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The Roles of Concept Learning and Discrimination in Interpretation Biases and Fear Generalization: Transdiagnostic and Neuropsychological Perspectives for Anxiety Disorders

Howell, Ashley N.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1465830078

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences).
Negative interpretations of ambiguously threatening stimuli and over-generalized fear responding to benign situations are important cognitive mechanisms in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety-related disorders (e.g., Hirsch & Mathews, 2000; Lissek et al., 2008). These cognitive abnormalities may derive from over-active associative cognitive processes and under-active executive processes. Overarching assumptions of transdiagnostic cognitive phenomena have been proposed within the field of anxiety pathology. However, these assumptions have been largely based on disorder-specific studies, using disorder-specific stimuli. The current study: (a) implemented a novel transdiagnostic task to measure threat interpretation and fear response; and (b) tested the relations between over-generalized fear responding and trait anxiety severity. In addition, relations between executive functioning performance and threat interpretation styles were explored. Participants were 64 undergraduates (72% female, 80% Caucasian). Results indicated that high trait anxious individuals exhibited fear over-generalization, evidenced by higher perceived threat of benign stimuli and greater difficulty in stimulus discrimination over time, compared to low anxious individuals. High trait anxious individuals also responded faster to stimuli—suggesting less involvement of executive processing in potential threat response. However, counter to hypothesis, high and low anxious participants demonstrated similar skin conductance response throughout the task. Preliminary exploratory analyses indicated that trait anxiety was not significantly related to executive functioning performance. Cognitive flexibility was related to higher accuracy in threat perception, but lower accuracy for ambiguous stimuli. Also, response inhibition and concept detection/description were related to faster responses to the stimuli. The current results provide additional support for transdiagnostic abnormalities in fear learning and stimulus discrimination among highly anxious individuals who face potential threat. Results also suggest need for additional research on the role of executive functioning in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety symptoms.
Julie Suhr, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Clinical Psychology
transdiagnostic; fear generalization; interpretation bias; anxiety; executive functioning; skin conductance; response time; conditioning

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Howell, A. N. (2017). The Roles of Concept Learning and Discrimination in Interpretation Biases and Fear Generalization: Transdiagnostic and Neuropsychological Perspectives for Anxiety Disorders [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1465830078

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Howell, Ashley. The Roles of Concept Learning and Discrimination in Interpretation Biases and Fear Generalization: Transdiagnostic and Neuropsychological Perspectives for Anxiety Disorders. 2017. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1465830078.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Howell, Ashley. "The Roles of Concept Learning and Discrimination in Interpretation Biases and Fear Generalization: Transdiagnostic and Neuropsychological Perspectives for Anxiety Disorders." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1465830078

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.