The Role of Behavioral Inhibition in Anxiety Vulnerability — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

The Role of Behavioral Inhibition in Anxiety Vulnerability

Name: Angeliemarie Soto
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Name: Sohayla Horani
Major: Neuroscience
Hometown: Portaland, Oregon
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Name: Victoria Klingensmith
Major: Biology and Neuroscience
Hometown: Marinette, Wisconsin
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Name: Anna Williams
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Abstract

Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a personality trait characterized by avoidance of novel or social challenges. BI is a key vulnerability factor for development of anxiety and stress disorders. Prior research has shown that individuals with high BI acquire learned tasks more rapidly (e.g., Holloway et al., Frontiers in Beh. Neuro, 2012). Our study examined increased stress activation and BI in the context of a simple motor task, mirror drawing. Participants completed several questionnaires designed to categorize individuals regarding behavioral inhibition. They also provided salivary samples to test the activation of short and long term stress hormones. Participants completed three trials in which they traced a six pointed figure with a stylus while viewing the image in a mirror. High BI participants made more errors on the first trial but then demonstrated the greatest improvement across all three trials, indicating initial anxiety and enhanced conditioning.

Poster file