Perseveration causes automatization of checking behavior in obsessive-compulsive disorder

• Published in: Behaviour research and therapy 2015-08, Vol.71, p.1-9
• Main Authors: Dek, Eliane C.P., van den Hout, Marcel A., Engelhard, Iris M., Giele, Catharina L., Cath, Danielle C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Automatism - complications; Automatism - psychology; Automatization; Behavior; Case-Control Studies; Compulsive Behavior - complications; Compulsive Behavior - psychology; Defamiliarization; Familiarity; Female; Humans; Male; Memory; Memory uncertainty; Obsessive compulsive disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - complications; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - psychology; Patients; Reaction Time; Recognition (Psychology); Repeated checking; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0005-7967; 1873-622X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2015.05.005

Repeated checking leads to reductions in meta-memory (i.e., memory confidence, vividness and detail), and automatization of checking behavior (Dek, van den Hout, Giele, & Engelhard, 2014, 2015). Dek et al. (2014) suggested that this is caused by increased familiarity with the checked stimuli. They predicted that defamiliarization of checking by modifying the perceptual characteristics of stimuli would cause de-automatization and attenuate the negative meta-memory effects of re-checking. However, their results were inconclusive. The present study investigated whether repeated checking leads to automatization of checking behavior, and if defamiliarization indeed leads to de-automatization and attenuation of meta-memory effects in patients with OCD and healthy controls. Participants performed a checking task, in which they activated, deactivated and checked threat-irrelevant stimuli. During a pre- and post-test checking trial, check duration was recorded and a reaction time task was simultaneously administered as dual-task to assess automatization. After the pre- and post-test checking trial, meta-memory was rated. Results showed that relevant checking led to automatization of checking behavior on the RT measure, and negative meta-memory effects for patients and controls. Defamiliarization led to de-automatization measured with the RT task, but did not attenuate the negative meta-memory effects of repeated checking. Clinical implications are discussed. •We administer a checking/reaction time dual task to OCD patients and healthy controls.•Repeated checking leads to automatization of checking behavior in both groups.•Meta-memory effects of perseveration do not differ between patients and controls.•Defamiliarization leads to de-automatization of checking behavior.•Defamiliarization does not attenuate negative meta-memory effects of checking.