Recognition memory, primacy vs. recency effects, and time perception in the online version of the fear of scream paradigm
- Anxiety disorders are characterized by cognitive dysfunctions which contribute to the patient’s profound disabilities. The threat of shock paradigm represents a validated psychopathological model of anxiety to measure the impact of anxiety on cognitive processes. We have developed an online version of the threat of scream paradigm (ToSP) to investigate the impact of experimental anxiety on recognition memory. Two animated passive walkthrough videos (either under threat of scream or safety conditions) were shown to healthy participants. Recognition memory, primacy vs. recency effects, and subjective estimations of the length of encoding sessions were assessed. Subjective anxiety, stress, and emotional arousal ratings indicated that experimental anxiety could successfully be induced (Safe-Threat) or reversed (Threat-Safe) between the two passive walkthrough sessions. Participants exposed to distress screams showed impaired retrieval of complex information that has been presented in an animated environment. In the threat condition, participants failed to recognize details related to the persons encountered, their spatial locations, as well as information about the temporal order and sequence of encounters. Participant groups, which received a threat announcement prior to the first walkthrough session (Threat-Threat vs. Safety-Safety and Threat-Safety vs. Safety-Threat) showed poorer recognition memory as compared to the groups that received a safety announcement (\(\it P\) = 0.0468 and \(\it P\) = 0.0426, respectively; Mann–Whitney U test, Cohen's \(\it d\) = 0.5071; effect size \(\it r\) = 0.2458). In conclusion, experimental anxiety induced by the online version of the ToSP leads to compromised recognition memory for complex multi-dimensional information. Our results indicate that cognitive functions of vulnerable populations (with limited mobility) can be evaluated online by means of the ToSP.
Author: | Armin ZlomuzicaORCiDGND, Fine KullmannGND, Julia HesseGND, Laurin PlankORCiDGND, Ekrem DereORCiDGND |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:hbz:294-104039 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18124-9 |
Parent Title (English): | Scientific reports |
Publisher: | Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature |
Place of publication: | London, Vereinigtes Königreich |
Document Type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of Publication (online): | 2023/10/26 |
Date of first Publication: | 2022/08/22 |
Publishing Institution: | Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsbibliothek |
Tag: | Open Access Fonds |
Volume: | 12 |
Issue: | Article 14258 |
First Page: | 14258-1 |
Last Page: | 14258-12 |
Note: | Article Processing Charge funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Open Access Publication Fund of Ruhr-Universität Bochum. |
Institutes/Facilities: | Forschungs- und Behandlungszentrum für psychische Gesundheit |
Forschungs- und Behandlungszentrum für psychische Gesundheit (FBZ), Arbeitseinheit Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie | |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | Philosophie und Psychologie / Psychologie |
open_access (DINI-Set): | open_access |
Licence (English): | Creative Commons - CC BY 4.0 - Attribution 4.0 International |