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Assessment of sensation seeking personality type using behavioral and functional neuroimaging measures

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dc.contributor.authorDiCecco, Samuel M., author
dc.contributor.authorSeger, Carol, advisor
dc.contributor.authorConner, Brad, advisor
dc.contributor.authorDavies, Patricia, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2021-01-11T11:20:09Z
dc.date.available2021-01-11T11:20:09Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.description.abstractSensation seeking personality type, in which an individual has the propensity to engage in risky behaviors while searching for an optimal level of stimulation, is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes, such as higher rates of substance misuse, gambling, and self-harm. It is important to develop methods to identify those at higher risk of engaging in such health risk behaviors. Historically, sensation seeking has been primarily measured using self-report surveys. Providing additional measures of sensation seeking, such as through behavioral assessment or biomarkers, would aid our measurement of the sensation seeking personality type. The present work sought to create a new behavioral measure of sensation seeking personality type, the Sensation Seeking Dot Probe Task (SSDP), that measures an individual's attentional bias towards sensation seeking imagery. Further, the SSDP task was combined with functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy, which utilizes the spectral differences of hemoglobin in the brain to measure neural activity, to identify neural correlates of attention to sensation seeking imagery and relate them to the Sensation Seeking Personality Type scale. I hypothesized that the SSDP would be as effective in identifying sensation seeking as the self-report scale, and that attention to sensation seeking images would correlate with changes in neural activity in the prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex (regions associated with executive control and decision making) that would be greater in high sensation seeking individuals. While the SSDP did not find significant differences in accuracy or reaction time, the typical measures used in attentional bias dot-probe tasks, there was a significant difference in selection of sensation seeking imagery when paired with neutral control imagery. There were also significantly different changes in activity during sensation seeking congruent tasks in areas of the lateral prefrontal cortex for high sensation seeking individuals. These results suggest functional and behavioral differences measurable in high sensation seekers, and future tasks can use these findings to lead to a greater understanding of the personality type.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifierDiCecco_colostate_0053N_16306.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/219523
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2020-
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectfNIRS
dc.subjectbehavioral task
dc.subjectsensation seeking
dc.titleAssessment of sensation seeking personality type using behavioral and functional neuroimaging measures
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplinePsychology
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (M.S.)

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