Document Detail


Anxiety and the interpretation of ambiguity: a text comprehension study.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  8315136     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Beck's influential cognitive account of anxiety has led to the prediction that individuals vulnerable to anxiety should favor threatening interpretations of ambiguity (e.g., Beck & Clark, 1988; Beck, Emery, & Greenberg, 1986). The current study introduces a novel adaptation of the RSVP technique, previously used in text comprehension research, to evaluate this hypothesis. Results suggest that a group of 24 high trait anxious students did indeed selectively impose threatening interpretations on unconstrained ambiguous sentences. In contrast, a matched group of 24 low trait anxious students appeared to selectively impose non-threatening interpretations on such ambiguous sentences. These findings are fully consistent with the predicted anxiety-linked interpretative bias. Specific testable hypotheses are developed concerning the types of interpretative idiosyncrasies that plausibly may contribute to pathological anxiety.
Authors:
C MacLeod; I L Cohen
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of abnormal psychology     Volume:  102     ISSN:  0021-843X     ISO Abbreviation:  J Abnorm Psychol     Publication Date:  1993 May 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  1993-07-23     Completed Date:  1993-07-23     Revised Date:  2009-11-11    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0034461     Medline TA:  J Abnorm Psychol     Country:  UNITED STATES    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  238-47     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Adult
Anxiety Disorders / psychology*
Arousal
Depressive Disorder / psychology*
Female
Heart Rate
Humans
Language
Male
Questionnaires
Speech Perception

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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