Examining between and within-person relationships between parasympathetic nervous system activity and cognitive regulation: Effects of task type and range correction
Open Access
- Author:
- Ryan, Patrick
- Graduate Program:
- Human Development and Family Studies
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 01, 2021
- Committee Members:
- Lisa Kopp, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Erika Lunkenheimer, Outside Field Member
Pamela Cole, Outside Unit Member
Nilam Ram, Major Field Member
Charles Geier, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- Parasympathetic nervous system
heart rate variability
cognitive regulation
anagrams task - Abstract:
- Theories of how the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) contributes to cognitive regulation have been supported by empirical findings linking heart rate variability (HRV) to performance on cognitive challenge tasks. However, these studies have primarily compared baseline levels of HRV to measures of task performance. Theories that propose a link between PNS activity and cognitive regulation may be better tested by assessing concurrent relationships between HRV and measures of task performance. In addition, existing research has primarily relied on a set of cognitive challenge tasks which require participants to provide rapid behavioural responses. Tasks that allow more time for deliberation prior to providing a behavioural response may tax cognitive regulation in a unique way. Specifically, the relationships between PNS activity and brain activity elaborated in Neurovisceral Integration Theory suggest that lower PNS activity may facilitate performance on rapid response tasks, while performance on deliberative tasks may be facilitated by higher PNS activity. This dissertation will add to the existing literature by studying the relationship between PNS regulation and cognitive regulation, utilizing measures of HRV taken concurrently with the performance of both a rapid responding and deliberative task. Studies of how the PNS contributes to cognitive regulation have also tended to utilize between-person analysis methods. This dissertation will build on existing findings by utilizing both within and between-person approaches to studying the contribution of PNS activity to cognitive regulation. Specifically, in addition to between-person analyses, multilevel modelling approaches will be used to examine within-person associations of intra-individual variability in HRV and task performance.