Behavior

Mindfulness is known to positively impact behavioral and electrophysiological outcomes of inhibitory executive control following long-term practice. For example, increased accuracy and decreased reaction time, as well as neural markers of increased inhibitory processing. More evidence is emerging demonstrating increased inhibitory control following shorter-term interventions ranging from 3 days to less than 8 weeks. However, findings following single, brief (>1 hour) remain mixed. The current study measured behavioral and EEG changes on a Stroop task in 40 college students following either a 30-minute guided mindfulness meditation or audiobook listening. A breath-counting task (objective measure of mindfulness) was administered to capture the effectiveness of the intervention. Results showed the mindfulness group had trending increased accuracy on the breath-counting task post-intervention compared to controls. Equivalent performance was seen across all Stroop trial conditions regardless of group. Regarding the EEG findings, a between-group effect emerged for congruent N2 voltage at P4 and incongruent N2 voltages at FC1 indicating the mindfulness group had reduced negative voltages across both time points. There was a within-subjects x group interaction for incongruent P3b voltage at Pz; MG increased while controls decreased (opposite of what was expected). This study provides partial evidence for a single, 30-min mindfulness induction in producing a more mindful awareness compared to an audiobook control group. Findings regarding enhanced inhibitory processing following the mindfulness intervention are mixed. Contrary to expectations, our findings implicate the effectiveness of a 30-min mindfulness induction in increased resource recruitment for evaluating incongruent words in absence of behavioral effects.

When practiced over long periods of time (>16 weeks), mindfulness positively impacts inhibitory processing, in that as mindfulness exposure and experience increases, inhibitory processing is enhanced. Similarly, long-term mindfulness practice diminishes the impact of emotionally-valanced scenes. However recently, more work is underway on how brief mindfulness inductions impact these same outcomes. Across two online pilot studies (behavioral outcomes only) and one in-person experiment (behavioral and neuronal outcomes), how a brief focused-breathing induction impacts response inhibition and the perception of affective words was explored. Findings demonstrate that a 30-minute mindfulness induction produced a diminished Simon Effect, as well as faster processing of neutral and positive words (faster LPP latencies) and less-effortful processing of negative words (reduced LPP amplitudes). How brief mindfulness inductions may impact resting frontal alpha asymmetry were also explored.

The high prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) results in large costs to individuals, families, and society. Among diagnosed individuals, restrictive and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) correlate with functional impairments substantially impacting wellbeing but remain less studied than social and communication deficits. Brain resting-state functional connectivity (fc) measures intrinsic, potentially RRB-associated neural dynamics. Here, whole-brain (WB), and iterated seed-based (SB)fc guided by the preceding WBfc and a priori hypotheses was performed. Combined results were used to model a brain network beginning with qualitative assessment of its potential functional association with RRBs. Once rigorously defined, the network was used to inform construction of a dynamical systems model of brain activity hypothesized to correlate with RRB severity. Qualitative model behavior tracked expectations of real cortical activity in RRB presentation. Model numerical output was found to correlate with behavioral measures of RRBs to a significantly greater degree than the underlying brain connectivity values themselves did. Some summary measures of model output were also found to correlate significantly, though near threshold, with severity measures in the other two ASD core deficit domains, and particularly, far more extensively than should be expected given the underlying brain connectivity values themselves were apparently effectively wholly uncorrelated with the measures. Significant findings are: (1) dynamical modeling of brain activity can identify significant correlations with symptom manifestation that fc alone cannot; (2) dynamical modeling of brain activity could potentially increase understanding of ASD’s extensive heterogeneity across symptom domains; (3) extensive overlap between the constructed network and known RRB-implicated brain divisions was identified, with cerebellum, increasingly implicated in distributed neocortical functional differences in RRBs in humans and animal models, centrally connected to multiple such divisions; (4) further overlap is found via striatal circuitry, implicated in multiple RRB-like behaviors previously, and forming at least 1/3 of the functional basis for the network’s hypothetical relationship with RRBs; (5) ASD-associated angular gyrus, PFC, ACC overlap was found. This successful tandem application of fc, dynamical modeling, and neurocognitive network theory illustrates the need for broad theoretical approaches in illuminating ASD heterogeneity and the neurocognitive underpinnings of specific ASD presentations.

The purpose of this study was to analyze potential relationships between the domains of behavioral outcomes, social skills, and academic performance for youth in foster care and remaining longer in care. This study utilized data from three waves in the NSCAW II dataset, including youth (N =296) between the ages of 11 and 17 years. Multiple linear regression was utilized to assess the association between the three domains and the number of days spent in foster care. Findings were not significant, exposing the need for more studies on contextual variables that might be consistent with children living in out of home care. Limitations of the study were reviewed. Potential research and practice implications of the results were considered.

