques to help users in finding information they are seeking and satisfying their search goals. It allows users with ambiguous search goals to interactively gain information about the search results. Facet-Time provides information scent support to assist users in choosing their path of exploration while they are defining queries. It also provides the visualization of time-series data where users can analyze the data and also make comparisons of subsets of data. User evaluations were conducted to validate the design variations and features of Facet-Time. The outcome of the evaluations gave mostly mixed results, i.e., some experimental measures have significant value for some variations of Facet- Time and some measures do not have much significance. Improvements were observed in three subjective measures (usefulness, ease of use, and satisfaction) when using the sparklines feature versus when using no sparklines feature.
Open Access
Family Album - MOJ Album
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2019-07) Gerbeza, Tea; Trussler, Michael; Grande, Troni; Riegel, Christian; Oriet, Christopher
Family Album ↔ Moj Album is an experimental memoir that uses a multi-genre structure—poetry, prose, and photography—to examine what it means to witness atrocity. I was born in the middle of the Yugoslavian Civil War (also referred to as the Bosnian War) in 1994, and my parents and I immigrated to Canada a year later in 1995. Because both of my parents lived through this war, and I was born into it, I have memories surface that I can’t explain, memories that reveal an unknown past that demands my attention. These so-called memories engage with what Marianne Hirsch coins “postmemory”: a recent concept in the study of atrocity that investigates how people who have suffered trauma pass on “memories” of the original trauma to their children. Postmemory is primarily used throughout the thesis to explore what I have experienced as a child of survivors and to understand what these experiences mean. In fact, I complicate Hirsch’s notion of postmemory because I am both a survivor and a child of survivors. Therefore, Family Album ↔ Moj Album uses this liminal position to examine what memories of the war are my own and which ones are transferred to me by my parents. Family Album ↔ Moj Album also asks the question: what happens when a child is the primary “witness” to a father’s war-story. I use M.D. Dori Laub’s conceptualizing of the witness as a framing device for the entire thesis. Laub writes of three levels of witness: witness to oneself, witness to other’s testimonies, and witness to the act of witnessing itself. My memoir uses these levels to investigate how I fit into each level throughout my life as well as complicate Laub’s notion of the “empathetic listener.” Photographs are used and “created” in my memoir to show how postmemory, photography, and trauma are interconnected since photographs produce a material connection to the past. I manipulate photographs and include a variety within the memoir because they connect me with a past to which I do not have direct access. The memoir examines the effects of intergenerational trauma, and how memory can be recovered with the use of technology—like that of scanner photography (scannography). The memoir acts as a space for me to reconcile my past and give me room to have a voice amongst the loud events of my family’s past.
Open Access
Perceptions Of and Preference For Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Among Post-Secondary Students
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2019-05) Peynenburg, Vanessa Angelica; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather; Oriet, Christopher; Klest, Bridget; Frazier, Patricia
Background: Post-secondary students experience elevated rates of mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression. These mental health concerns often contribute to the stress experienced by students, and interfere with social and academic functioning. Most colleges and universities have some form of mental health support for students, often in the form of campus counselling centers. However, these services often offer a limited number of sessions per student and are reported to have difficulties meeting the mental health demands of students. Students face several barriers when seeking psychological help, including stigma, lack of time, financial constraints, and perceptions that their mental health concern will resolve on its own or does not warrant psychotherapy. Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) is an effective alternative to face-to-face therapy that addresses these barriers in adult populations with some evidence showing ICBT can also be effective with students. The use of ICBT, however, is not yet readily available to students in Canada. More research is needed on student perceptions and preferences for ICBT in order to assist with future attempts to implement ICBT to address the gap between students’ needs and service utilization. Objectives: The present study aimed to explore post-secondary students’ perceptions of ICBT and to identify demographic and clinical variables that predict their ratings of the acceptability and credibility of ICBT. A further objective of this study was to identify student preferences for the content of an ICBT course, as well as their preferred method and frequency of contact with a therapist. Method: Canadian post-secondary students (N = 314) were recruited using Qualtrics, an online survey platform. They completed a battery of questionnaires, including measures of their demographics, depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug use, and medical service utilization. Students also rated the acceptability and credibility of ICBT, face-to-face therapy, and the use of medication as treatments for mental health concerns. Students were provided with a list of possible content for an ICBT course, and different options for the method (e.g., email, telephone, face-to-face) and frequency (e.g., daily, weekly) of contact with a therapist. They were asked to rate how helpful they perceive each of the above options to be in an ICBT course. Analysis and results: Students perceived face-to-face CBT, medication, and ICBT as moderately acceptable and credible treatments for anxiety and depression. ICBT was rated as the least preferable of the treatment options, but was more preferable when face-to-face services could not be received immediately. Less severe depression severity and female gender were identified as predictors of higher acceptability rates of ICBT. Students who expressed more willingness to seek help for mental health concerns viewed ICBT as more credible than those who were less willing to seek help. Participants identified several advantages of ICBT, including convenience, accessibility, and general personal benefits. Disadvantages included the perception that ICBT is too impersonal, has a lack of accountability, and is too time-consuming. Potential implications: Findings from this research study will help inform implementation efforts and future trials of ICBT for postsecondary students with anxiety and depression.
