Anxiety and the Span of Apprehension

Harris, Anne E.; Hanish, Christine

doi:10.1097/00005053-198703000-00002

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…But these studies used test anxiety conditions, thus possibly introducing the bias of a high worrying component. Also in seeming contrast to our findings, Harris and Hanish (1987) found a reduced 'span of apprehension' on a visual attention task in high trait anxiety subjects. However, span of apprehension was measured by the ability of subjects to detect a target letter amidst distractor letters.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 99%

Two-dimensional anxiety: A confirmation using a computerized neuropsychological testing of attentional performance

et al. 1996

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The aim of this study was to assess the effects of anxiety on attentional performance with neutral stimuli. It was set up as follows: a fourfold comparison was made of trait anxiety and state anxiety. Sixty-two undergraduate students were included in the study, and four groups of subjects were set up by a median split of the scores obtained on the Spielberger Trait and State Anxiety Inventory (STAI): high trait-high state (N = 18); high trait-low state (N = 11); low trait-low state (N = 23); low trait-high state (N = 10). A computerized battery of neuropsychological tests, the ACE battery, was administered to provide a multidimensional assessment of attention. The ACE battery comprises five tests which assess the following aspects of attention: ability to monitor a routine task; temporal preparation; visual detection; memory span; visual spatial attention and memory. High state anxious subjects displayed impairment in executive functions, manifested by a significantly higher level of motor preparation in a simple reaction time (RT) task and a speed accuracy trade-off in a divided attention task; high trait anxious subjects performed significantly better on the visual detection task. No trait x state interaction was found. It was concluded that high state anxiety is associated with psychomotor alertness and high trait anxiety with perceptual alertness. These two dimensions of psychometric anxiety seem to have effects on attention that are independent of one another and which should be analysed separately in the future.

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 99%

Two-dimensional anxiety: A confirmation using a computerized neuropsychological testing of attentional performance

et al. 1996

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“…But the strong effects of stimulus complexity, reaction time acceleration by repetition as well as group differences between the panic and the depression group (see below) contradict this opinion. In accordance with our results, the study of Harris & Hanish (1987) examining a non-clinical group of participants with high and low scores of anxiety also failed to find effects of physical activation on the results of the span of apprehension task. Moreover, arousal not only seems not to influence general attentional capacity, but does not influence the interference effect for threatening words in panic disorder patients (McNally, Riemann, Louro, Lukach & Kim, 1992).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Responses to activation and rest in patients with panic disorder and major depression

Rief

Hermanutz²

1996

British J Clinic Psychol

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Physical activity may be a trigger for panic attacks in patients with panic disorder, while exercise may have an antidepressant effect in patients with major depression. In order to examine reactions to rest as well as to exercise periods, we assessed physiological responses (heart rate, blood pressure), subjective responses on a visual analogue scale, and attentional responses with the span of apprehension test. Twenty participants met the diagnostic criteria for panic disorder, 20 patients had major depression, and 20 participants served as controls. Patients with major depression showed slower reaction times than participants in the other groups; this difference was more pronounced with increased task difficulty. Physical activation led to lower depression scores in all groups. Patients with panic disorder had elevated anxiety scores after physical activation, but also after rest. Heart rate as well as systolic blood pressure showed the expected acceleration after physical activation, but there were no differences between the groups. Activation did not seem to influence attentional performance as measured by the span of apprehension test. Results are consistent with a cognitive view of panic disorder. In contrast to patients with panic disorder, patients with major depression seem to have an attentional deficit which is more pronounced with more complex cognitive processing.

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Visuo-spatial attention processes in panic disorder with agoraphobia: a pilot study using a visual target discrimination task

Dupont¹,

Mollard²,

Cottraux³

2000

European Psychiatry

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Panic attacks can be observed in a wide range of situations, but most common are those providing complex and unstructured stimulations, suggesting an impairment in attentional processing of visuo-spatial information. This study evaluated agoraphobics' attentional processing of neutral (i.e., not anxiety-provoking) visuo-spatial stimulation. Twelve patients suffering from panic attacks with agoraphobia were compared with 22 normal controls on a computerized visual target discrimination task specifically designed for this study. Psychometric measures assessed the phobic avoidance, the level of depression and anxiety. The numbers of errors and reaction times were analysed with a three-way ANOVA (Group x target modality x number of stimulations). No between-group significant difference was found for the reaction time performance and the mean number of detection errors. However, an interaction effect was observed for this last variable depending on the target modality: agoraphobic patients made fewer omission errors than control subjects when the target was present among distractors, while they made more commission errors when the target was absent. Outcomes are discussed in terms of attentional hyperactivation related to anxiety and perseverative decision process in agoraphobic patients.

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Anxiety and the Span of Apprehension

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Two-dimensional anxiety: A confirmation using a computerized neuropsychological testing of attentional performance

Two-dimensional anxiety: A confirmation using a computerized neuropsychological testing of attentional performance

Responses to activation and rest in patients with panic disorder and major depression

Visuo-spatial attention processes in panic disorder with agoraphobia: a pilot study using a visual target discrimination task

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