Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Communication Sciences & Disorders

Committee Chair

Miriam van Mersbergen

Committee Member

Naomi Eichorn

Committee Member

Katherine Mendez

Abstract

This experimental within-participant reversal paradigm quantified effects of breath manipulation on emotional reactivity and inhibition. Participants were assessed for inhibitory ability and emotional reactivity at baseline and following three breathing conditions: controlled neutral, resonance frequency, and variable breathing; selected to assess a range of breathing behavior from anxious breathing, vegetative breathing, and meditative breathing. Emotional reactivity was elicited using the International Affective Picture System and inhibition utilizing a verbal Stop Signal task. Dependent variables for emotion induction included self-reported mood and arousal using the Self-Assessment Manikin of Valence and Arousal, and for inhibition was response time and accuracy. For twenty-six healthy participants, emotion induction demonstrated no statistical findings across breathing condition. However, for inhibition tasks, a significant reduction in inhibitory response time and increase in response accuracy was found following resonance frequency breathing. Breath manipulation effects inhibitory control and could be a tool for improving efficacy of behavioral therapies addressing aspects of inhibition.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

Notes

Open Access

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