Anxiety and Cognitive Performance: The Effect of Induced Anxiety Conditions in Inhibition Function of Working Memory

Subject Areas : Psychological Models and Methods

N. Hoseini ¹ , H. Hadianfard ² , S. M. R Taghavi ³ , A. Aflakseir ⁴

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Received: 2015-06-10 Accepted : 2015-06-10 Published : 2014-09-23

Keywords: social anxiety disorder, inhibition function, processing efficacy, performance effectiveness,

Abstract :

The present study set out to investigate the effect of social anxiety on performance in central executive functions of working memory, means inhibition function, in two condition of basic and induced anxiety Also performance in this task that related to inhibition function, is investigated both of processing efficacy and performance effectiveness. For this purpose, recruited 24 patients with social anxiety disorder and 24 non patients in multi-stage sampling method and were tested by Clinical Interview, Connor Social Anxiety Scale, Self-reported mental effort scale, Stroop Color Word Test, The results were analyzed with mixed repeated measures, modified bone ferreni post hoc test, independent T- test. Under basic and induced anxiety conditions the results showed that there were No significant differences between groups in processing efficacy (p<0.26, p<0.79) and performance effectiveness (P<0.1). But In the induced anxiety condition there were significant differences between groups in both of processing efficacy (p<0.001) and performance effectiveness (p<0.001). Working memory in the social phobia patients was impaired, as compared to that of the healthy controls. Working memory deficiency observed in social phobia might be related to assumptions about social phobia’s cognitive model. This model suggests that individuals with social phobia cannot shift their attention to external stimuli in social situations.