Logo image
Back
A theory of behavioral alterations in dementia: cognitive manifestations of unawareness and implications for psychosis
Dissertation   Open access

A theory of behavioral alterations in dementia: cognitive manifestations of unawareness and implications for psychosis

Melissa Lamar
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
1999
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010086
pdf
Lamar_Melissa_19996.13 MBDownloadView
PDF Open Access Open Access (License Unspecified)

Abstract

Behavioral change in dementia is a topic that has enjoyed a recent resurgence in the literature. Despite clinical and descriptive advances, theoretical gains have been limited. The present study proposed a theory of behavioral alterations, i.e., unawareness and psychosis, based on a continuum anticipated by early impairments of visuospatial and attentional abilities. Participants (N = 32; mean age of 76.5±6.27), were grouped according to scores on an awareness questionnaire. A measure of global-local processing assessed perceptual biases and a covert orienting of visual attention task measured the engage, disengage, and move of attention. Patterns in the data suggest the unaware group (UnA) had a local processing tendency that interfered with their ability to focus on the gestalt. The UnA group showed greater difficulty controlling automatized behaviors across motor perseverative (F (1, 25) = 3.28, p = .08) and mental manipulation (F (1, 27) = 5.66, p = .02) tasks. They were also more impaired on tests of right frontal functioning when compared to the aware group. Results suggest executive dysfunction, in addition to perceptual processing tendencies, plays a role in unawareness. Revisions of current theory and implications for the development of psychosis are considered. Early detection and intervention techniques are also discussed.

Metrics

28 File views/ downloads
11 Record Views

Details

Logo image