Worry changes decision making : the effect of negative thoughts on cognitive processing

The present studies demonstrate that daily worry level is predictive of cognitive processing differences and that these differences are an effect of negative thoughts. In Study 1, worriers (those who reported 50% or greater daily worry) and non-worriers performed a categorization task. The groups di...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical psychology 1990, Vol.46 (1), p.78-88
Main Authors: METZGER, R. L, MILLER, M. L, COHEN, M, SOFKA, M, BORKOVEC, T. D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Anxiety - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Concept Formation
Female
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Social research
Thinking
Worry
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Summary:The present studies demonstrate that daily worry level is predictive of cognitive processing differences and that these differences are an effect of negative thoughts. In Study 1, worriers (those who reported 50% or greater daily worry) and non-worriers performed a categorization task. The groups did not differ when the stimulus was a clear member or non-member of the category. Worriers showed a significant disruption in processing as the ambiguity of the category membership increased. Study 2 demonstrated that the disruption arose as a result of increased levels of negative thoughts. Worriers and non-worriers were assigned to two conditions, either O-worry ("Relax and let your mind wander for 15 minutes") or 15-worry ("Worry as you typically would for 15 minutes"). Non-worriers evidenced the same disruptive effects in the 15-worry condition as worriers in that condition and worriers in Study 1. Similarly, worriers in the O-worry condition showed a reduction in disruptive effects. The findings are taken as indicating that worry is accompanied by changes in cognitive processing and that these changes are similar for worriers and non-worriers.
ISSN:0021-9762
1097-4679
DOI:10.1002/1097-4679(199001)46:1<78::AID-JCLP2270460113>3.0.CO;2-R