Research suggests that intolerance of uncertainty (IU) may be a maintaining factor for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Cognitive models contend that information-processing biases play an etiological role in anxiety. One such bias can occur at the stage of information-processing when stimulus information is interpreted and evaluated, with anxious individuals being more likely to display a threatening interpretation. Interpretation bias modifications (IBMs) seek to alter automatic interpretations and have been shown to lead to reductions in symptoms for anxious populations. IBM as a potential treatment modality may also be more efficiently utilized by addressing transdiagnostic, cognitive factors. The present study investigated the utility of a novel IBM in addressing threatening interpretations of ambiguous situations. Further, the present study proposed that in reducing threatening interpretations of ambiguous situations, the IBM would affect performance during an in vivo checking task as well as symptoms related to IU when uncertainty was induced. A student sample with elevated checking symptoms (N = 64) was recruited. Following completion of a questionnaire battery assessing OC symptoms and IU, participants were randomly assigned to a single-session of positive interpretation training (reducing threat-related biases) or a control training group. Afterwards, bias for interpreting uncertain situations as threatening or safe was measured. Subsequently, participants engaged in a behavioral stove-checking task, during which anxiety and urge to check were measured as well as an uncertainty induction during which state IU and current anxiety were measured. Results indicated that participants in the positive interpretation training condition demonstrated a lower bias in interpreting these situations as threatening, relative to the control condition. The positive training condition led to lower peak anxiety during the checking task and lower current anxiety during the uncertainty induction relative to the control condition. Further, these effects were fully mediated by differences in threat-related interpretation bias. These findings provide initial support for the utility of IBM in addressing symptoms of compulsive checking and IU. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2014. / April 15, 2014. / Anxiety, Compulsive checking, Interpretation bias modification, Intolerance of uncertainty / Includes bibliographical references. / Jesse R. Cougle, Professor Directing Thesis; E. Ashby Plant, Committee Member; Norman B. Schmidt, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_253637 |
| Contributors | Sarawgi, Shivali (authoraut), Cougle, Jesse R. (professor directing thesis), Plant, E. Ashby (committee member), Schmidt, Norman B. (committee member), Department of Psychology (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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