Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, United States.
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, United States.
Behav Res Ther. 2023 Feb;161:104242. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104242. Epub 2022 Dec 9.
Worry is a repetitive, negative thought process that is widely experienced as difficult to control. Despite the adverse effects of uncontrollable worry on academic and other role functioning, the mechanisms by which worry becomes uncontrollable remain poorly understood. Previous experimental work has historically emphasized valence (negative versus positive or neutral). However, contemporary cognitive neuroscience also distinguishes between internally-directed attention (e.g., to thoughts) and externally-directed attention (e.g., to perceptual stimuli). To date, no studies have experimentally examined potential dissociable contributions of valence versus attentional direction to impaired disengagement from worry. In a 2 (negative or neutral valence) x 2 (internal or external attention) between-subjects, experimental and prospective design (https://osf.io/vdyfn/), participants (N = 200) completed alternating blocks of a randomly-assigned attention manipulation and validated sustained attention task. Participants also rated trait worry and distress during the experimental session (T1) and a naturalistic stressor (the week before finals; T2). There was a main effect, such that internally-directed attention impaired sustained attention (increased commission errors). Worry (internal x negative) also impaired sustained attention (faster and less accurate responding) in planned group contrasts. Trait worry did not moderate these effects. Sustained attention at T1 did not predict distress or worry during the T2 stressor. These findings augment the literature on the attentional consequences of worry and replicate and extend previous findings of altered speed-accuracy tradeoffs following experimentally-induced worry. We also find evidence for impaired disengagement from internally-directed (versus externally-directed) attention, which may help to explain impaired disengagement from related forms of perseverative thought (e.g., rumination).
担忧是一种重复的、消极的思维过程，通常被认为难以控制。尽管无法控制的担忧对学术和其他角色功能有不利影响，但担忧变得无法控制的机制仍知之甚少。以前的实验工作历史上强调了效价（消极与积极或中性）。然而，当代认知神经科学也区分了内部导向的注意力（例如，对思想）和外部导向的注意力（例如，对感知刺激）。迄今为止，没有研究从实验上检验效价与注意力方向对无法从担忧中解脱出来的潜在可分离贡献。在一项 2（消极或中性效价）x 2（内部或外部注意力）被试间、实验和前瞻性设计（https://osf.io/vdyfn/）中，参与者（N=200）完成了随机分配的注意力操作和验证的持续注意力任务的交替块。参与者还在实验期间（T1）和自然压力源（期末考试前一周；T2）期间对特质担忧和困扰进行了评分。有一个主要效应，即内部导向的注意力会损害持续注意力（增加错误）。在计划的组对比中，担忧（内部 x 消极）也损害了持续注意力（更快且准确性更低的反应）。特质担忧并不能调节这些效应。T1 时的持续注意力不能预测 T2 压力源期间的困扰或担忧。这些发现增加了关于担忧的注意力后果的文献，并复制和扩展了以前关于实验性诱导的担忧后改变速度-准确性权衡的发现。我们还发现了从内部导向（与外部导向）注意力中解脱出来的证据受损，这可能有助于解释与相关形式的固执思维（例如，沉思）相关的解脱受损。
