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NEURAL REPRESENTATIONS OF CLOSE OTHERS ACROSS ADULTHOOD; EMPIRICAL RESULTS AND APPLICATION OF AN ATTACHMENT THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Author
Laurita, Anne Catherine
Abstract
Four papers investigate the neural signatures of close other representations in young and
older adults. The first paper connects neuroimaging and attachment theory within a novel social,
cognitive, and affective framework. Attachment theory is applied to understand why we would
expect cognitive representations of close others to be different from other social neural
representations. Existing neuroimaging literature on close other representations is examined,
highlighting the recruitment of neural systems supporting reward, motivation, and distress
alleviation, in addition to the mirror neuron system, default network, and salience network.
Methodologies of past studies are reviewed, revealing a diverse array of self-report measures
assessing closeness and social cognitive tasks that, taken together, preclude meaningful synthesis
of findings. Specific behavioral measures of attachment are discussed, with recommendations for
the field. The second paper examines the neural representation of known others along a
continuum of attachment using fMRI. Heterosexual adults in romantic relationships for more
than two years, made trait judgments for various social targets. Across conditions, trait
judgments engaged the default network and lateral prefrontal cortex. Judgments about oneself
and a partner were associated with a common activation pattern encompassing anterior and
middle cingulate, posterior superior temporal sulcus, as well as anterior insula. These results
provide novel evidence that mentalizing about known familiar others results in differential brain
activity and that adult attachment is a distinguishing feature of these differences. The third paper
investigates the neural representation of known others in young and older adults, using the same
trait judgment fMRI paradigm. Across both age groups, all trait judgments engaged default
network regions such as dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate
cortex; however, older adults showed a lack of neural differentiation between social conditions.
Both age groups demonstrated connectivity between dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortex
and other default network regions during trait judgments. However, older but not young adults
also showed increased functional coupling between medial and lateral prefrontal brain regions.
Results extend the dedifferentiation and default – executive coupling accounts of neurocognitive
aging to social aging neuroscience. The fourth paper examines the neural representation
specifically of parents and adult children, again using a trait judgment task in fMRI. Higher
levels of parent and child attachment were associated with lower neural recruitment in anterior
cingulate cortex, amygdala, posterior cingulate cortex, medial temporal lobe, and occipital face
area. Results provide novel evidence for neural signatures of chronic accessibility, as bringing to
mind one’s attached parent or child requires less engagement of brain regions involved in
distress relief, memory, and facial processing. Taken together, the present studies utilize fMRI
methods to contribute to an emergent neuroscience of close relationships and attachment.
Date Issued
2017-08-30Subject
attachment; chronic accessibility; close relationships; default network; fMRI; mental representations; Social psychology; Developmental psychology; Neurosciences
Committee Chair
Hazan, Cynthia
Committee Member
Anderson, Adam K.; Spreng, Robert Nathan
Degree Discipline
Human Development
Degree Name
Ph. D., Human Development
Degree Level
Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International
Rights URI
Type
dissertation or thesis
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution 4.0 International