Distractibility as a precursor to anxiety: Preexisting attentional control deficits predict subsequent autonomic arousal during anxiety

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：Jeffrey L. Birk^a ; ^b ; ¹ ; ^{birk@tc.columbia.edu} ; Philipp C. Opitz^a ; ^c ; ¹ ; Heather L. Urry^a
• 关键词：Anxiety ; Attentional control
• 刊名：Biological Psychology
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：January 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：122
• 期：Complete
• 页码：59-68
• 全文大小：832 K
• 卷排序：122

文摘

Low attentional control (AC) and high anxiety are closely linked. Researchers often presume that high anxiety reduces AC; however, the reverse causal possibility – that low AC increases anxiety – is equally plausible. We addressed this question in people with elevated trait anxiety by evaluating the temporal precedence of the AC-anxiety association. We tested whether autonomic arousal (electrodermal activity) and subjective anxiety elicited by an anxiety induction were associated more strongly with AC measured either pre-induction (N = 40) or post-induction (N = 38). Low AC was indexed by distractibility during a visual search task requiring attentional inhibition of emotionally neutral distractors. Higher distractibility predicted higher autonomic activation but not higher increases in self-reported anxiety. Critically, this AC-anxiety association occurred for pre-induction but not post-induction AC. The results suggest that low AC may heighten subsequent anxious arousal. By implication, treatment interventions should specifically enhance AC to alleviate anxiety.