Reduced representations capacity in visual working memory in trait anxiety

Qi, Senqing; Chen, Jie; Hitchman, Glenn; Zeng, Qinghong; Ding, Cody; Li, Hong; Hu, Weiping

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.08.010

Cited by 38 publications

(52 citation statements)

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“…Impaired WMC using the CDT in anxiety has also been documented elsewhere (Qi, Chen, Hitchman, Zeng, Ding, Li, & Hu, 2014). In this study, Qi et al (2014) observed reduced WMC at the neurophysiological level for high anxious participants suggesting disrupted processing efficiency by anxiety.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

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The effects of active worrying on working memory capacity

Sari

Koster

Derakshan

2016

Cognition and Emotion

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According to the Attentional Control Theory of Anxiety (Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos & Calvo, 2007), worry, a crucial component of anxiety, impairs task performance outcome(s) through its direct effect on working memory capacity (WMC), by using up the limited resources available for performance thus reducing attentional control. We tested this hypothesis in the current study by examining the causal influence of active worrying on WMC in a sample of undergraduate university students assigned either to a worry condition (n = 32) in which state worry was induced or to a non-worry control condition (n = 32). Participants performed a change detection task before and after the worry/control manipulation. Mediation analyses showed that the level of self-reported worry mediated the effects of condition on change in WMC as demonstrated by the significant indirect effect of worry and the resulting non-significant direct effect of condition on change in WMC. Similar results were obtained when using state anxiety measures as mediating factors. Results of the current study are amongst the first to demonstrate that worry impairs WMC and as such have important implications for understanding the impact of worry in educational as well as clinical outcomes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…In this study, Qi et al (2014) observed reduced WMC at the neurophysiological level for high anxious participants suggesting disrupted processing efficiency by anxiety. This result was more evident when the task was more difficult and higher WMC was required.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

The effects of active worrying on working memory capacity

Sari

Koster

Derakshan

2016

Cognition and Emotion

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“…Recent findings (e.g., Qi, Chen, Hitchman, Zeng, Ding, Li, & Hu, 2014) have confirmed the long standing assumption (see Derakshan & Eysenck, 1998) that anxiety is associated with reduced working memory capacity.…”

Section: Attentional Control Theorymentioning

confidence: 61%

Training working memory to improve attentional control in anxiety: A proof-of-principle study using behavioral and electrophysiological measures

Sari

Koster

Pourtois

et al. 2016

Biological Psychology

168

140

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Trait anxiety is associated with impairments in attentional control and processing efficiency (see Berggren & Derakshan, 2013, for a review). Working memory training using the adaptive dual n-back task has shown to improve attentional control in subclinical depression with transfer effects at the behavioral and neural level on a working memory task (Owens, Koster, & Derakshan, 2013). Here, we examined the beneficial effects of working memory training on attentional control in pre-selected high trait anxious individuals who underwent a three week daily training intervention using the adaptive dual n-back task. Pre and post outcome measures of attentional control were assessed using a Flanker task that included a stress induction and an emotional a Antisaccade task (with angry and neutral faces as target). Resting state EEG (theta/beta ratio) was recorded to as a neural marker of trait attentional control. Our results showed that adaptive working memory training improved attentional control with transfer effects on the Flanker task and resting state EEG, but effects of training on the Antisaccade task were less conclusive. Finally, training related gains were associated with lower levels of trait anxiety at post (vs pre) intervention. Our results demonstrate that adaptive working memory training in anxiety can have beneficial effects on attentional control and cognitive performance that may protect against emotional vulnerability in individuals at risk of developing clinical anxiety.

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“…Although they were also differed on anxious level, however, the anxious level of dysphoric group (6.61±6.13) was much lower than anxiety disordered patients. Moreover, anxiety disorder was believed correlated more with attention (Allsop and Gray, 2014), and the effect of anxiety on working memory was mainly focused on trait anxiety (Qi et al, 2014). Thus, we argued here that the group difference in 2-back task in the present study should be caused by depression emotion instead of anxiety.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%