Psychological Sciences electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Psychological Sciences. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item The associations between drinking motives and alcohol use : the moderation effects of context(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Yan, Iris; Trull, Timothy[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] Introduction: Previous theories and studies have suggested that specific motives for drinking are uniquely predictive of alcohol consumption among young adults, and these effects of motives may vary depending on the characteristics of the immediate drinking environment. Although most previous studies examined these patterns at the person and day levels, the current study uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine whether drinking to enhance pleasure and drinking to cope with distress are associated with greater momentary drinking. The potential moderating effect of the immediate drinking context (location, the presence of others, and the perceptions of alcohol-related cues) was also examined. Methods: three hundred and twenty young adults (Mage = 24.05; 65.63% female) provided 2583 responses over a 14-day period that assessed drinking experiences multiple times per day. Results: Multilevel analyses suggest that momentary drinking to enhance scores were significantly associated with more drinks consumed since the previous prompt (bstandardized = 0.06, p < .01). Moreover, drinking to enhance scores interacted with being at home to predict drink numbers, such that when there was a higher likelihood of being at home, the association between drinking to enhance and alcohol consumption was weaker (bstandardized = -0.04, p = .033). Drinking to cope was not significantly related to drinks consumed in this sample. Additionally, being at a bar/restaurant, the presence of companions, and alcohol-related cues did not interact with either motive to predict drink numbers. Conclusion: Our results are consistent with previous studies that reported increased drinking as a pleasure-seeking behavior among young adults and highlight certain contexts that may strengthen or weaken the effects of drinking to enhance pleasure on consumption in the moment.Item Day-level associations between protective behavioral strategies and alcohol consequences in college and non-college contexts(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Shoemaker, Sydney Denae; Miller, Mary Beth[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are used to reduce negative consequences of drinking. However, studies have found inconsistent relationships between PBS and alcohol outcomes at the between-person level, perhaps due to between-person differences in drinking contexts. This secondary analysis examined within-person, day-level associations between PBS and alcohol-related consequences among young adults both in and out of college. Young adults (N=153) at high risk for consequences completed ~30 days of morning reports assessing drinking quantity, PBS, and consequences the previous day. Day-level associations between PBS use and likelihood of consequences were tested using multilevel logistic regression, with college student status as a moderator. Within-persons, participants reported lower likelihood of consequences on days they used manner-of-drinking (but not limiting/stopping) strategies, regardless of college status. Between-persons, manner-of-drinking strategies were not linked to consequences, and college status moderated associations for limiting/stopping strategies such that college students who frequently used limiting/stopping strategies reported more consequences than college students who did not. Manner-of-drinking strategies are effective in reducing same-day alcohol-related harm across college and non-college contexts. We speculate that young adults implement limiting/stopping strategies differently in college and non-college settings.Item The neural correlates of affective inhibitory control in individuals with phenylketonuria(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Markollari, Maia Rose; Christ, Shawn E.[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare genetic disorder resulting from a deficiency in phenylalanine hydroxylase, an enzyme essential for the metabolism of phenylalanine (Phe) into tyrosine, causing Phe to accumulate in the blood and brain. Previous studies have shown that, even with early and continuous treatment, individuals with PKU are affected by neurocognitive sequelae including impairments in cognitive, or “cold,” inhibitory control. The current study aimed to build on this research by investigating the neural mechanisms underlying affective, or “hot,” inhibitory control in individuals with PKU. To this end, we administered an emotional Stroop task in concert with functional MRI. Behavioral performance and neural activation patterns were compared between adults with PKU and a demographically similar sample without PKU. Individuals with PKU demonstrated slower response times and differential neural activity in brain regions associated with affective decision making. Within the PKU group, Phe-related effects were seen in brain regions associated with the default mode network (DMN), and differences in neural activation were linked to symptoms of depression and emotional dysregulation. These findings add to evidence that the DMN may be particularly susceptible to disruption in PKU and underscore the importance of sustained metabolic control into adulthood to support neurocognitive and emotional functioning.Item The neural mechanisms of sensory overresponsivity (SOR) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD)(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Bolton, Scout; Christ, Shawn E.[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] Many adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience sensory over-responsivity (SOR), an extreme sensitivity to sensory stimuli. Despite the prevalence of SOR among individuals with ASD, research surrounding its neural bases is limited. Some work suggests that youth with ASD and SOR may display heightened neural responses in sensory regions and hubs of the salience network (SN). To this end, the present study aims to explore the role of the SN and sensory regions in SOR among adolescents with ASD using fMRI. Participants were 11-15 years of age and included 18 adolescents with ASD and sensory over-responsivity (ASDSOR; 17M, 1F), 16 adolescents with ASD and no sensory abnormalities (ASDNS; 13M, 3F), and a comparison group of 15 typically developing adolescents with no sensory abnormalities (non-ASDNS; 14M, 1F) without ASD. Stimuli consisted of passive exposure to auditory, visual, thermal, and vibrotactile stimulation presented in a block design. To isolate the unique neural signature of SOR, we compared neural responses between the ASDSOR and ASDNS groups during sensory stimulation epochs. To isolate the neural signature of ASD alone, we compared responses in ASDNS and non-ASDNS youth. Contrary to hypotheses, the ASDSOR group exhibited less activation than ASDNS youth in superior parietal somatosensory regions as well as prefrontal and thalamic regions of the SN. Compared to non-ASDNS youth, the ASDNS group displayed significantly greater activation in similar regions during the majority of sensory conditions. These findings contrast with extant literature suggesting neural hyperexcitability of the SN and sensory cortices as a neural underpinning of SOR in ASD. We propose a general pattern whereby ASD is associated with hyperactivation while SOR is associated with hypoactivation in relevant brain regions. Future research should aim to replicate the results of this preliminary investigation, particularly as it relates the neural correlates of atypical thermoception amongst ASDSOR youth, as this is an understudied area.Item Transdiagnostic connectome-based predictive modeling of negative emotion regulation using general functional connectivity(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Upton, Spencer; Froeliger, Brett[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] Negative emotion regulation (NegER) is a fundamental construct involved in the onset, maintenance and treatment of multiple psychiatric disorders and thus represents a target for transdiagnostic modeling. However, validated transdiagnostic predictive neuromarkers of NegER remain uncharacterized. Analyses used a transdiagnostic sample (N=501) composed of healthy controls (HC) and individuals with substance use disorders, mood disorders, and/or chronic pain that underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI: resting-state and ER task-state) and had in-scanner NegER task performance. Connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) using general functional connectivity (GFC: concatenated rest and task) was used to predict inscanner NegER task performance. Cross-validated CPMs were then assessed for robustness, test-retest reliability, external-validity, were neuroanatomically characterized, and assessed for clinical utility. Group differences in NegER task performance and NegER CPMs were also assessed. NegER task performance differed across groups with HC showing the greatest task performance. Cross-validated NegER CPMs were successfully identified, were highly robust to alternative model building settings, demonstrated good-to-excellent test-retest reliability, and were successfully externally-validated. CPM performance was highest when using features from the whole-brain. NegER CPM network strengths differed across groups with HC showing the most adaptive connectivity patterns. Lastly, NegER CPM network strengths were also associated with clinical measures. This study identified a robust, reliable, and generalizable transdiagnostic fMRI FC neuromarker of NegER with clinical utility.