Cognition at risk: Gestalt/feature-intensive processing, attention deficit, and substance abuse

Sharps, Matthew J.; Price-Sharps, Jana; Day, Sandy Schulte; Nunes, Michael A.; Villegas, Amy Boothby; Mitchell, Sandra M.

doi:10.1007/s12144-005-1008-7

Cited by 2 publications

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“…One might suggest, of course, that the smokers are focusing on the wrong features, the potentially salutary uses of cigarette smoking, to the exclusion of the potentially catastrophic consequences to health that also derive from the habit. This may reflect differences in the ways in which heuristics are driving the FI analyses in question (Sharps et al, 2005b); if so, additional research should address the question of how to train smokers to alter the relevant heuristics in more health-conscious directions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Results of particular importance for the present work have derived from the study of G/FI processing in addictive processes (Sharps et al, 2005a;Sharps et al, 2005b), in which it was shown that feature-intensive processing of the risks involved in substance abuse tends to insulate individuals against such abuse. More gestalt processing, frequently exacerbated by tendencies toward cognitive aspects of attention deficit, tended to mask risks and to be associated with higher tendencies toward substance abuse.…”

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Cognition at risk: Gestalt/feature-intensive processing and cigarette smoking in college students

2005

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Although previous research has shown the importance of feature-intensive processing of relevant information in the staving off of addictive behaviors, the present study examined the possibility that a more global, gestalt rejection of cigarette smoking may be operating to reduce smoking behavior. The present study addressed this possibility through the use of a decision efficacy rating procedure, in which smoking and nonsmoking respondents were asked to determine whether an individual was justified in smoking in a variety of given situations. Nonsmokers tended to reject smoking under any circumstances, whereas smokers tended to entertain mitigating circumstances more favorably in justifying smoking, especially when smoking could be construed as providing some perceived positive gains in serious situations. Results are discussed in terms of the gestalt/feature-intensive processing theory of cognition, and in terms of the importance of cognitive approaches to the understanding of addictive behaviors.

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confidence: 99%

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Cognition at risk: Gestalt/feature-intensive processing and cigarette smoking in college students

2005

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Cognition and Belief in Paranormal Phenomena: Gestalt/Feature-Intensive Processing Theory and Tendencies Toward ADHD, Depression, and Dissociation

Sharps

Matthews

Asten

2006

The Journal of Psychology

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Belief in paranormal phenomena and cryptids--unknown animals such as Bigfoot--may predispose individuals to interpret real-world objects and events in the same way that eyewitness identification can be biased by unrelated information (P. James and N. Thorpe, 1999). Psychological tendencies toward attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dissociation, and depression, even at subclinical levels, may be associated systematically with particular paranormal or cryptozoological beliefs. The authors evaluated these psychological tendencies using the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales (C. K. Conners, D. Erhardt, and E. Sparrow, 1999), the Dissociative Experiences Scale (L. Coleman & J. Clark, 1999), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (A. T. Beck, 1996). They performed regression analyses against beliefs in ghosts, unidentified flying objects (UFOs), extrasensory perception (ESP), astrology, and cryptids. ADHD, dissociation, and depression were associated with enhanced tendencies toward paranormal and cryptozoological beliefs, although participants who believed in each of the phenomena differed from one another in predictable and psychologically distinguishable ways. Cognitively biasing influences of preexisting psychological tendencies may predispose individuals to specific perceptual and cognitive errors during confrontation of real-world phenomena.

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Cognition at risk: Gestalt/feature-intensive processing, attention deficit, and substance abuse

Cited by 2 publications

References 16 publications

Cognition at risk: Gestalt/feature-intensive processing and cigarette smoking in college students

Cognition at risk: Gestalt/feature-intensive processing and cigarette smoking in college students

Cognition and Belief in Paranormal Phenomena: Gestalt/Feature-Intensive Processing Theory and Tendencies Toward ADHD, Depression, and Dissociation

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