Browsing by Subject "Fear"
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Item A multi-method investigation of the acquisition and treatment of pathological fear(2017-07-28) Lancaster, Cynthia Luethcke; Telch, Michael Joseph; Monfils, Marie; Smits, Jasper; Wolitzky-Taylor, Kate; Hixon, John GAbstract: Over the course of their lifetime, about 25% of the U.S. population will meet criteria for one or more of the anxiety-related disorders, all of which are characterized by pathological fear responding. Researchers have made significant strides in improving treatment efficacy through the development of cognitive-behavioral models for understanding the acquisition and treatment of pathological fear. Although cognitive-behavioral treatments produce marked reductions in pathological fear on average, a subgroup of patients do not respond to treatment. In an effort to improve the prevention and treatment of pathological fear, this dissertation synthesizes data from a series of studies aimed to (a) improve our understanding of factors that contribute to the development of pathological fear in a real-world setting (Study 1), (b) examine factors that influence response to exposure therapy, a technique used across gold-standard treatments pathological fear (Study 2), and (c) investigate novel strategies that could be added to exposure therapy to further improve treatment response (Study 3). Specifically, Study 1 demonstrates the contribution of cognitive appraisal (i.e., threat perception) to the onset of pathological fear in response to stressors encountered in a real-world, high-stress environment (warzone deployment). Study 2 is a meta-analysis exploring the influence of unnecessary protective actions, or safety behaviors (SBs), on outcomes of exposure therapy. Data demonstrate that removing SBs during exposure therapy improves treatment outcomes, whereas adding SBs during exposure therapy produces inferior outcomes under certain conditions, such as when treating specific phobia symptoms. Finally, Study 3 is a randomized clinical trial investigating the use of two behavioral strategies, alone and in combination, to enhance exposure therapy outcomes: (1) a brief pre-exposure fear memory reactivation trial (PE-FMR) and (2) deepened extinction. Results suggest that neither PE-FMR nor deepened extinction improve outcomes at post-treatment or one-week follow-up. However, PE-FMR augmentation produced more rapid fear reduction during treatment, and equivalent outcomes even when the duration of exposure therapy (tailored to speed of fear reduction) was shorted by 21% on average. Together, these lines of research contribute to our understanding of cognitive and behavioral influences on the development and treatment of pathological fear.Item Attribunal processes concerning medication taking and their subsequent effects on fear reduction during exposure-based treatment(2006-05) Powers, Mark Bradley, 1971-; Telch, Michael JosephThe primary aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of attributions on fear reduction by having participants undergo exposurebased treatment in the context of an inactive medication that they were led to believe made the exposures easier (informed that the medication had a relaxing/sedating side-effect profile) or made the exposures more difficult (informed that the medication had an activating side-effect profile). Participants (N = 95) displaying marked claustrophobic fear were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 conditions: (a) Exposure Only (EO), (b) Exposure + Pill Placebo + Arousal Instruction (EPA attribution for pill interference), (c) Exposure + Pill Placebo + Neutral Instruction (EPN), (d) Exposure + Pill Placebo + Relaxation Instruction (EPR attribution for pill facilitation), (e) credible psychological placebo treatment (PLT), or (f) wait-list (WL). Consistent with prediction, results showed that an attribution for pill facilitation (EPR: relaxing/sedating instruction) interfered with fear reduction and led to higher relapse. Contrary to prediction, an attribution for pill interference (EPA: arousal instruction) did not outperform the other exposure conditions. Clinically significant improvement rates at posttreatment were as follows: EO = 73%, EPA = 75%, EPN = 78%, EPR = 76%, PLT = 60%, WL = 10%. Clinically significant improvement rates at follow-up were as follows: EO = 87%, EPA = 85%, EPN = 89%, EPR = 53%, PLT = 40%, WL = 30%. Relapse rates at follow-up were as follows: EO=0%, EPA=0%, EPN=0%, and EPR=39%. The deleterious effects of the relaxation instructions were fully mediated by attributions about the helpful effects of the medication reducing the variance accounted for by treatment from 30% to 7%. Findings suggest the importance of assessing attributions during combined exposure-based and