Date of Award

4-3-2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Alan King

Abstract

Previous research has indicated that neuropsychological dysfunction and the experience of violence during childhood are linked to the acquisition and expression of aggressive behavior. How these variables interact to influence aggression has not been effectively established in the literature, however. This study provided a prospective examination of the relationships between EF, the experience of childhood abuse, and aggression. Based on responses on a pre-screening questionnaire that assessed EF (BRIEF-A), 101 participants at a Midwestern university were selected for inclusion in this study. Fifty participants were classified as at risk for EF deficits (24 males, 26 females) while 51 participants were classified as exhibiting adequate EF (24 males, 27 females). Participants completed a number of questionnaires that assessed alcohol use, delinquency, aggression, violent experiences (VEQ-R), and psychological symptoms. Participants also completed the Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT-II) and the Wisconsin Card Sort (WCST) to further assess EF status. Participants then completed the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP), a laboratory-induced aggression task which involved competing in a reaction task against a presumed (fictional) opponent. The "loser" of each trial received an electric shock, with the amount of electric shock inflicted by participants on their (fictitious) opponent serving as the primary dependent measure. The win/loss sequence was predetermined by the program software. The results indicate that participants' ADHD status on the CPT-II and their experience of childhood teasing was predictive of the average overall intensity of shock selected during the TAP. Additionally, participants who selected consistently high levels of shock during the TAP were significantly more likely to be classified as ADHD than participants who selected consistently low levels of shock during the TAP. These aggressive participants also made significantly more perseverative errors on the WCST than the passive participants. This study revealed that a variety of adverse childhood experiences were predictive of executive dysfunction. Additionally, the experience of many of these violent events during childhood was correlated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Differences between males and females also were observed: Male participants selected significantly higher shock intensities and reported more delinquent acts. More males were also classified as ADHD on the CPT-II.

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