Candidate Name: Shaina Glass
Program: Health Psychology
Committee Chairs: Doug Markant
Committee Members: Julio Bahamon, Alexia Galati, Sara Levens, Alicia Dahl
Abstract:

Cognitive flexibility is a key executive function that is vital in completing day-to-day goal-directed activities and coping with negative thoughts and emotions. Training to improve cognitive flexibility has been an endeavor for both therapists and researchers. It is often targeted through guided practice in adapting thoughts or behaviors, as when a therapist prompts a client to think about a distressing event differently, or researchers ask participants to switch between two different strategies to complete a task. However, important questions remain as to whether training cognitive flexibility in these settings increases the use of cognitive flexibility when it’s needed in day-to-day life. This dissertation takes a multiphase approach to address key limitations of existing approaches by designing a novel game-based application for training cognitive flexibility. Using a user-centered approach, potential users were interviewed to inform the development process. A prototype was developed by an interdisciplinary team of students. The feasibility and validity of the prototype as a cognitive flexibility training tool was evaluated through a pilot study. This study demonstrates the process for developing a mobile game-based training tool that is accessible and engaging, while providing a platform for future interventions designed to enhance cognitive flexibility to support mental health.