Using event-related potentials to explore processes of change in counseling psychology.

The purpose of this article is to serve as a guide for counseling psychologists to learn about a neuroscience methodology that can be used to study psychotherapy change processes. Event-related potential (ERP) is a specific type of electroencephalography that can be time-locked to a stimulus and thus allows researchers to examine neural responses to specific therapeutic techniques. A conceptual overview of the method and its applicability to counseling psychologists is provided. Additionally, this article contains basic guidelines for designing an ERP study, the tools necessary for setting up an ERP lab, and an overview of data-processing strategies. Common pitfalls encountered both broadly in neuroscience research and specifically in ERP research are discussed. An integrated review of relevant literature is presented here, along with suggestions for future counseling psychology research, with a focus on establishing biomarkers of successful interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Prenatal and Perinatal Factors Related to Autism, IQ, and Adaptive Functioning.

This study focused on prenatal and perinatal factors related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The authors hypothesized that mothers who exposed their infants to intrauterine toxicity or who had complications with labor or delivery would be more likely to give birth to individuals with lower IQ scores, higher scores on a measure of ASD, and lower scores on a measure of adaptive functioning. This clinical sample consisted of 33 children who presented for neuropsychological assessment with symptoms of ASD. Results indicated that individuals with a history of intrauterine toxicity had lower IQ scores than individuals who did not have a history of intrauterine toxicity. However, no significant effects were found for intrauterine toxicity and ASD or adaptive functioning. Results indicated that individuals with a history of complications during labor and delivery had lower IQ scores, higher scores on a measure of ASD, and lower scores on a measure of adaptive functioning. Findings may lend support to the oxidative stress theory of ASD.

Differential activation of the default mode network in jet lagged individuals.

Long-term exposure to transmeridian flights has been shown to impact cognitive functioning. Nevertheless, the immediate effects of jet lag in the activation of specific brain networks have not been investigated. We analyzed the impact of short-term jet lag on the activation of the default mode network (DMN). A group of individuals who were on a transmeridian flight and a control group went through a functional magnetic resonance imaging acquisition. Statistical analysis was performed to test for differences in the DMN activation between groups. Participants from the jet lag group presented decreased activation in the anterior nodes of the DMN, specifically in bilateral medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex. No areas of increased activation were observed for the jet lag group. These results may be suggestive of a negative impact of jet lag on important cognitive functions such as introspection, emotional regulation and decision making in a few days after individuals arrive at their destination.

A neuroscience agenda for counseling psychology research.

Recent advances in the field of neuroscience have dramatically changed our understanding of brain-behavior relationships. In this article, we illustrate how neuroscience can provide a conceptual and methodological framework to understand our clients within a transdiagnostic developmental perspective. We provide directions for integrating neuroscience into future process and outcome research. We present examples on how neuroscience can be integrated into researching the effects of contextual counseling interventions. We posit that interpersonal and environmental factors, such as neurotoxic factors (e.g., emotional neglect, stress), positive neurodevelopmental factors (e.g., nurturing and caring, environmental enrichment), and therapeutic interventions influence psychological processes (executive control, behavioral flexibility, reinforcement learning and approach motivation, emotional expression and regulation, self-representation and theory of mind). These psychological processes influence brain networks (attention, motivational, emotional regulation, social cognition), which influence cognitive, social, emotional, identity, and vocational development.

Effects of empathy and conflict resolution strategies on psychophysiological arousal and satisfaction in romantic relationships.

The present research builds upon the extant literature as it assesses psychophysiological factors in relation to empathy, conflict resolution, and romantic relationship satisfaction. In this study, we examined physiological reactivity of individuals in the context of emotionally laden interactions with their romantic partners. Participants (N = 31) completed self-report measures and attended in-person data collection sessions with their romantic partners. Participants were guided through discussions of problems and strengths of their relationships in vivo with their partners while we measured participants' skin conductance level (SCL) and interbeat interval (IBI) of the heart. We hypothesized that participants' level of empathy towards their partners would be reflected by physiological arousal (as measured by SCL and IBI) and relationship satisfaction, such that higher levels of empathy would be linked to changes in physiological arousal and higher relationship satisfaction. Further, we hypothesized that differences would be found in physiological arousal (as measured by SCL and IBI) based on the type of conflict resolution strategy used by participants. Finally, we hypothesized that differences would be found in empathy towards partner and relationship satisfaction based on the type of conflict resolution strategies used by participants. Results partially supported hypotheses and were discussed in light of existing knowledge based on empirical and theoretical sources.