Worldwide research of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) has led to varied definitions and terminology regarding ways to group dolphins for study and management. An understanding of the demographic history and population structure of bottlenose dolphins residing within the Indian River Lagoon Estuary System (IRLES), Florida, is needed to help define the IRLES dolphin population: ecotype, population, or community. Using mitochondrial DNA sequencing and microsatellite genotyping, this study detected: (1) genetic differentiation between estuarine and coastal individuals (FstmtDNA=0.414, Fstmsat=0.057; p<0.05; K=2), (2) genetic differentiation between the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and Mosquito Lagoon (ML) (FstmtDNA=0.0201, Fstmsat=0.0234; p<0.09), and (3) minute undefined sub-structure within the IRLES (FstmtDNA=-0.00 -0.0379, Fstmsat=0.00 - vii 0.0445; p>0.1). Additionally, within ML this study detected non-mixing cohabitation of two potential ecotypes, estuarine and coastal. These findings raise many questions regarding how dolphins are presently categorized and managed which are critical to population assessments including abundance, vital rates, and health.

Discipline was implemented by mothers and alloparent spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) mothers and alloparents on Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas. Disciplinarians were significantly more likely to be adults than juveniles. Although most disciplinarians were female, males were also observed to perform discipline. The recipients of discipline were male and female, and significantly more likely to be calves than juveniles. Pursuit, contact, and display behaviors were used in discipline, however pursuit behaviors were most often observed. Variables such as age class, sex, and parity were not found to influence how discipline was implemented. The durations of all disciplinary pursuits were under thirty seconds, and successful pursuits had slightly shorter duration than unsuccessful pursuits. Disciplinarian success was not significantly influenced by age class, sex, parity, or behavior used.

Activity patterns of Iguana iguana from two locations within Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Fort Lauderdale, Florida were documented and examined. Between May 1, 2006 to April 20, 2007, I. iguana were observed on a routine basis and activities were documented as one of six major activity categories (basking, locomotion, foraging, resting, visual signaling, and other). Data was analyzed to determine differences between activity patterns of I. iguana relative to sites, seasons, and size category within the park. Iguana iguana spent more time basking at Site 1 than Site 2. Size 4 animals which consisted of dominant adult males, spent more time basking than other males and adult females. Size 4 animals also spent less time foraging than hatchlings, juveniles, and other adults. These results complement the existing research on behavior of I. iguana and may be useful in determining invasive control efforts of I. iguana in Florida.

The purposes of this dissertation were to identify complex social-cognitive behaviors in a population of wild Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) using long-term video archives and identify developmental trends in those behaviors. Chapter One analyzed calf behavior during foraging events involving maternal teaching in order to identify mechanisms for sharing information between mother and calf... The calves' behavior was affected by the referencing cues, supporting the presence of joint attention and true teaching behavior....Chapter Two observed the altered benthic foraging behavior of juvenile play groups, in which juveniles took turns chasing the fish and using referencing gestures to reference the position of the fish to other individuals during the chase, despite the ability of these young, independent dolphins to catch fish much more quickly and efficiently alson... The third chapter analyzed social object play in which dolphins passed pieces of seaweed between individuals. The data clarified developmental trends in the play, and suggested social-cognitive abilities needed for participation.

Evidence for conceptual semantics is well established in monkeys, however this basis of human language is less evident in the great apes. In order to study semantic communications in chimpanzees, I analyzed alarm calls produced towards a blimp as it was flying overhead. I then replayed a set of these alarm calls to the chimps on a different day. The chimps appeared to act in a manner consistent with the presence of the blimp. The calls they produced in response to the playback stimuli were nearly identical to the calls that were produced during the actual flyover. Though the data collected were not sufficient to support a definitive claim, it does appear that the chimpanzees of the study have a meaning-laden vocalization for the aerial stimuli. Whether this call is specific to the blimp or generalizable to other aerial threats is yet to be determined.

Bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) and spotted (Stenella frontalis) dolphins are sympatric species, resident to Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas. A unique, dynamic methodology quantified how interspecific aggression changed over time in terms of the individuals participating, context, and behaviors used. The timing of human observation relative to the onset of aggression did not result in differences in the proportion of behaviors observed. Highly intense behaviors were used most often. The synchronous state of spotted dolphin groups, not the presence alone, was a crucial factor in determining the onset and progression of aggression. When synchronous, spotted dolphins successfully dominated the larger bottlenose dolphins. Two levels of dominance were observed. Within a single encounter ("encounter level"), one species did dominate the other. When all aggressive encounters were considered collectively over the long term ("gross level"), one species did not dominate the other. The combination of contextual factors best determined the dynamic of interspecific aggression.