Investigating the Physiological, Cognitive, and Psychological Effects of a Cognitive-Based Intervention

Seventy subjects, aged 17 to 30 years old, from Brock University will be recruited to participate in the study. The ability to speak and write in English is a requirement. University students will be invited to participate in the study in a series of individual and group testing/training sessions (n ≤ 15) on five separate occasions (two testing sessions and three training sessions). The testing/training sessions will be on average, one week apart (depending on the availability of the participants). Participants will be invited to review the consent form prior to the first testing session via having it e-mailed to them once recruited. At this time, a discussion about the student's potential allergies and sensitivities will take place during the review of 'Potential Risks'. Participants will be given two copies of the written consent form to be completed (one copy is given to the participant and the other copy is for the researcher). Subjects will be advised that alternate arrangements can be made if they prefer 'same sex' researchers. All participants will be administered the same protocol and questionnaire order. These tests are well-researched and their standard administration times will be applied.

During the first session (pre-test), participants will be greeted individually for the session in a lab setting in the Jack and Nora Walker Lifespan Development Centre testing facilities at Brock University. The consent form will be read aloud to the participants by the researcher for clarification, and participants will be invited to ask any questions at that time or any time throughout the study. Participants will then undergo a 3-minute physiological recording and complete two performance-based neuropsychological measures: the Trail Making Test (TMT) to measure cognitive flexibility and the Colour-Word Interference Test to measure attention.

For the physiological measures, subjects will be introduced to the Polygraph Professional (2008) equipment which measures heart rate, electrodermal activity (EDA), respiration and blood pressure. Silver-silver chloride pads will be used to collect EDA, and will be placed on the index and fourth fingers on the participant's non-dominant hand. Electrodermal activation (EDA) responses are measured in terms of amplitude (i.e., the height of the electrodermal response measured in microsiemens [µS]). A pulse oximeter will be placed on the middle finger of the participant's non-dominant hand to measure HR. Respiration will be recorded via two pneumatic chest bands - the upper will be placed around the chest and the lower, around the abdomen and over their clothing. Blood pressure will be measured via a blood pressure cuff that will be placed on the brachial artery/upper portion of the individual's left arm. All core equipment is cleansed with alcohol swabs after use; the researcher will provide the participant with antibacterial lotion prior to application of electrodes; electrodes will be replaced as needed. The sanitary procedures will be explained to the subject and implemented (e.g., experimenter's use of gloves, and use of cleansed and disinfected equipment using alcohol, etc.).

In addition, the participant will be asked to complete a self-report rating of his/her arousal level before physiological activity is recorded (as used in, for example, Baker and Good [2014], participants are shown a scale (from 1 to 10) on a laminated sheet and asked to provide a self-report rating of their current arousal state (1 - e.g., very relaxed to 10 - e.g., very stressed). Subjects will be seated and will be given time to rest prior to, and during, the recordings. Participants will be asked to remain still in a relaxed and comfortable position (to reduce physical movement) while a recording is taken for a 3- minute period. All physiological data recorded will be coded alphanumerically without personal identifiers.

Following the physiological recordings, the Trail Making Test will be administered, during which the subjects are asked to connect a series of numbered and lettered dots according to a specific set of rules. Subsequently, the Colour-Word Interference Test will be administered, during which subjects are asked to read aloud the colour of ink that various colour words are printed in. All neurocognitive tests will be administered under time constraints as dictated by testing protocol. The participant will then be accompanied to a separate (nearby) room to complete a selection of self-report questionnaires in a group testing environment (i.e., with up to 14 other participants). Note: the BDI-II will be scored immediately after the student has completed testing (i.e., immediately after they leave the testing session).