Motor and Cognitive Tasks Effec ts on Frontal Thet a

Previous studies in our laboratory have examined the effect of social rejection on frontal theta, showing frontal theta decrease. Confounds of the study included decreased motor and cognitive skills during the period of social rejection. This experiment looked at the effects of motor and cognitive activities on frontal theta with regard to both type of task and length of task. Eleven males and nine females from the Illinois Wesleyan University general psychology classes completed a set of short and long, motor and cognitive tasks. Participants were asked to type a series of 14 and 24 lines on a computer during motor tasks to echo the amount of lines typed during the previous study’s social rejection phase. During the cognitive tasks, participants were asked to read and comprehend online chats of 14 and 24 lines long. Cognitive quizzes were assigned to determine how well the participants had comprehended the cognitive tasks. There was a significant difference in correct scores between the short and long task. No significant differences of theta power or frequency were found for motor or cognitive tasks, as well as length of task. Gender did not affect the task, as there was no significant between task type or length and gender. Motor and Cognitive Effects 3 Motor and Cognitive Tasks Effects on Frontal Theta People who experience social rejection report mood changes and lowered selfesteem and mood as evidenced in a study examining rejection using a ball-tossing experiment in which participants were ignored during a cyber ball-toss game (Ladro, Williams, & Richardson, 2004). Social rejection has been linked to the right ventral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulated cortex frontal lobes through fMRI studies (Eisenberger & Lieberman, 2004; Panksepp, 2003). Recent studies in our laboratory have explored social rejection in a chat room environment and its effects on frontal theta. Although these studies found a decrease in frontal theta power during social rejection, two possible confounds arose: decreased motor and cognitive activity. During the social rejection phase of the experiment, the participants typed less and read less text on the computer screen, averaging 14 less lines between the rejection phase and normal phases. The current study will address these confounds by examining whether frontal theta power significantly changes during motor and cognitive task performances. Electroencephalogram Since the electroencephalogram (EEG) was discovered in 1929, it has been used extensively to look at the structures of the brain (Rosler, 2005). This type of breakthrough has allowed research to expand tremendously and to examine questions psychologists never thought imaginable (Cutmore & James, 2007). Electroencephalograms allow researchers to study relationships between different brain waves and mental states or differences in personality (Rosler, 2005). EEG recording has been used to non-invasively measure changes in electrical potential during tasks performed by a human participant (Cutmore & James, 2007). These electrical potential Motor and Cognitive Effects 4 changes are recorded as waves (Cutmore & James, 2007) that are generated by electrical impulses of the nerve cells, which fire in distinct patterns (Givens, 1996). The EEG measures basic rhythms such as: alpha, beta, delta, and theta activity, with alpha measured mostly during rest and beta measured during mental activity (Rosler, 2005). The alpha band has been found to increase when there is a higher memory load during working memory (Herrman, Senkowski, & Rottger, 2004). These waves also differ in terms of amplitude and frequency. Amplitude is also referred to as power, and it measures the amount of cells firing at one point in time, in a specific area of the brain (Levtin, Nuzzo, Vines, & Ramsay, 2007). The more cells firing at the same time, the higher the power. If the power is lower, not as many cells are firing at once, or are firing at different times. Beta wave activity has the lowest degree of synchronization, while delta waves show the heist degree of synchronization (Rosler, 2005). Frequency can be defined as the amount of cycles in one-second periods of the EEG data (Levtin et. al, 2007). Changes in amplitude and frequency of frontal theta have been linked to various changes in brain activity, such as differences in motor, cognitive, and emotional experiences.