Response inhibition and attentional control in anxiety

Abstract

Traditionally, anxiety has been associated with a selective attentional bias for threat and a decreased capacity in attentional control. In two different experiments, we investigated whether individuals with different levels of self-reported state anxiety (Experiment 1) and induced anxiety (Experiment 2) had impaired response inhibition processes (attentional control deficit) as characterized by a different response style in the presence of negative stimuli under low and high perceptual load conditions. A go/no-go paradigm with emotional distractors (angry, happy, and neutral faces) was used to provide measures of perceptual sensitivity, inhibition, and response style. Our findings showed that perceptual sensitivity, as assessed by the d' parameter of signal detection theory, was reduced in all participants for angry faces under low perceptual load, where enough perceptual resources were available to be attracted by distractors. Importantly, despite similar perceptual sensitivity, the beta parameter indicated that high state anxiety individuals in both experiments were less flexible at adjusting to task demands in the presence of angry face distractors by adopting a stricter criterion. Implications of findings are discussed within current models of attentional control in anxiety.

The impact of induced anxiety on response inhibition

“…For instance cues which have been paired with shocks as well as aversive faces [more analogous to “fear” than “anxiety” (Grillon, 2008)] serve to impair inhibitory control (Padmala et al, 2011; Sagaspe et al, 2011; Pessoa et al, 2012). Indeed, anxiety can impair inhibitory control in the context of affective targets in Stroop like paradigms (Pacheco-Unguetti et al, 2011). The key difference between these studies and the present study is that in the present task the stimuli are affectively neutral.…”

“…At the same time, in certain contexts—such as walking alone in the dark—anxiety can promote an adaptive state of improved vigilance and defense mobilization (Grillon and Charney, 2011). Whereas the effects of attentional capture by acute threat cues on cognitive performance is well-documented (e.g., threatening words alter performance on emotional Stroop tasks) (Algom, 2004; Pacheco-Unguetti et al, 2011; Padmala et al, 2011; Sagaspe et al, 2011; Pessoa et al, 2012), relatively little is known about the precise quantitative effects of more sustained anxiety states on cognitive and behavioral performance.…”

Emotional contrast and psychological function impact response inhibition to threatening faces

“…Young adults with higher trait anxiety demonstrate difficulty disengaging from both angry and fearful faces (Leleu, Douilliez, & Rusinek, 2014). Furthermore, state, trait, and induced anxiety in nonclinical samples appears to modulate effects of approach-avoidance motivation for angry faces; elevated anxiety predicts poor inhibitory control for angry compared to happy or neutral faces, and delayed disengagement from angry faces (Fox, Russo, & Dutton, 2002; Pacheco-Unguetti, Acosta, Lupiáñez, Román, & Derakshan, 2012). Individuals reporting high trait anxiety, but without psychiatric diagnoses, also demonstrate impaired inhibition to fearful face distractors, particularly under conditions of higher cognitive load (Ladouceur et al, 2009).…”

Temperament and character traits in female adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury disorder with and without comorbid borderline personality disorder

“…First, outliers ( z -values > 3) were excluded, then the sensitivity index d’ ( z (Reaction rate to Go) – z (Reaction rate to NoGo) was calculated, as a measure of discrimination, with lower values representing an inability to distinguish between stimuli and lower performance levels [52]. To examine group differences, the non-emotional Go/NoGo task was evaluated with a one-way ANOVA, and the emotional Go/NoGo tasks were analyzed separately for emotional Go (neutral NoGo) and for neutral Go (emotional NoGo) with MANOVAs.…”