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Impaired executive functioning in subclinical compulsive checking with ecologically valid stimuli in a working memory

Ben Harkin1, Hannah Rutherford, Klaus Kessler

  • 1Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow Glasgow, UK.

Frontiers in Psychology
|June 21, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Subclinical checkers show impaired working memory (WM) when presented with misleading information. Using realistic kitchen items, researchers found high checkers struggled with distractors and had metacognitive deficits.

Keywords:
OCDcompulsive checkingecological validityexecutive controlworking memory

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

  • Previous research indicated working memory (WM) deficits in subclinical checkers exposed to misleading information.
  • Criticism arose regarding the ecological validity of stimuli used in prior studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate working memory performance in subclinical checkers using ecologically valid stimuli (kitchen appliances).
  • To assess the impact of misleading distractors on memory for appliance states and locations.
  • To evaluate metacognitive functioning, specifically confidence ratings, in relation to working memory accuracy.

Main Methods:

  • Participants memorized four kitchen appliances, including their states and locations.
  • Memory accuracy for states (Experiment 1) and locations (Experiment 2) was tested.
  • Misleading probes were presented during the retention interval to assess susceptibility to distractors.
  • Confidence ratings were collected using a quantitative scale (0-100) in Experiment 2.

Main Results:

  • Ecologically valid stimuli confirmed a general impairment in high checkers compared to low checkers (Experiment 1).
  • In Experiment 2, high checkers showed specific impairment with misleading probes, not a general capacity deficit.
  • High checkers' confidence ratings indicated a general metacognitive functioning impairment.

Conclusions:

  • Ecologically valid stimuli are effective in revealing working memory differences in subclinical checkers.
  • Subclinical checkers' working memory deficits may stem from specific executive dysfunctions and impaired metacognition.
  • Findings suggest that misleading information disproportionately affects high checkers' ability to maintain and retrieve memory traces.