pharmacological treatments and attention to a slow medication taper and reapplication of exposure during the taper.Item The effects of disgust eliciting persuasive messages on physical activity(2007-05) Woolf, Julian Robert, 1971-; Green, B. ChristineItem Fail forward : an examination of failure and the director's practice(2017-05-04) Phipps, Cara Marie; Dietz, Steven; Sanchez, K. J.This thesis is about failure and its role in the director’s practice. I will define failure, its function in three of my production experiences at the University of Texas at Austin, and how this understanding of failure has become part of my artistic practice moving forward into the professional world. I seek to emphasize failure as an integral part of the director’s practice.Item Let me tie you up : methods of creating theater by control and surrender(2016-05) Horowitz, Joanna Beth; Engelman, Liz; Lynn, Kirk; Dietz, StevenFear can be a paralyzing inhibitor to creative work, yet it is also a necessary force. Through my journey of graduate school, I discovered the important role fear plays for me as a catalyst for art-making, a signal to go deeper into uncomfortable topics, and a necessary counter to the comfort of control. I am most thrilled by theater that pushes me to surrender that control. Using my plays Please Open Your Mouth, Wild Places, and Knotted as examples, this thesis documents examines my methods for balancing a need for control with the power of surrender in my writing process, in the content of my work, and in the audience experience of my plays.Item Mobility and environmental intimacy in Italian volcanic zones(2019-12-05) McQuaid, Megan Louise; Sturm, Circe, 1967-This thesis explores human and environmental movement and mobility in various Italian volcanic zones. Places and sites are typically thought of as stable, locatable in a specific location, pin-pointable. Places are not generally considered “mobile.” Stromboli, Italy and other volcanic sites force the ethnographer to reconcile a certain tension between movement and place. Volcanic sites are worlds that are materially and socially constituted through movement. How tectonic plates move creates volcanic activity, how lava moves up and out of the volcano transforms the landscape, and how people move to, from, around, through, up and down the volcano creates a volcanic social world. How do humans navigate this environment, and how does the environment agentially present itself as a force to be circumnavigated? Movement and mobility serve as a framework for theorizing human social relations with their environment and other non-humans. Thinking through mobility captures the unique limits and affordances that volcanic environments offer to their human, plant, and animal residents. Scholars differ on whether or not we can call a landscape “alive,” “lively,” or “vibrant.” This thesis argues that the answer to this question is based in observations about movement. That we can, in fact, locate agential capability in the way that a subject moves. The ability to move is the condition for agency.Item PacTrack: The use of virtual environments in the identification and analysis of the neuronal correlates of fear, anxiety, and approach-avoidance behaviors(2020) Devara, Ethan; Watrous, Andrew J.Electroencephalography (EEG) is a powerful tool that has proven itself essential in successfully discovering significant neuronal correlates underlying various cognitive and behavioral events, such as the hippocampal theta oscillation in memory and spatial navigation. A large negative deflection in potential has been observed as a critical component in modulating error in information processing, termed the ERN. A similar pattern has been found following positive feedback, though whether an analogous effect occurs in internally recognized success is unknown. Researchers have additionally found evidence that theta and gamma oscillations and their intersections play important roles in regulating general fear and anxiety. In this investigation, we study whether a significant deflection in potential occurs as a result of internally recognized success, as well as whether the neuronal correlates associated with fear and memory extend themselves to approach-avoidance behaviors, by observing scalp EEG in midfrontal cortex while playing Pac-Man, taking advantage of Pac-Man’s various behavioral events and states to simulate the above. We find evidence of the ERN following failure, though no significant evoked potential following similar internally recognized success events is observed. The theta and gamma oscillatory patterns modulating fear and anxiety are ascertained to hold true to novel approach-avoidance contexts, and preliminary evidence detecting a shift in oscillations following learning is marked. While EEG is typically performed in