Effects of preoccupation on interpersonal recall: a pilot study
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Annukka Lehtonen1, Natasha Jakub, Michelle Craske
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom. annukka.lehtonen@psych.ox.ac.uk
Background:
The aim of this pilot study was to examine whether priming preoccupation (rumination) in healthy participants adversely affects the processing of interpersonal information.
Methods:
Sixty female undergraduates with moderate or marked preoccupation proneness (selected on the basis of their high preoccupation on eating, shape, and weight issues) were randomized to receive either a general preoccupation prime, a standardized preoccupation prime, or a control prime. Following the prime, participants watched an 8-min videotape of a family interaction and then were asked free recall questions about the tape.
Results:
Participants who received the general preoccupation prime scored lower than the other two groups in response to free recall questions regarding emotion-related topics.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that when primed by everyday worries and concerns, individuals prone to preoccupation may have their capacity to recall emotion-related interpersonal information compromised.
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