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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
09:14
Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: March 14, 2025
Confidence in memory and other cognitive processes in obsessive-compulsive disorder
Maja Nedeljkovic1, Michael Kyrios
1Swin-PsyCHE Research Unit, Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122, Australia. MNedeljkovic@swin.edu.au
Behaviour Research and Therapy
|September 18, 2007
Summary
General beliefs about memory, known as meta-memory, are linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, especially checking behaviors. These memory beliefs predict OCD severity beyond mood and other cognitive factors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Previous research linked meta-memory (beliefs about memory) to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), particularly checking rituals.
- Most studies focused on specific memory perceptions, not general trait beliefs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between general trait meta-memory and OCD symptoms.
- To explore meta-memory as a multi-dimensional construct in analogue and clinical populations.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted using analogue and clinical samples.
- Trait meta-memory was assessed as a multi-dimensional construct including memory confidence, decision-making, concentration, and perfectionism.
Main Results:
- Meta-memory factors were significantly associated with OCD symptoms.
- These factors predicted OCD symptoms independently of mood and other OCD-relevant cognitions.
- Meta-memory was particularly relevant for understanding checking symptoms in OCD.
Conclusions:
- General trait meta-memory beliefs play a role in maintaining OCD symptoms.
- Meta-memory is a relevant construct for both theory and clinical research in OCD, especially for checking compulsions.
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