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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
08:17

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

Published on: July 19, 2017

Anxiety and cognitive performance: attentional control theory.

Michael W Eysenck1, Nazanin Derakshan, Rita Santos

  • 1Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, London, United Kingdom. m.eysenck@rhul.ac.uk

Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|May 23, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Anxiety impairs attentional control, affecting goal-directed processing and increasing focus on threats. However, compensatory strategies like increased effort may maintain performance effectiveness despite anxiety.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Attentional control theory (ACT) builds upon processing efficiency theory.
  • ACT posits anxiety disrupts the goal-directed attentional system.
  • Anxiety enhances influence from the stimulus-driven attentional system.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore how anxiety impacts attentional control and cognitive processing.
  • To investigate the role of inhibition and shifting in anxiety-related performance deficits.
  • To examine the potential for compensatory strategies to mitigate anxiety's effects on performance effectiveness.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical framework development based on existing research.
  • Conceptual analysis of attentional systems and executive functions.
  • Examination of the interplay between anxiety, attention, and cognitive performance.

Main Results:

  • Anxiety impairs efficient functioning of the goal-directed attentional system.
  • Anxiety increases attention towards threat-related stimuli.
  • Performance effectiveness may be preserved through compensatory strategies, such as increased effort.

Conclusions:

  • Attentional control is a key mechanism through which anxiety affects cognition.
  • Inhibition and shifting are central executive functions sensitive to anxiety.
  • Future research should explore compensatory mechanisms in anxiety and cognition.