Abstract
Researchers have used cognitive psychology paradigms to evaluate emotional sequela of cardiovascular disease, although there have been no prior studies assessing implicit memory bias in a population of patients with cardiac problems. The purpose of the present investigation was to assess whether cardiac events precipitate disease-specific information processing changes in implicit memory. Results provided very limited support for a cardiac-specific memory bias, using a measure of conceptual implicit memory. A trend for patients with cardiac problems to rate white noise surrounding cardiac words as less loud, indication of an implicit memory bias, was present only at one white noise level evaluated, t(15) = −1.91, p = .08. Despite limited evidence for a cardiac-specific threat schema, further investigation appears warranted. Information processing paradigms adapted from cognitive psychology offer an alternative to experimental approaches entirely dependent on participant self-report.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Amir, N., McNally, R. J., Riemann, B. C., and Clements, C. (1996). Implicit memory bias for threat in panic disorder: Application of the 'white noise' paradigm. Behav. Res. Ther. 34(2): 157-162.
Amir, N., McNally, R. J., and Wiegartz, P. S. (1996). Implicit memory bias for threat in posttraumatic stress disorder. Cogn. Ther. Res. 20(6): 625-635.
Beck, A. T., and Emery, G. (1979). Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: An Information Processing Perspective, Basic Books, New York.
Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., and Erbaugh, J. (1961).An inventory for measuring depression. Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 4: 561-571.
Carroll, J. B., Davies, P., and Richman, B. (1971). Word Frequency Book. American Heritage, New York.
Channon, S., Hemsley, D., and de Silva, P. (1988). Selective processing of food words in anorexia nervosa. Br. J. Clin. Psychol. 27: 259-260.
Cloitre, M., Shear, M. K., Cancienne, J., and Zeitlin, S. B. (1994). Implicit and explicit memory for catastrophic associations to bodily sensation words in panic disorder. Cogn. Ther. Res. 18(3): 225-240.
Cooper, M. J., and Fairburn, C. G. (1993). Demographic and clinical correlates of selective information processing in patients with bulimia nervosa. Int. J. Eat. Disord. 13(1): 109-116.
Cooper, M. J., and Fairburn, C. G. (1994). Changes in selective information processing with three psychological treatments for bulimia nervosa. Br. J. Clin. Psychol. 33: 357-365.
Edwards, L. C., and Pearce, S. A. (1994). Word completion in chronic pain: Evidence for schematic representation of pain? J. Abnorm. Psychol. 103(2): 379-382.
Flynn, S. V., and McNally, R. J. (1999). Do disorder-relevant cognitive biases endure in recovered bulimics? Behav. Ther. 30: 541-553.
Foa, E. B., Amir, N., Gershuny, B., Molnar, C., and Kozak, M. J. (1997). Implicit and explicit memory in obsessivecompulsive disorder. J. Anx. Disord. 11(2): 119-129.
Foa, E. B., and Kozak, M. J. (1986). Emotional processing of fear: Exposure to corrective information. Psychol. Bull. 99(1): 20-35.
Frasure-Smith, N., Lesperance, F., and Talajic, M. (1995). The impact of negative emotions on prognosis following myocardial infarction: Is it more than depression? Health Psychol. 14(5): 388-398.
Green, M. W., and Rogers, P. J. (1993). Selective attention to food and body shape words in dieters and restrained nondieters. Int. J. Eat. Disord. 14(4): 515-517.
Gross, T. M., Jarvik, M. E., and Rosenblatt, M. R. (1993). Nicotine abstinence produces content-specific Stroop interference. Psychopharmacology 110: 333-336.
Jacoby, L. L., Allan, L. G., Collins, J. C., and Larwill, L. K. (1988). Memory influences subjective experience: Noise judgments. J. Exp. Psychol. Learn. Mem. Cogn. 14: 240-247.
Katon, W., and Sullivan, M. D. (1990). Depression and chronic medical illness. J. Clin. Psychiat. 51(6): 3-11.
Leventhal, H., Meyer, D., and Nerenz, D. (1980). The common sense representation of illness danger. In Rachman, S. (ed.), Medical Psychology, Vol. 2, Pergamon, Elmsford, NY, pp. 7-30.
Leventhal, H., and Nerenz, D. (1982). Representations on threat and the control of stress. In Meichenbaum, D., and Jaremko, M. (eds.), Stress Management and Prevention: A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 5-38.
Logan, A. C., and Goetsch, V. L. (1993). Attention to external threat cues in anxiety states. Clin. Psychol. Rev. 13: 541-559.
MacLeod, C., and McLaughlin, K. (1995). Implicit and explicit memory bias in anxiety: A conceptual replication. Behav. Res. Ther. 33(1): 1-14.
Mandler, G. (1980). Recognizing: The judgment of previous occurrence. Psychol. Rev. 87: 252-271.
Mathews, A., Mogg, K., Kentish, J., and Eysenck, M. (1995). Effect of psychological treatment on cognitive bias in generalized anxiety disorder. Behav. Res. Ther. 33: 293-303.
Mathews, A., Mogg, K., May, J., and Eysenck, M. (1989). Implicit and explicit memory bias in anxiety. J. Abnorm. Psychol. 98(3): 236-240.
Meyer, D., Leventhal, H., and Gutmann, M. (1985). Commonsense models of illness: The example of hypertension. Health Psychol. 4(2): 115-135.
Mineka, S., and Sutton, S. (1992). Cognitive biases and the emotional disorders. Psychol. Sci. 3(1): 65-69.
McNally, R. (1995). Automaticity and the anxiety disorders. Behav. Res. Ther. 33(7): 747-754.
McNally, R. (1996). Anxiety sensitivity is distinguishable from trait anxiety. In Rapee, R. M. (ed.), Current Controversies in the Anxiety Disorders, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 214-227.
Petrie, K. J., and Weinman, J. A. (eds.). (1997). Perceptions of Health and Illness: Current Research and Applications, Harwood Academic Publishers, The Netherlands.
Rapee, R. M. (1994). Failure to replicate a memory bias in panic disorder. J. Anx. Disord. 8(4): 291-300.
Reiss, S., Peterson, R. A., Gursky, D. M., and McNally, R. J. (1986). Anxiety sensitivity, anxiety frequency and the prediction of fearfulness. Behav. Res. Ther. 24: 1-8.
Schacter, D. L. (1987). Implicit memory: History and current status. J. Exp. Psychol. Learn. Mem. Cogn. 13(3): 501-518.
Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., Luchene, R., Vagg, P. R., and Jacobs, G. A. (1983). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Consulting Psychologist Press, Palo Alto, CA.
Williams, J. M. G., Watts, F. N., MacLeod, C., and Mathews, A. (1997). Cognitive Psychology and Emotional Disorders, 2nd Ed. Wiley, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Heffelfinger, S.K., Calamari, J.E. & Zander, J.R. Do Patients With Cardiac Problems Develop Disease-Specific Threat Schemas?: Evaluation of Conceptual Implicit Memory. International Journal of Rehabilitation and Health 5, 1–15 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012901501651
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012901501651