Abstract

The present study attempted to reevaluate previous schema models and examine the role of malfunctioning cognitive processing in generalized anxiety and the use of cognitive approach in treatment. Sixty four college students with high or low generalized anxiety participated in visual attention-distribution task, free recall and recognition task. Variables of interest were selective information processing patterns depending on the threatening or nonthreatening characteristics of stimulus words and self-other reference conditions. The results were as follows : In attention stage, high anxiety group responded to the neutral probes more rapidly following threatening words compared to nonthreatening words. Low anxiety group did not show any difference in reaction time to threatening and nonthreatening words. But in memory stage, there was no difference with both groups showing recall bias in favor of self-referenced and nonthreatening words. The two groups did not differ in the effect of reference conditions in both attention and memory. These results suggest that anxious subjects respond sensitively to threat cues in the initial stage of information processing but subsequently inhibit further processing. Such cognitive avoidance strategy is likely to exacerbate anxiety symptoms. In view of the present results, it was suggested that previous schema models of anxiety that assume similar biases operate at all stages of processing should be modified and more attention need to be paid to cognitive approaches for generalized anxiety.