Open Access
A Repeated Forced-Choice Lineup Procedure: Examining the Impact on Child and Adult Eyewitnesses
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2017-03) Bruer, Kaila Chantal; Price, Heather; Wright, Kristi; Ruddell, Rick; Loucks, Jeff; Oriet, Christopher; Marche, Tammy
In two experiments and one follow-up analysis, I examined the impact of using a repeated force-choice (RFC) lineup procedure with child and adult eyewitnesses. The RFC procedure divides the identification task into a series of exhaustive binary comparisons (i.e., round-robin design) and, in doing so, provides information about (a) who the witness believes is the suspect (if any) and, (b) additional information about how each face in the lineup matches the witness’ memory of a target, relative to every other face. Results from Experiment 1 indicate that younger children (6-to-8-year-olds) struggled with the RFC procedure, while older children (9-to-11-year-olds) performed at least as well with the RFC procedure as with a simultaneous procedure. In Experiment 2, the comparable performance in the simultaneous and RFC procedures was replicated with adult eyewitnesses. Follow-up analyses examined the additional information provided by the RFC in Experiments 1 and 2 and found evidence that witnesses’ patterns of responding during the RFC procedure can be used to estimate selection bias or memory strength associated with an individual witness’ lineup decision.
Open Access
The Roman Villas of Wales
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2015-01) Rowe, Jennifer Erin; Leyton-Brown, Kenneth; Ganev, Robin; Blake, Raymond; Oriet, Christopher
Roman villas are a primary component of the landscape of the Roman Empire. Despite their varying architectural features and appearances, these elite rural settlements are an important element in examining the extent and effect of Romanization within the provinces of the Roman Empire, and are a primary factor in considering the way in which Roman villas developed in the western frontier region of Roman Britain; an area known today as the country of Wales. This thesis will examine the establishment, development and evolution of Roman villas in Wales. Particular attention will be placed on the elements which led to the establishment of villas in this western frontier region of Roman Britain, including geography, climate, physical environment, the economy and the Roman military, while investigating how these domestic spaces came to be one of the most recognizable forms of Romanization within the region. This thesis will incorporate research from several academic disciplines, including history, archaeology, classical studies and art history, in order to illustrate the way in which Roman villas in Wales contribute to our understanding of the way identity, wealth and power came to be expressed in one particular region of the Roman world.
Open Access
That's Just Your Point of View: How Visuospatial Biases and Functional Lateralization Influence the Way We Perceive the World
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2017-07) Hatin, Bianca Dominique Marie; Sykes-Tottenham, Laurie; Oriet, Christopher; Robinson, Katherine; Streifler, Leesa; Elias, Lorin
How can individual differences in visuospatial attention and other lateralized functions affect the perception of one’s environment? This research question was examined through the four studies which comprise this dissertation. Studies 1 and 2 examined how visuospatial biases (and other lateralized attributes) influence the perception of paintings, Study 3 examined how these factors influence how paintings are created, and Study 4 examined how visuospatial biases themselves can be influenced by the perception and processing of other lateralized attributes. For all studies, biases in visuospatial attention were measured using the line bisection task. In Study 1, participants rated asymmetrical paintings on evocative impact, aesthetics, technique, novelty, and closure. These ratings were made for paintings in their original orientation, as well as in a mirror-reversed orientation. Leftward bisectors tended to give higher ratings to paintings when they were non-mirrored, whereas rightward bisectors more often gave higher ratings to paintings when they were mirrored. These results suggest that line bisection performance reflects individual differences in visuospatial attention, which in turn affects perception of asymmetrical paintings. However, because most of the attributes examined in Study 1 are typically associated with right hemisphere processing (as is visuospatial attention), individual differences in laterality underlying the processing of the attributes may have also impacted the results. Thus, in Study 2 the influence of visuospatial attention on painting perception was further explored using attributes typically associated with left hemisphere processing (logic, positive valence) and other attributes typically associated with right hemisphere processing and/or ii leftward asymmetries in art (negative valence, brightness), in addition to reexamining the attributes from Study 1 using a new forced-choice methodology. Results showed that leftward bisectors more often selected non-mirrored paintings as more emotionally evocative, logical, bright, and positively valenced, whereas rightward bisectors tended to select the mirrored paintings for emotional evocation and technique. The results for left bisectors suggest hemispheric processing of lateralized attributes affects painting preferences over visuospatial biases alone. Together, the results of Studies 1 and 2 also suggest that there are particular asymmetries within the paintings. As such, Study 3 examined whether the attributes from Studies 1 and 2 were arranged within the left or right halves of paintings in a manner consistent with the hemispheric asymmetries typically underlying the processing of these attributes. Results suggest that the right half of asymmetrical paintings conveyed better technique, more logic, and more negative valence, whereas the left half was brighter and more positively valenced. Finally, in order to examine the influence of attribute processing on visuospatial biases, the line bisection task itself was manipulated in Study 4, with different line types (face, word, solid), and emotional valences (positive, negative, neutral). Leftward bisections were generally observed, but line type and valence affected the strength of these biases. The extent of the bias decreased for lines embedded with faces, and increased for lines embedded with words. Overall, the studies in this dissertation showed how individual differences in visuospatial attention work with other aspects of lateralized processing in order to influence the way we perceive and process information in our environments.