laboratory settings, our study shows the merits of and our increasing capability to gather EEG data in naturalistic environments, informing our ability to decode neuronal mechanisms in more everyday contexts and increasing the ethological validity of our work.Item Rigorous honesty : an ongoing wrestling match with happiness and fear(2015-05) Kettler, Brian Klein; Dietz, Steven; Lynn, Kirk; Engelman, LizIn my thesis, Rigorous Honesty: An Ongoing Wrestling Match with Happiness and Fear, I will examine the role of fear and ego in my artistic practice and collaborations with other artists. My investigation is based around the concept of The Process vs. The Ticket mentality. At UT, I've committed fully to the process of creating and mounting new work. This has helped to combat the "Ticket" mentality or, thinking of each project as a ticket to widespread success, acclaim of financial gain. Additionally, I have craved and sought out close scrutiny and critique from my colleagues and professors. This commitment to the "process" of UT has helped me find moments of joy, connection and artistic breakthrough. While I still struggle with fear, jealousy and ego, I’ve been able to adopt concrete strategies to keep the focus on my work and my own personal version of success.Item Temporal factors and ensemble coding of contextual fear and extinction memories in the hippocampus(2018-10-10) Lacagnina, Anthony Frank; Drew, Michael R., Ph. D.; Mauk, Michael D; Monfils, Marie H; Zemelman, Boris V; Maren, StephenFearful experiences create long-term memories that involve acquiring a negative association to the surrounding context. Exposure to the same context at a later time elicits a fearful response, but this learned behavior will diminish in the absence of threat, a process known as extinction. Extinguished fear often relapses; thus, a better understanding of the behavioral and neural mechanisms that influence how fear and extinction memories are acquired and expressed is crucial to develop better therapies. The goals of the experiments in this dissertation were to understand the temporal factors and ensemble coding mechanisms that govern the enhancement or suppression of contextual fear learning. First, we investigated the influence of postshock context exposure in contextual fear conditioning (CFC). We found that prolonging the amount of postshock context exposure reduced conditioned fear. The reduction was more effective than an equivalent amount of context exposure the following day, but required low levels of freezing during the postshock period. Thus, unique mechanisms may play a role in attenuating context fear depending on the timing of the exposure and the emotional state of the animal. Next, we determined if the interval between context pre-exposure and conditioning affected one-trial CFC. Increasing the time between pre-exposure and conditioning by at least 1 h led to enhanced conditioned fear, indicative of a trial spacing effect. Spacing the sessions increased reactivation of CA3 ensembles associated with fear acquisition, suggesting this may be a potential neural correlate of the spacing effect. Finally, we investigated the neural mechanisms governing expression of competitive fear and extinction memories in the dentate gyrus (DG), a region known to play an important role in acquiring both fear and extinction memories. Using an activity-dependent neural tagging system, we demonstrate that extinction training suppresses reactivation of fear-associated DG neurons, while activating a unique population of extinction-associated DG neurons. Optogenetically silencing extinction-associated neurons impairs extinction memory retrieval, while silencing fear-associated neurons prevents spontaneous recovery of fear. Our results suggest that extinction training creates a unique DG extinction engram whose activity is necessary for extinction expression. We hypothesize that interactions between the fear and extinction engrams in the DG govern the expression of fear and extinction memoriesItem The Walk : holding space in the face of crisis, failure, and fear(2015-05) Hutchinson, Jessica Rae; Rasmussen, Sarah; Carlson, Andrew; Dietz, Steven; Engelman, ElizabethThis thesis is about fear, failure, and faith. The tools I have developed during my graduate study have enabled me first to tolerate and then to welcome the energy of these forces into my artistic process. By examining and establishing Structure, creating and empowering Ensembles, and insisting upon an Inquiry-driven process, I can encounter fear and failure as I seek out the unpredictable, unrepeatable transcendence of the living play. By cultivating and inviting uncertainty, I hold space for the emergence of grace.Item Women's insecurity and exclusion in public spaces : a call to action and initial response(2020-05-06) Twilling, Emilie