Jeffrey M Spielberg

Publications (14) View all

• Article: Issues in localization of brain function: The case of lateralized frontal cortex in cognition, emotion, and psychopathology.

  Gregory A Miller, Laura D Crocker, Jeffrey M Spielberg, Zachary P Infantolino, Wendy Heller
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  ABSTRACT: The appeal of simple, sweeping portraits of large-scale brain mechanisms relevant to psychological phenomena competes with a rich, complex research base. As a prominent example, two views of frontal brain organization have emphasized dichotomous lateralization as a function of either emotional valence (positive/negative) or approach/avoidance motivation. Compelling findings support each. The literature has struggled to choose between them for three decades, without success. Both views are proving untenable as comprehensive models. Evidence of other frontal lateralizations, involving distinctions among dimensions of depression and anxiety, make a dichotomous view even more problematic. Recent evidence indicates that positive valence and approach motivation are associated with different areas in the left-hemisphere. Findings that appear contradictory at the level of frontal lobes as the units of analysis can be accommodated because hemodynamic and electromagnetic neuroimaging studies suggest considerable functional differentiation, in specialization and activation, of subregions of frontal cortex, including their connectivity to each other and to other regions. Such findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of functional localization that accommodates aspects of multiple theoretical perspectives.
  Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience 01/2013; 7:2.
• Article: A brain network instantiating approach and avoidance motivation.

  Jeffrey M Spielberg, Gregory A Miller, Stacie L Warren, Anna S Engels, Laura D Crocker, Marie T Banich, Bradley P Sutton, Wendy Heller
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  ABSTRACT: Research indicates that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is important for pursuing goals, and areas of DLPFC are differentially involved in approach and avoidance motivation. Given the complexity of the processes involved in goal pursuit, DLPFC is likely part of a network that includes orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), cingulate, amygdala, and basal ganglia. This hypothesis was tested with regard to one component of goal pursuit, the maintenance of goals in the face of distraction. Examination of connectivity with motivation-related areas of DLPFC supported the network hypothesis. Differential patterns of connectivity suggest a distinct role for DLPFC areas, with one involved in selecting approach goals, one in selecting avoidance goals, and one in selecting goal pursuit strategies. Finally, differences in trait motivation moderated connectivity between DLPFC and OFC, suggesting that this connectivity is important for instantiating motivation.
  Psychophysiology 07/2012; 49(9):1200-14. · 3.29 Impact Factor
• Article: Approach and Avoidance Profiles Distinguish Dimensions of Anxiety and Depression

  Jeffrey M. Spielberg, Wendy Heller, Rebecca Levin Silton, Jennifer L. Stewart, Gregory A. Miller
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  ABSTRACT: Although a substantial body of research has examined the relationship between motivational systems and mood and anxiety disorders, there is disagreement among theorists regarding the nature of these relationships. Discrepancies in the literature may be explained by several factors. Studies of motivational models rarely examine both mood and anxiety disorders simultaneously, making comparisons among them difficult. Furthermore, dimensions of anxiety often are not distinguished, obscuring potential relationships. Finally, although research in this area is beginning to conceptualize individual differences in motivational systems as longstanding temperament phenomena, this notion has not been widely incorporated into motivational models. The present study examined relationships between temperamental differences in approach and avoidance motivational systems and dimensions of anxiety and depression. Results revealed distinct relationships between motivational temperaments and each psychopathology dimension. Present findings implicate individual differences in temperamental motivation as a potential factor in the development and/or maintenance of mood and anxiety disorders. KeywordsApproach–Avoidance–Motivation–Anxiety–Depression
  Cognitive Therapy and Research 05/2012; 35(4):359-371. · 1.33 Impact Factor
• Article: Trait motivation moderates neural activation associated with goal pursuit.

  Jeffrey M Spielberg, Gregory A Miller, Stacie L Warren, Anna S Engels, Laura D Crocker, Bradley P Sutton, Wendy Heller
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  ABSTRACT: Research has indicated that regions of left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) are involved in integrating the motivational and executive function processes related to, respectively, approach and avoidance goals. Given that sensitivity to pleasant and unpleasant stimuli is an important feature of conceptualizations of approach and avoidance motivation, it is possible that these regions of DLPFC are preferentially activated by valenced stimuli. The present study tested this hypothesis by using a task in which goal pursuit was threatened by distraction from valenced stimuli while functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected. The analyses examined whether the impact of trait approach and avoidance motivation on the neural processes associated with executive function differed depending on the valence or arousal level of the distractor stimuli. The present findings support the hypothesis that the regions of DLPFC under investigation are involved in integrating motivational and executive function processes, and they also indicate the involvement of a number of other brain areas in maintaining goal pursuit. However, DLPFC did not display differential sensitivity to valence.
  Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience 03/2012; 12(2):308-22. · 3.57 Impact Factor
• Article: Worry and perceived threat of proximal and distal undesirable outcomes.

  Keith Bredemeier, Howard Berenbaum, Jeffrey M Spielberg
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  ABSTRACT: Individuals who are prone to worry tend to overestimate the likelihoods and costs of future undesirable outcomes. However, it is unclear whether these relations vary as a function of the timeframe of the event in question. In the present study, 342 undergraduate students completed a self-report measure of worry and rated the perceived probabilities and costs of 40 undesirable outcomes. Specifically, each participant estimated the probability that each of these outcomes would occur within three different timeframes: the next month, the next year, and the next 10 years. We found that the strength of the association between worry and probability estimates was strongest for the most proximal timeframe. Probability estimates were more strongly associated with worry for participants with elevated cost estimates, and this interactive effect was strongest for the most distal timeframe. Implications of these findings for understanding the etiology and treatment of excessive worry are discussed.
  Journal of anxiety disorders 01/2012; 26(3):425-9. · 2.68 Impact Factor