The impact of executive functioning on attention to threat
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The impact of executive functioning on attention to threat in an adult traumatic brain injury population: an experimental group design
IRAS ID
183250
Contact name
Stephanie Keay
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 9 days
Research summary
This study aims to explore the effect that difficulties with executive functioning may have on how a person looks at threat. ‘Executive functioning’ is a phrase used to describe lots of different things that our brain does e.g. planning, attention, control and problem solving etc. Some people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) may have difficulties with some or all of these things. This study will involve two groups of participants one group who have suffered a TBI and a healthy control group. The groups will be asked to complete a set of brief assessments to ensure that they meet the criteria to participate in the study. All participants will then be asked to complete a computerised attention task lasting approximately 15 minutes. This computer task will measure how quickly the individual responds to threatening words. Once participants have completed this they will then have a short break before completing a further set of brief assessments looking at different aspects of executive functioning and anxiety and depression. These measures will allow us to measure the individual’s level of executive functioning and also their level of anxiety and depression. We will then explore whether executive functioning has any impact on how quickly an individual attends to threatening information.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0244
Date of REC Opinion
11 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion