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Cognitive processing of emotional information in panic disorder
R J McNally1, B C Riemann, C E Louro
1University of Health Sciences, Chicago Medical School.
Behaviour Research and Therapy
|March 1, 1992
Summary
This study found that panic disorder (PD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients showed similar Stroop interference effects. Arousal did not significantly increase threat word interference in PD patients.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The Stroop color-naming paradigm is a widely used tool to assess selective attention and cognitive interference.
- Emotionality and arousal are hypothesized to influence Stroop interference, particularly in clinical populations.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results regarding the impact of emotional stimuli and arousal on cognitive performance in panic disorder (PD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of arousal manipulations on Stroop interference in patients with panic disorder (PD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- To examine how emotional word valence (positive vs. threat) affects color-naming performance in these clinical groups compared to controls.
- To test the emotionality hypothesis of Stroop interference in PD and OCD patients.
Main Methods:
- Participants (PD patients, OCD patients, and normal controls) underwent either high (exercise) or low arousal conditions.
- A modified Stroop color-naming task was administered, using neutral, positive, and threat-associated words.
- Subjects rated the emotional significance of words post-task to assess subjective emotionality.
Main Results:
- PD patients rated positive words as more emotional than threat words but showed greater interference for threat words.
- PD patients exhibited similar color-naming latencies for positive and fear/bodily sensation words, aligning partly with the emotionality hypothesis.
- OCD patients displayed comparable interference patterns to PD patients, and arousal did not amplify threat word interference in PD patients.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that both PD and OCD patients experience significant Stroop interference, with OCD patients showing similar patterns to PD patients.
- Contrary to expectations, arousal did not exacerbate interference for threat-related stimuli in PD patients.
- The results partially support the emotionality hypothesis but highlight complexities in how emotional valence and arousal interact with cognitive control in anxiety-related disorders.