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ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4629-094X
Access Type
Open Access Thesis
Document Type
thesis
Degree Program
Psychology
Degree Type
Master of Science (M.S.)
Year Degree Awarded
2019
Month Degree Awarded
September
Abstract
How individuals process different affective cues, as well as how intensely they experience different emotions, may influence how efficient they are at engaging inhibitory control. To date, it is unclear if these influences differ among young adults with and without ADHD. The current study tested the variation in young adults’ inhibitory control to three affective cues (i.e., fear, happy, and neutral) in an Emotion Go/Nogo task. Results suggest better inhibitory control in response to more distinct cues (i.e., fear Nogo/happy Go). The order in which cues were presented also mattered, such that participants displayed enhanced inhibitory control when first presented with expressions that had similar valence. This task order was particularly helpful for inhibitory control engagement among young adults with ADHD. Furthermore, self-report measures suggest that young adults with ADHD were associated with higher levels of affect intensity. However, no additional relations were found in the processing of affective cues, affect intensity, and inhibitory control between young adults with and without ADHD. Results provide evidence for how affective cues and contexts differentially influence behavioral responses in young adults. Individuals with and without ADHD also appear to differ in the intensity with which they experience different emotions. Overall, the current study provides a framework for how to further explore how emotional cues and affect intensity influence inhibitory control.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/15092081
First Advisor
Jennifer M. McDermott
Second Advisor
Kirby Deater-Deckard
Third Advisor
Elizabeth Harvey
Recommended Citation
Salander, Zachary, "Influence of Emotion Processing and Affect Intensity on the Engagement of Inhibitory Control in Young Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder" (2019). Masters Theses. 852.
https://doi.org/10.7275/15092081
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/852