Memory and memory confidence in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Tolin, David F.; Abramowitz, Jonathan S.; Brigidi, Bartholomew D.; Amir, Nader; Street, Gordon P.; Foa, Edna B.

doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(00)00064-4

Cited by 196 publications

(157 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…McNally and Kohlbeck [1993] asserted that deficits in memory confidence rather than deficits in memory per se may reflect the obsessional doubt and checking behavior of OCD patients. A recent study suggested that when OCD patients are repeatedly exposed to any threat-related stimuli (such as repeated checking), there occurs a paradoxical decrease in their confidence levels in remembering these stimuli [Tolin et al, 2001]. According to our findings, this pathological doubt of OCD checkers may be associated with deficits in nonverbal memory rather than verbal memory.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Nonverbal memory dysfunction in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients with checking compulsions

Ryeol¹,

Koo²,

Kim³

et al. 2008

Depress. Anxiety

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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a clinically heterogeneous disorder; nonetheless, most of the previous neuropsychological studies for assessing the involvement of memory dysfunction grouped together patients with different symptoms, thereby potentially accounting for the inconsistencies of results. The goals of this study were to compare the memory dysfunction of two main subtypes of OCD and to identify the type of memory dysfunction that is associated with the checking symptoms in OCD patients. The sample population comprised the cleaning-type OCD group (N=23), checking-type OCD group (N=24), and a control group of healthy volunteers (N=20). All the OCD patients were selected from the outpatient clinic. All the subjects underwent the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure Test (RCFT) for the assessment of nonverbal memory function, the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) for verbal memory function, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The immediate and delayed memory scores of RCFT were significantly lower in the checking-type OCD group; there were no significant differences in HVLT scores amongst the three groups. Our results indicate that the checking-type compulsion of OCD patients is associated with nonverbal memory deficits and not with verbal memory deficits.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Nonverbal memory dysfunction in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients with checking compulsions

Ryeol¹,

Koo²,

Kim³

et al. 2008

Depress. Anxiety

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In fact, several studies have actually demonstrated that under personally relevant or anxiety provoking circumstances, individuals with symptoms of OCD actually have a more accurate memory, particularly for threat relevant information (Constans, Foa, Franklin, & Mathews, 1995;Wilhelm, McNally, Baer, & Florin, 1996;Radomsky & Rachman, 1999;Radomsky et al, 2001;Tolin et al, 2001;Ceschi et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the literature related to actual memory is relatively inconsistent, one increasingly common finding is that individuals who compulsively check tend to report less confidence in their memory for checking than individuals who do not compulsively check (McNally & Kohlbeck, 1993;Foa et al, 1997;MacDonald, Antony, MacLeod, & Richter, 1997;Tolin et al, 2001;Zitterl et al, 2001), although a few studies have not found significant differences between checkers and non-checkers (e.g., Tallis et al, 1999). Recent research suggests that the declines in memory confidence following repeated checking, at least in non-clinical samples, are larger than the changes in memory accuracy that have been observed (Van den Hout & Kindt, 2004;Coles, Radomsky, & Horng, 2006;Radomsky, Gilchrist, & Dussault, 2006) and that decreases in memory confidence appear to be most salient under conditions of high responsibility (Radomsky et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attentional Focus During Repeated Checking Influences Memory but not Metamemory

Ashbaugh

Radomsky

2007

Cogn Ther Res

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Compulsive checking may be associated with reduced memory confidence, which results from changes in encoding during the act of repeated checking. It was hypothesized that instructions to focus attention on one's surroundings as well as one's actions during a repeated checking task may attenuate decreases in memory confidence. Prior to a repeated checking task, 64 participants were instructed to focus not only on their actions but also on their surroundings (Peripheral condition), and 66 participants were instructed to focus only on their actions (Central condition). Contrary to expectations, compared with those in the central condition, participants in the peripheral condition did not report greater memory confidence, but did have a significantly more accurate memory. Furthermore, this effect was largest for participants scoring high on a measure of compulsive checking. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive models of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and compulsive checking.

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“…That is, while memory uncertainty may motivate checking, checking may not reduce, but paradoxically increase memory uncertainty (Rachman, 2002;Tolin et al, 2001;Salkovskis & Forrester, 2002;van den Hout & Kindt, 2001;2003a;2003b). This would explain why clinical memory uncertainty in OCD is confined to issues that are related to checking: the latter would undermine memory confidence for checked events but leave confidence in other recollections intact.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Obsessive–compulsive disorder and the paradoxical effects of perseverative behaviour on experienced uncertainty

Hout

Kindt

2004

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

120

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Patients suffering from Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) tend to check repeatedly and after checking episodes they tend to be uncertain about their memory for checked events. It seems plausible that memory distrust motivates checking, but why checking is repeated and why one check is not enough to reassure the patient is uncertain.To study this, an interactive computer animation displaying light bulbs or gas rings was developed and healthy participants were asked to engage in repeated checking. In five separate experiments we found that repeatedly checking the same class of items resulted in sharp decreases in detail and vividness of memory of the checked events while the accuracy of the memory remained intact. The phenomenological quality of the experienced memory distrust was highly similar to the ambivalence OCD patients tend to report about their memory after checking. Furthermore, there were some indications that repeated checking not only undermines trust in memory, but may also reduce the sense that one acted responsibly.The experimental preparation may be used as a model for OCD checking. The study suggests that repeated checking is sufficient to cause paradoxical effects on memory trust and that repeated checking is a counterproductive safety strategy. r

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Memory and memory confidence in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Cited by 196 publications

References 24 publications

Nonverbal memory dysfunction in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients with checking compulsions

Nonverbal memory dysfunction in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients with checking compulsions

Attentional Focus During Repeated Checking Influences Memory but not Metamemory

Obsessive–compulsive disorder and the paradoxical effects of perseverative behaviour on experienced uncertainty

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