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An information processing model of anxiety: automatic and strategic processes
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Philadelphia 19104-4102, USA.
Behaviour Research and Therapy
|January 1, 1997
Summary
This study presents a three-stage model of anxiety processing, detailing how threat stimuli activate automatic and reflective thinking. The research emphasizes deactivating primal threat responses and enhancing reflective thought for anxiety treatment.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Anxiety involves complex information processing.
- Existing models may not fully capture the dynamic interplay of cognitive processes in anxiety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a three-stage schema-based information processing model of anxiety.
- To reconceptualize cognitive biases in anxiety.
- To inform treatment strategies for anxiety disorders.
Main Methods:
- Described a three-stage information processing model.
- Discussed automatic and strategic processing elements.
- Reconceptualized cognitive bias in anxiety.
Main Results:
- The model includes threat stimulus registration, primal threat mode activation, and reflective thinking activation.
- Cognitive bias in anxiety is a mix of automatic and strategic processing depending on the model stage.
- Treatment goals involve deactivating automatic threat modes and strengthening reflective thinking.
Conclusions:
- Verbal mediation is a necessary, though not sufficient, component in cognitive and behavioral anxiety treatment.
- The proposed model offers a framework for understanding and treating anxiety.