Browsing by Author "Goetz, Elena L"

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    Genetic moderation of the association between regulatory focus and reward responsiveness
    (Biology of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, 2012) Goetz, Elena L; Hariri, Ahmad R; Pizzagalli, Diego A; Strauman, Timothy J
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    Self-Regulation and Mechanisms of Action in Psychotherapy: A Theory-Based Translational Perspective
    (Journal of Personality, 2013-12-01) Strauman, Timothy J; Goetz, Elena L; Detloff, Allison M; MacDuffie, Katherine E; Zaunmüller, Luisa; Lutz, Wolfgang
    Psychotherapy is a complex, multilayered process with the potential to bring about changes at multiple levels of functioning, from the neurobiology of the brain to the individual's role in the social world. Although studies of the mechanisms by which psychotherapy leads to change continue to appear, there remains much to be learned about how psychological interventions work. To guide explorations of how and for whom particular treatment approaches lead to change, researchers can rely on theory to identify potential loci for change and on translational research methods to integrate basic behavioral science and neuroscience with clinical science. In this article, we describe research linking individual differences in the self-regulation of personal goal pursuit with the etiology and treatment of mood disorders. The research draws upon regulatory focus theory as a model of self-regulation and on microintervention designs-controlled laboratory investigations of a specific therapeutic technique-to generate and test hypotheses about how psychological interventions can help to reverse maladaptive self-regulatory processes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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    What shall I be, what must I be: neural correlates of personal goal activation.
    (Front Integr Neurosci, 2012) Strauman, Timothy J; Detloff, Allison M; Sestokas, Rima; Smith, David V; Goetz, Elena L; Rivera, Christine; Kwapil, Lori
    How is the brain engaged when people are thinking about their hopes, dreams, and obligations? Regulatory focus theory postulates two classes of personal goals and motivational systems for pursuing them. Ideal goals, such as hopes and aspirations, are pursued via the promotion system through "making good things happen." Ought goals, such as obligations or responsibilities, are pursued via the prevention system through "keeping bad things from happening." This study investigated the neural correlates of ideal and ought goal priming using an event-related fMRI design with rapid masked stimulus presentations. We exposed participants to their self-identified ideal and ought goals, yoked-control words and non-words. We also examined correlations between goal-related activation and measures of regulatory focus, behavioral activation/inhibition, and negative affect. Ideal priming led to activation in frontal and occipital regions as well as caudate and thalamus, whereas prevention goal priming was associated with activation in precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex. Individual differences in dysphoric/anxious affect and regulatory focus, but not differences in BAS/BIS strength, were predictive of differential activation in response to goal priming. The regions activated in response to ideal and ought goal priming broadly map onto the cortical midline network that has been shown to index processing of self-referential stimuli. Individual differences in regulatory focus and negative affect impact this network and appeared to influence the strength and accessibility of the promotion and prevention systems. The results support a fundamental distinction between promotion and prevention and extend our understanding of how personal goals influence behavior.