Skip to main content
Log in

Cognitive Bias in Panic Disorder: A Process Dissociation Approach to Automaticity

  • Published:
Cognitive Therapy and Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We applied a variant of Jacoby's (1991) process dissociation procedure to parse the relative contributions of automatic and controlled processes to word-stem completion performance involving threatening, positive, and neutral material in patients with panic disorder and healthy control participants. Contrary to prediction, processing of threatening (relative to nonthreatening) information in panic disorder was not disproportionately influenced by automatic processing. We found limited evidence, however, that panic patients exhibit a baseline bias for completing stems relevant to threat relative to nonthreat stems, perhaps indicating a proneness to engage in self-generated priming of threat material.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Beck, A. T., & Clark, D. A. (1997). An information processing model of anxiety: Automatic and strategic processes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35, 49–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Debner, J. A., & Jacoby, L. L. (1994). Unconscious perception: Attention, awareness, and control. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20, 304–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • First, M. M., Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., & Williams, J. B. W. (1995). Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders—Inpatient edition (SCID-I/P, Version 2.0). New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute, Biometrics Research Department.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hertel, P. T. (1998). Relation between rumination and impaired memory in dysphoric moods. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 107, 166–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hertel, P. T., & Milan, S. (1994). Depressive deficits in recognition: Dissociation of recollection and familiarity. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103, 736–742.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacoby, L. L. (1991). A process dissociation framework: Separating automatic from intentional uses of memory. Journal of Memory and Language, 30, 513–541.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacoby, L. L. (1998). Invariance in automatic influences of memory: Toward a user's guide for the processdissociation procedure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 24, 3–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundh, L.-G., Czyzykow, S., & Öst, L.-G. (1997). Explicit and implicit memory bias in panic disorder with agoraphobia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35, 1003–1014.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNally, R. J. (1994). Panic disorder: A critical analysis. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNally, R. J. (1995). Automaticity and the anxiety disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33, 747–754.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNally, R. J. (1996). Cognitive bias in the anxiety disorders. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 43, 211–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNally, R. J. (1999). Anxiety sensitivity and information-processing biases for threat. In S. Taylor (Ed.), Anxiety sensitivity: Theory, research, and treatment of the fear of anxiety (pp. 183–197). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNally, R. J., Hornig, C. D., Hoffman, E. C., & Han, E. M. (1999). Anxiety sensitivity and cognitive biases for threat. Behavior Therapy, 30, 51–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNally, R. J., Riemann, B. C., & Kim, E. (1990). Selective processing of threat cues in panic disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 28, 407–412.

    Google Scholar 

  • Otto, M. W., McNally, R. J., Pollack, M. H., Chen, E., & Rosenbaum, J. F. (1994). Hemispheric laterality and memory bias for threat in anxiety disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103, 828–831.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potts, A. P. (1998). Memorial performance in anxiety and depression: An investigation using the process dissociation procedure. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss, S., Peterson, R. A., Gursky, D. M., & McNally, R. J. (1986). Anxiety sensitivity, anxiety frequency and the prediction of fearfulness. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 24, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson-Klavehn, A., & Bjork, R. A. (1988). Measures of memory. Annual Review of Psychology, 39, 475–543.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, N. B., Lerew, D.R., & Jackson, R. J. (1997). The role of anxiety sensitivity in the pathogenesis of panic: Prospective evaluation of spontaneous panic attacks during acute stress. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106, 355–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, N. B., Lerew, D. R., & Jackson, R. J. (in press). Prospective evaluation of anxiety sensitivity in the pathogenesis of panic: Replication and extension. Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

  • Schneider, W. (1988). Micro Experimental Laboratory: An integrated system for IBM PC compatibles. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers, 20, 206–217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., Lushene, R., Vagg, P. R., & Jacobs, G. A. (1983). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. M. G., Watts, F. N., MacLeod, C., & Mathews, A. (1997). Cognitive psychology and emotional disorders (2nd ed.). Chichester, UK: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

McNally, R.J., Otto, M.W., Hornig, C.D. et al. Cognitive Bias in Panic Disorder: A Process Dissociation Approach to Automaticity. Cognitive Therapy and Research 25, 335–347 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010740617762

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010740617762

Navigation