Open Access
Treatment Acceptability and Preference Among Primary Care Patients Experiencing Severe Health Anxiety: The Role of Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2016-08) Soucy, Joelle Natalie; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather; Oriet, Christopher; Asmundson, Gordon
Severe health anxiety is characterized by persistent and excessive anxiety about one’s health and is prevalent in primary care settings. While cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is an established treatment for health anxiety, barriers to service access limit the number of individuals who receive this treatment. Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) has the potential to improve patient access to treatment and has been shown to be an effective intervention for health anxiety. Nevertheless, because ICBT is a novel treatment, it remains unclear whether the service would be perceived by primary care patients as acceptable. The goal of the present study was to investigate how patients perceive ICBT relative to other interventions for health anxiety. Primary care patients (N = 116) who exhibited severe health anxiety completed a battery of online questionnaires and then were presented with in counterbalanced order, three treatment vignettes that each described a different treatment protocol for health anxiety (i.e., medication, CBT, ICBT). Perceptions of the treatments were assessed following the presentation of each vignette. Participants then ranked the three treatments based on the likelihood of agreeing to receive that intervention for health anxiety. The treatments were perceived as yielding similar reductions on symptoms of health anxiety and were similarly rated as marginally acceptable. Relative to medication and ICBT, CBT was perceived as the most credible treatment for health anxiety. The highest preference ranks were for CBT and medication. Lack of accountability and familiarity, lower therapeutic support, and limited availability in Canada were described as reasons why ICBT was ranked low in preference. Among participants who ranked ICBT as the preferred treatment (n = 23), convenience, acceptability, and anonymity were described as reasons that influenced preference ranking. Regression analyses indicated that lower computer anxiety, previous medication use, and lower ratings of negative cognitions about difficulty coping with an illness significantly predicted greater ICBT acceptability. Demographic and clinical variables had no significant predictive value. The findings suggest that ICBT is perceived by primary care patients as a potentially acceptable and effective treatment for health anxiety; however, face-to-face interventions appear to be the treatments of choice relative to ICBT. Keywords: Health Anxiety; Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy; Treatment Acceptability; Treatment Preference
Open Access
Use of the Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate-II (Pacslac-II) by People Who Are Not Health Professionals
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2016-07-07) Ammaturo, Delaine Ariele; Hadjistavropoulos, Thomas; Mishra, Sandeep; Oriet, Christopher
Pain is prevalent among older adults but it is often underestimated and undertreated, especially in older people with dementia. Patients with severe dementia are likely to suffer from untreated pain because of their limited ability to report it. Observational methods of pain assessment, such as the Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate-II (PACSLAC-II; Chan, Hadjistavropoulos, Williams, & Lints-Martindale, 2014), have been shown to be valid indicators of pain in this population when completed by health professionals or other trained personnel (Fuchs-Lacelle, Hadjistavropoulos, & Lix, 2008; Zwakhalen, Hamers, Abu-Saad, & Berger, 2006). With growing demands, informal caregivers who are laypersons are an untapped assessor group, although they often have the primary responsibility for seniors with dementia. The goal of this investigation was to compare the behavioural pain assessment ability of persons who are not health professionals to that of experienced nursing staff. Videos depicting dementia patients expressing pain were presented to professional and non-professional participants. Both groups (i.e., laypersons and long-term care staff) were shown the video segments in random order and then completed the PACSLAC-II, the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia Scale (PAINAD; Warden, Hurley, & Volicer, 2003) as an index of concurrent validity, and a Global Rating Scale for each video segment. The responses of the two groups were compared. As expected, both laypeople and nurses were able to effectively differentiate painful from non-painful situations. Both groups were also able to discriminate between gradations of pain (i.e., baseline, mild, moderate, severe). Moreover, tool internal consistency was compared as a function of professional and non-professional status. Results confirmed the validity and reliability among non-professional adults when using the PACSLAC-II and the PAINAD to assess pain. Exploratory analyses did not identify a systematic relationship between demographic characteristics of participants and pain ratings provided. It was concluded that, as hypothesized, both instruments can be used for the assessment of pain in patients with dementia by laypeople. This study is the first to validate these instruments for use by laypeople. These findings will help to promote the assessment of pain in community settings, thus facilitating pain treatment and earlier detection of symptoms in older adults with dementia. Keywords: Pain; Dementia; Older Adults; Observational Pain Assessment