Is response time variability on an exogenous visual orienting task associated with specific genetic markers?

Attention is a vital component of everyday functioning, and deficits in attention feature in many psychological disorders. Improved understanding of attention may eventually be critical to early identification and treatment of attentional deficits. One step in that direction is to acquire a better understanding of genetic associations with performance on a measure of reflexive visual attention. We have previously studied the relationship between selected genes and mean RT. This thesis reports on a new analysis of the same data which were used to examine mean differences but now examines the contributions of genetic markers to RT variability. I consider the relationship between mean RT and RT variability and account for other potential predictors of RT variability such as age, ethnicity, and sleepiness. I ask, after accounting for other reasons that RT variability might be increased in some subjects, does increased RT variability depend also on genotype?

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Social Sciences

Grantor

Rice University

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Lundwall, Rebecca A.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Dannemiller, James L.

• Psychology
• Cognitive psychology

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1911/70333

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.rice.edu:1911/70333