Perceived responsibility and compulsive checking: an experimental analysis

An experiment was carried out on 30 Ss who qualified for the DSM-IIIR diagnosis of OCD in order to test the hypothesis, derived from cognitive theory, that changes in perceived responsibility are followed by corresponding changes in the urge to check compulsively. The manipulation succeeded in increasing/decreasing perceived responsibility, as required for the experiment. Decreased responsibility was followed by significant declines in discomfort and in the urge to carry out the compulsive checking. Increased responsibility was followed by corresponding increases in discomfort and urges, but these failed to reach a statistically significant level. Additionally, two types of OCD-related cognitive biases were encountered.