Marie; Mueller, Elizabeth J.Sexual harassment in public spaces and women’s consequential fear, insecurity, and exclusion are critical and overlooked issues in contemporary urban design and planning. Urban migration, shifting gender roles, as well as failing infrastructure necessitate immediate intervention. If urban practitioners fail to validate and address the issue before (re)building takes place, they ensure gender inequality is (once again) built into the physical environment. My professional report serves as a call-to-action. In response, I propose a two-step approach for urban practitioners: (1) a set of preventative guidelines to be used in initial design and planning phases; as well as (2) a community engagement process that involves local women as key advisors and stakeholders. While expert concepts of urban security and crime prevention in public spaces fall short to explicitly address the issue and provide necessary guidance, Timothy Crowes’ work reveals an untapped resource: the women’s safety audit. Not only does the audit involve local women as a community engagement tool, but its frequent use in other countries around the world provides a reference for preliminary design and planning guidelines. I outline the audit’s history and use to-date; positive outcomes; challenges; and best practices. I also convert existing women’s safety audit results to a set of twenty-five design and planning guidelines. These preventative guidelines establish a baseline from which urban practitioners can educate and initiate conversation related to women’s insecurity in public spaces. It should be noted that both steps are essential to conclusively address the issue, and one should not supersede or replace the other. Urban practitioners should conduct or employ them simultaneously to compare and contrast relative results—i.e. a system of checks-and-balances. This continuously advances our understanding of the issue; enables women to build necessary skills, confidence, and autonomy; assigns hierarchy or priority based on local conditions; and ensures we do not inadvertently jeopardize women’s security by making false or incomplete assumptions. Finally, I conduct an in-depth case study of Republic Square in Austin, Texas to demonstrate an integration of the audit process and guidelines on the groundItem Youth under the gun : violence, fear, and resistance in urban Guatemala(2014-12) Martinez, Denis Roberto; Hale, Charles R., 1957-This study examines how violence affects youth in marginalized urban communities, focusing on the experiences of three groups of young people: gang members, activists, and the “jóvenes encerrados”, youth who live confined to their homes due to fear. Based on 14 months of ethnographic research in El Mezquital, an extensive marginalized urban area in Guatemala City, I explore the socio-economic conditions that trigger violence in these communities, the responses of young people and the community to violence, and the State’s role in exacerbating violence in impoverished neighborhoods. In this dissertation I argue that gang members and activists are expressing a deep-seated social discontent against the exclusion, humiliation, and social stigmatization faced by young people in marginalized urban neighborhoods. However, the two groups express their discontent in significantly different ways. Initially, gangs used violence to express their discontent, but they gradually resorted to a perverse game of crime, in complicity with the police, and they distanced themselves from their own communities; in this work I analyze gangs’ process of transformation and the circumstances that led to this change. Activists express their discontent through community art and public protest, but their demonstrations have limited social impact, since public attention continues to focus on gangs; here I examine activists’ motivations, struggles, and obstacles. However, the vast majority of young people live in a state of fear, preferring to keep quiet and withdraw into their homes; here I show how violence, fear, and distrust affect the generation born into postwar Guatemala. This study illustrates the perverse role of the State in impoverished urban neighborhoods and its responsibility for the escalation of urban violence in Guatemala. On the one hand, the State shuns residents from these neighborhoods and systematically denies them basic services; it criminalizes and abuses young people, even forming social cleansing groups to eliminate gang members. On the other hand, the State fosters crime in these communities and acts as gangs’ accomplice in extortions, drug trade, and robberies. As in many other Latin American countries, the Guatemalan State penalizes crime, but simultaneously encourages and benefits from it; the State is complicit in crime.