Does "thinking about thinking" interfere with memory? An experimental memory study in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) exhibit verbal memory impairments, particularly when organizing information.
• A tendency for heightened cognitive self-consciousness, or focusing attention inward on one's own thoughts, is noted in OCD.
• This self-focus may interfere with cognitive tasks, potentially explaining observed memory deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal role of cognitive self-consciousness in verbal memory deficits in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• To test the hypothesis that self-focused attention divides cognitive resources, impairing memory performance.
• To compare memory performance across different attentional load conditions in individuals with OCD, major depressive disorder (MDD), and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-six participants with OCD, 36 with MDD, and 36 healthy controls learned material under proactive interference.
• Three study conditions were employed: single-task, heightened cognitive self-consciousness, and an external secondary task.
• Verbal memory performance was assessed across these conditions.

Main Results:

• Memory performance was significantly impaired in the heightened cognitive self-consciousness condition compared to the single-task and external secondary task conditions.
• Participants with OCD demonstrated reduced memory performance compared to healthy controls, irrespective of the study condition.
• No significant difference in memory performance was found between participants with OCD and those with MDD.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive self-consciousness appears to be a direct cause of verbal memory impairment in individuals with OCD.
• Divided attention between internal thoughts and external tasks contributes to memory deficits.
• Findings suggest that interventions targeting cognitive self-consciousness may improve memory function in OCD.