Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
PLoS One. 2023 Apr 7;18(4):e0282259. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282259. eCollection 2023.
Cognitive models of social anxiety highlight the importance of different cognitive biases (e.g., attention bias, interpretation bias) and executive dysfunctions, which have, however, mostly been investigated in isolation. The present study explored their interplay using two statistical approaches: (1) network analysis to identify the unique associations between cognitive functions, and (2) cluster analysis to reveal how these associations (or combinations) are manifested in a population. Participants from the general population (N = 147) completed measures of attention control, attention bias, interpretation bias, and social anxiety symptoms. Network analysis showed an association between social anxiety symptoms and interpretation bias, although no other significant associations emerged. Cluster analysis identified a group of participants characterized by an adaptive cognitive pattern (i.e., low cognitive biases, good executive function); and a group exhibiting a more maladaptive pattern (i.e., high interpretation bias, good alerting but poor executive function). The maladaptive group showed higher levels of social anxiety than the adaptive group. Results highlight the strong association between social anxiety symptoms and interpretation bias, while challenging the putative role of attention bias. Attention control, particularly executive function, may limit the impact of cognitive bias on anxiety symptoms.
社交焦虑的认知模型强调了不同认知偏差（例如，注意偏差、解释偏差）和执行功能障碍的重要性，但这些大多是孤立研究的。本研究使用两种统计方法探讨了它们的相互作用：（1）网络分析，以确定认知功能之间的独特关联，（2）聚类分析，以揭示这些关联（或组合）在人群中的表现方式。来自普通人群的参与者（N=147）完成了注意力控制、注意偏差、解释偏差和社交焦虑症状的测量。网络分析显示，社交焦虑症状与解释偏差之间存在关联，但没有出现其他显著关联。聚类分析确定了一组表现出适应性认知模式的参与者（即，低认知偏差，良好的执行功能）；以及一组表现出更适应不良模式的参与者（即，高解释偏差，良好的警觉但执行功能差）。适应不良组的社交焦虑水平高于适应组。结果强调了社交焦虑症状与解释偏差之间的强烈关联，同时对注意偏差的假定作用提出了挑战。注意力控制，特别是执行功能，可能会限制认知偏差对焦虑症状的影响。
