Psychology
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Item Comparing models of information transfer in the structural brain network and their relationship to functional connectivity: diffusion versus shortest path routing(Springer Nature, 2023-02-01) Neudorf, Josh; Kress, Shaylyn; Borowsky, RonThe relationship between structural and functional connectivity in the human brain is a core question in network neuroscience, and a topic of paramount importance to our ability to meaningfully describe and predict functional outcomes. Graph theory has been used to produce measures based on the structural connectivity network that are related to functional connectivity. These measures are commonly based on either the shortest path routing model or the diffusion model, which carry distinct assumptions about how information is transferred through the network. Unlike shortest path routing, which assumes the most efficient path is always known, the diffusion model makes no such assumption, and lets information diffuse in parallel based on the number of connections to other regions. Past research has also developed hybrid measures that use concepts from both models, which have better predicted functional connectivity from structural connectivity than the shortest path length alone. We examined the extent to which each of these models can account for the structure–function relationship of interest using graph theory measures that are exclusively based on each model. This analysis was performed on multiple parcellations of the Human Connectome Project using multiple approaches, which all converged on the same finding. We found that the diffusion model accounts for much more variance in functional connectivity than the shortest path routing model, suggesting that the diffusion model is better suited to describing the structure–function relationship in the human brain at the macroscale.Item What's in a game: Video game visual-spatial demand location exhibits a double dissociation with reading speed(Elsevier, 2022-12-23) Kress, Shaylyn; Neudorf, Josh; Borowsky, Braedyn; Borowsky, RonThis research sought to clarify the nature of the relationship between video game experience, attention, and reading. Previous studies have suggested playing action video games can improve reading ability in children with dyslexia. Other research has linked video game experience with visual-spatial attention, and visual-spatial attention with reading. We hypothesized that the visual-spatial demands of video games may drive relationships with reading through attentional processing. In this experiment we used a hybrid attention/reading task to explore the relationship between video game visual-spatial demands, reading and attention. We also developed novel visual-spatial demand measures using participants' top five played video games for an individual-specific measure of visual demands. Peripheral visual demands in video games were associated with faster reading times, while central visual demands were associated with slower reading times for both phonetic decoding and lexical reading. In addition, video game experience in terms of hours spent playing video games each week interacted with the cueing effect size in the lexical reading condition, with experienced video game players exhibiting a larger cueing effect than participants with less video game experience. These results suggest that exposure to peripheral visual spatial demands in video games may be related to both lexical and sublexical reading processes in hybrid attentional reading tasks such as ours with skilled adult readers, which has implications not only for models of how ventral and dorsal stream reading and visual-spatial attention are integrated, but also for the development of dyslexia diagnostics and remediation.Item Activity in the pontine reticular nuclei scales with handgrip force in humans(American Physiological Society, 2024-04-23) Danielson, Tyler L.; Gould, Layla A.; DeFreitas, Jason; MacLennan, Rob; Ekstrand, Chelsea; Borowsky, Ron; Farthing, Jonathan P.; Andrushko, Justin W.The neural pathways that contribute to force production in humans are currently poorly understood, as the relative roles of the corticospinal tract and brainstem pathways, such as the reticulospinal tract (RST), vary substantially across species. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we aimed to measure activation in the pontine reticular nuclei (PRN) during different submaximal handgrip contractions to determine the potential role of the PRN in force modulation. Thirteen neurologically intact participants (age: 28 ± 6 yr) performed unilateral handgrip contractions at 25%, 50%, 75% of maximum voluntary contraction during brain scans. We quantified the magnitude of PRN activation from the contralateral and ipsilateral sides during each of the three contraction intensities. A repeated-measures ANOVA demonstrated a significant main effect of force (P = 0.012, η2p = 0.307) for PRN activation, independent of side (i.e., activation increased with force for both contralateral and ipsilateral nuclei). Further analyses of these data involved calculating the linear slope between the magnitude of activation and handgrip force for each region of interest (ROI) at the individual-level. One-sample t tests on the slopes revealed significant group-level scaling for the PRN bilaterally, but only the ipsilateral PRN remained significant after correcting for multiple comparisons. We show evidence of task-dependent activation in the PRN that was positively related to handgrip force. These data build on a growing body of literature that highlights the RST as a functionally relevant motor pathway for force modulation in humans. