Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item The influence of anxiety, age, and retrieval demands on memory(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Whillock, Summer Rain; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Michelle L. MeadeThe present dissertation sought to determine if anxiety and hypervigilance can be activated outside the confines of specifically threatening stimuli by examining different situational pressures such as age and retrieval demands. In both experiments, participants studied categorized word lists and were randomly assigned to complete an initial recall test under free, forced, or warning (Exp. 2) recall instructions, followed by a second test under free recall instructions, and a final recognition test. For older adults, forced recall influenced the relationship between trait anxiety and memory such that heightened levels of trait anxiety were associated with greater correct recall and lower false recognition. In contrast, for younger adults, free recall influenced the relationship between memory-specific anxiety, hypervigilance, and memory such that heightened levels of memory-specific anxiety and hypervigilance were associated with lower levels of correct recognition. Further, warning recall influenced the relationship between memory-specific anxiety and memory in young adults, such that heightened levels of memory-specific anxiety were related to greater correct recall at test 1. Across two experiments, results show that it is possible for situational pressures to influence the relationship between anxiety and memory in the absence of specifically threatening stimuli. Additionally, the relationship between anxiety and memory depends on age, the type of anxiety being measured, and the retrieval demands of the task.Item The search for moderation: does anxiety enhance the unconscious thought advantage?(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Whillock, Summer Rain; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ian M. HandleyWhen people face a large amount of information on which to base a decision, common sense suggests that they should slowly and deliberatively think about that information. However, Unconscious Thought Theory (UTT) suggests that a slow yet unconscious mechanism can process complex information and output decisions that rival, and perhaps exceed, the quality of decisions that result from deliberative thought (Dijksterhuis & Nordgren, 2006). However, this idea is controversial and research into UTT reveals that an unconscious thought advantage (UTA) over conscious thinking is small and manifests unreliably (Nieuwenstein et al., 2015; Strick et al., 2011). The aim of this thesis was to identify and test a potential moderator of the UTA. Logically, situations that hinder conscious thought but leave unconscious thought relatively unaffected should enhance the UTA. The Attentional Control Theory (ACT) offers one such situation, that anxiety compromises conscious processes that rely upon attentional control and working memory (Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, 2007). Because conscious thought relies heavily on working memory relative to unconscious thought, experiencing anxiety may lead the two thought processes to diverge. Specifically, anxiety should negatively influence conscious thought but not significantly influence unconscious thought. In the present study, participants viewed information about roommate candidates and made judgments after a period of either distraction or focused deliberation, while under calm or anxious conditions. Results did not support the hypothesis that the experience of anxiety would increase the UTA; participants performed comparably in the conscious thought and unconscious thought conditions. Further, participants in the conscious thought condition performed better under anxious compared to calm conditions. Exploratory analyses and future directions are discussed.