The effects of different objects of attention in the same style of practice have not yet been studied. Breath awareness is a foundation technique in secular mindfulness-based interventions and many meditation traditions. Some research has compared the effects of breath meditation to other forms of meditation practice, but no research has yet examined whether the location in the body attention to the breath is placed has detectable effects on the practitioner’s subjective experience and physiology. This study will test whether attention placed on the breath in the belly versus the nostrils (two classical anchors for the breath) result in differences in subjective experience, respiration or heart rate. I will utilize a within-subjects cross-over design. Each participant will be randomly assigned to focus on either the belly or nostrils for 3-5 minutes of practice (final duration determined following piloting). After a 10-minute period of structured rest, the participant will then focus on the other breath anchor. For five minutes before and continuously throughout the experiment, I will collect respiration and heart rate using Bluetooth belts, ECG electrodes and the BIOPAC system. Participants will complete a battery of self-reports at baseline (e.g., affect, mindfulness, self-regulation, meta-awareness) and repeat a smaller battery of self-reports immediately after the first session, before the second session, and after the second session. Results may also allow future research to identify individual differences that predict differential response patterns. Ultimately, this learning may support personalized introductory paths to meditation practice that are best suited to each individual.

Accessibility refers to the easiness and effortlessness of cognitive operation, affecting the likelihood with which mental representations may be activated from memory. Chronic accessibility pertains to concepts or schemas that maintain a consistently high level of accessibility within memory. Constructs that are chronically accessible have lower activation thresholds, facilitating them to be activated more easily from memory when prompted by external cues. Conversely, temporary accessibility is predominantly influenced by contextual factors rather than knowledge representations. The degree of temporary accessibility for a construct is determined by the recentness of exposure to relevant information or cues. In this research, we examined the simultaneous influence of chronically and temporarily accessible information on social judgments. We tested competing predictions about the relative impact of the two kinds of information. Whereas one common framework proposes that chronically accessible information is especially impactful when people lack the ability to think carefully, a more recent proposal suggests that both types of information should be impactful, regardless of processing capacity. Our manipulation of temporary accessibility failed to impact judgments at all. As such, this study was not able to provide a clear test of competing hypotheses. Subsequent research is attempting to implement a more robust manipulation of temporary accessibility.

In recent years, there has been a controversial rise in the diagnosis of attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which has sparked concern around the possibility of overdiagnosis and the overprescription of stimulant medication. Despite these concerns, other researchers believe that this rise is better explained by an increased awareness around ADHD, while others even argue towards its continued underdiagnosis in certain populations. Disagreements for this controversy can be attributed to the assessment tools used in prevalence research, and their difficulties with identifying and differentiating ADHD. The reliance on subjective reports and judgements, lack of standardized approach, unknown developmental trajectories, new overlapping constructs, and the existence of comorbid conditions, may all contribute to limitations in such assessment tools. These limitations can create errors in the diagnostic process, and result in inaccuracies for the true prevalence of ADHD. This study aims to summarize the reliability and validity of current measures used in the ADHD diagnostic process. A systematic review is conducted across three electronic databases, using search terms related to assessment tools that facilitate the diagnosis of ADHD from DSM-V criteria. The results from this study are predicted to fully characterize the current state of the assessment tools used in the diagnostic process, and will highlight any areas of improvement for better identifying and differentiating ADHD. Exploring the strengths and weaknesses of such assessment tools allows for a better understanding around the true prevalence of ADHD, and addresses concerns surrounding this controversial rise in diagnostic rates.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left devastating effects on the world that are currently being investigated now. One of these effects that has gained a lot of attention is how the pandemic influenced cognition. The current study examined how people’s emotions related to COVID-19 affected their memory of the pandemic and their expectations of a post-pandemic world. This study utilized pre-existing data that was collected from 241 undergraduate students at Southern Methodist University. Participants completed a survey, which asked participants about their experiences during the pandemic, sometime between early April 2020 to early May 2020. While the analysis of this data has not been completed, this study aims to determine if there is a relationship between world crises, affect and perception.