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this study, we used a task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm to show that activity in the pontine reticular nuclei scales linearly with increasing force during a handgrip task. These findings directly support recently proposed hypotheses that the reticulospinal tract may play an important role in modulating force production in humans.Item Effects of central vs. peripheral attentional-oculomotor exercise on lexical processing(Sage Publication, 2024-12-18) Kress, Shaylyn; caron, Scott; Neudorf, Josh; Borowsky, Branden; Borowsky, RonPast research from our lab has suggested visual demands in video games serve to exercise attentional-oculomotor (A-O) processing in a manner beneficial to reading. However, testing the effect of video games on reading typically requires long timeframes (e.g., multiweek training or years of accumulated video game experience). The current study manipulated within-experiment peripheral and central demands to evaluate the effects of A-O exercise on task performance. Our study included two tasks: an orthographic lexical decision task (OLDT), designed to optimise orthographic lexical processing, and a novel graphic-based health bar decision task (HBDT). In Experiment 1, the stimuli were presented centrally in one block and peripherally in another block to manipulate A-O exercise. We observed greater improvements in the peripheral-first than the central-first group, particularly for the OLDT. In Experiments 2 and 3, we focused on the OLDT, with the HBDT serving as the A-O exercise task, and observed improvements in both centrally and peripherally trained participants. We additionally observed, through analyses of word and bigram frequency, a double dissociation, whereby increased target word frequency was associated with faster target reaction times and improved error rates, whereas increased foil bigram frequency was associated with slower foil reaction times and worse error rates. Taken together, the experiments demonstrate a mechanism beyond simple task learning that drives reading improvements, and A-O exercise, even if movements are small, appears to play a role in the improvements observed. We suggest future research should further develop this paradigm and examine its utility for reading remediation in dyslexia.Item Seeking stability: A preliminary exploration of Canadian young adults’ financial goals(Taylor & Francis, 2021-03-20) Mazurik, Kathrina; Knudson, SarahYoung people’s financial lives have undergone change, with delays and struggles attaining stable employment, home ownership, and financial independence. Despite such change, research on the future thinking of young adults suggests the persistent significance of such financial milestones. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 36 young adults aged 18-32 in a mid-sized, prosperous Canadian city, inquiring into their goals and perceptions of their future financial lives in light of their current situations. Findings revealed young adults’ overarching desire for financial security, notably through goals of a steady job, debt reduction, and home ownership. These findings affirm that during this transitional time of life, many young adults are involved in a search for security, hoping to attain financial independence and stability in a conventionally linear and upward fashion. This search for security and stability manifests differently across sociodemographic positions (namely age, gender, birthplace, and socioeconomic status), reflecting differing experiences of precarity, cultural representations of the life course, and positions along financial trajectories. Participants’ visions of their financial futures also appear to connect to the factors in the local context, including its relative prosperity, persistence of traditional gender roles, and a relatively modest cost of living compared to other urban centres in Canada.Item Stuck in the Nest? A Review of the Literature on Coresidence in Canada and the United States(Taylor & Francis, 2020-03-03) Mazurik, Kathrina; Knudson, Sarah; Tanaka, YukikoAn historically high proportion of Canadian and American young adults are living with their parents. This trend has stimulated research and theorization of “coresidence,” yet recent reviews of the subject are lacking. In this paper, we examine literature on coresiding families spanning the last two decades, focusing discussion on their economic, cultural, gendered, familial, and psychological characteristics. We argue that theoretical understanding of this topic is expanding, that knowledge of this issue is improving in nuance, but that, despite these encouraging trends, researchers have neglected to examine the actual practices and consequences of coresidence. As a result, the field offers little guidance to parents, young adults, and family counselors. We recommend that researchers expand their methodological approaches, introducing more longitudinal and qualitative designs to capture the day-to-day practices of these families and the consequences of coresidence over time. In addition, we offer some guiding principles for practitioners working with young adults and their parents, based on our findings.