Effects of cognitive self-consciousness on visual memory in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Previous research has documented high trait cognitive self-consciousness (CSC) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It remains unclear whether elevated CSC levels can also explain cognitive performance deficits that have frequently been found in OCD. This study examined whether experimentally heightened CSC affects visual memory performance in OCD. OCD participants and healthy controls completed a complex figure test under three experimental conditions: simultaneously focusing on their thoughts (= CSC condition), simultaneously focusing on acoustic stimuli (= dual-task condition), and without a parallel task (= standard condition). In the OCD sample both the CSC condition and the dual-task condition reduced memory performance compared to the standard condition, whereas in controls only the dual-task condition led to reduced performance. Results indicate that raising CSC in OCD has a deteriorating effect on memory encoding that parallels the effect of a secondary task. High CSC and its effects on cognitive performance might be amenable to meta-cognitive treatment approaches.