Date of Award

2025

Type

Thesis

Major

Psychology

Degree Type

Bachelor of Science in Psychology

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Rebecca Dunterman

Second Advisor

Dr. Reba Wissner

Third Advisor

Dr. Mark Schmidt

Abstract

This study aimed to discover a biomarker for anxiety with the use of event-related potentials (ERPs) and auditory stimuli. Prior research has focused on anxiety, visual stimuli, experimental tasks, and how ERP components relate to them. Few of the studies used auditory stimuli. This study proposes that the P2, P3, and late positive potential (LPP) ERP components will have greater amplitude when unpleasant auditory stimuli are presented, especially in higher anxiety participants. P2 is studied for its relationship with attention and perceptual reasoning, P3 to memory and attention, and LPP to emotional material (Brown et al., 2012; Ishida et al., 2018; Luck, 2014; Polic, 2007). The State Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess participants' current and persistent anxiety. Then, participants passively listened to two blocks of mixed emotional auditory stimuli (neutral and unpleasant) that were chosen from expanded version of the International Affective Digitized Sound Database. After both blocks were presented, the Anxiety Measure was administered to assess current anxiety. This Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved this study. It is hoped that this research will contribute to better understanding of anxiety, its relationship with ERPs, and how auditory stimuli might influence the relationship.

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