Pardikes, Thomas James2014-03-142014-03-142008-04-30etd-05102008-154022http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32518The dynamic behaviors of a complex organism are explained via voluntary and involuntary action. One underpinning of this system is organized and facilitated by the autonomic nervous system, integrating information from conscious and non-conscious centers in a seemingly hierarchical fashion. As a result, voluntary actions have the ability to inhibit reflexive actions via an inhibitory circuit. 111 subjects performed four diverse autonomic tasks consisting of voluntary and involuntary combinations. Analysis supports the proposed hierarchical model. Each task evoked specific autonomic states. Voluntary tasks influenced autonomic actions more than involuntary tasks. And working memory capacity mediated voluntary control.In CopyrightAutonomic Nervous SystemCoactivationInhibitionVolitionThesishttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05102008-154022/