The Cognitive Cost of Repetitive Thinking: A Study on the Effects of Shifting and Updating on Rumination of Emotional Experiences

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the consequence of resource competition between post-emotional processing and concurrent cognitive tasks. Previous studies have shown that such a resource competition engenders both short-term (e.g., defeats in the execution of the working memory task) and long-term effects (e.g., procrastination or rumination following an emotional experience). We expected these effects to vary as a function of the different WM components involved (shifting, Study 1; updating, Study 2). In two studies, participants (Study 1: N = 48; Study 2: N = 42) were administered one out of two variants of a visuospatial task (Study 1: shifting; Study 2: updating) adopted by Curci and colleagues before and after a negative or neutral manipulation. Rumination was assessed immediately after the second WM task performance and 24 h later. In Study 1, results showed that the exposure to negative content impaired the subsequent executive performance compared with exposure to neutral material, while no difference was found in Study 2. Rumination for emotional material was higher and more persistent over time as a function of shifting resources but not for updating ones. These findings provide information on the possible role of individuals’ cognitive resources on rumination for emotional experiences.

The Reflective Mind of the Anxious in Action: Metacognitive Beliefs and Maladaptive Emotional Regulation Strategies Constrain Working Memory Efficacity

“…The reflective level partly involved conscious thoughts and strategies that individuals might have had during the task. Many studies pointed in this direction without necessarily making the connection with the ACT [66][67][68]. Our study aimed (1) to extend the findings of Cécillon et al [32] to an older, non-clinical population and (2) to observe the influence of the reflective level on the algorithmic level in the ACT.…”

Network structure of transdiagnostic dimensions of emotional disorders in adolescents with subthreshold anxiety and depression: Links with psychopathology and socio- emotional adjustment

“…It is well known in the literature that adverse experiences in childhood and adolescence mean a greater risk of experiencing generalized anxiety and/or symptoms of depression during or after subsequent stressful life events (Ródenas-Perea et al Snyder et al, 2019). This is known as rumination and arises as an attempt to understand and resolve the situation, although rumination has been shown to be negatively related to problem solving and is maladaptive for coping with stressful life events (Battista et al, 2023;Michael et al, 2007;Papageorgiou & Wells, 2003;Snyder et al, 2019). Another response to traumatic experiences is the appearance of intrusive thoughts.…”

The Reflective Mind of the Anxious in Action: Metacognitive Beliefs and Maladaptive Emotional Regulation Strategies Constrain Working Memory Efficiency

“…The reflective level partly involved conscious thoughts and strategies that individuals might have had during the task. Many studies pointed in this direction without necessarily making the connection with the ACT [ 66 , 67 , 68 ]. Our study aimed (1) to extend the findings of Cécillon et al [ 32 ] to an older, non-clinical population and (2) to observe the influence of the reflective level on the algorithmic level in the ACT.…”