Imperative Dichotomous Thinking as a Cognitive Mechanism of Panic Disorder

Abstract The argument against innatism at the heart of Cognitive Gadgets is provocative but premature, and is vitiated by dichotomous thinking, interpretive double standards, and evidence cherry-picking. I illustrate my criticism by addressing the heritability of imitation and mindreading, the relevance of twin studies, and the meaning of cross-cultural differences in theory of mind development. Reaching an integrative understanding of genetic inheritance, plasticity, and learning is a formidable task that demands a more nuanced evolutionary approach.

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Cognitive Load Mediates the Effect of Emotion on Analytical Thinking

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169/a000333 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 63 (6) ◽

pp. 343-350 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Bastien Trémolière ◽

Marie-Ève Gagnon ◽

Isabelle Blanchette

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Load ◽

Secondary Task ◽

Deleterious Effect ◽

Detrimental Effect ◽

Emotional Problems ◽

Syllogistic Reasoning ◽

Cognitive Resources ◽

Potential Explanation ◽

Cognitive Mechanism ◽

Analytical Thinking

Abstract. Although the detrimental effect of emotion on reasoning has been evidenced many times, the cognitive mechanism underlying this effect remains unclear. In the present paper, we explore the cognitive load hypothesis as a potential explanation. In an experiment, participants solved syllogistic reasoning problems with either neutral or emotional contents. Participants were also presented with a secondary task, for which the difficult version requires the mobilization of cognitive resources to be correctly solved. Participants performed overall worse and took longer on emotional problems than on neutral problems. Performance on the secondary task, in the difficult version, was poorer when participants were reasoning about emotional, compared to neutral contents, consistent with the idea that processing emotion requires more cognitive resources. Taken together, the findings afford evidence that the deleterious effect of emotion on reasoning is mediated by cognitive load.

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Identifying Patterns in Complex Field Data

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000310 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 225 (3) ◽

pp. 268-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andrew J. White ◽

Dieter Kleinböhl ◽

Thomas Lang ◽

Alfons O. Hamm ◽

Alexander L. Gerlach ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Panic Disorder ◽

Latent Class ◽

Treatment Protocol ◽

Situational Factors ◽

Self Report ◽

Complex Field ◽

Cluster Assignment ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Conventional Analysis

Abstract. Ambulatory assessment methods are well suited to examine how patients with panic disorder and agoraphobia (PD/A) undertake situational exposure. But under complex field conditions of a complex treatment protocol, the variability of data can be so high that conventional analytic approaches based on group averages inadequately describe individual variability. To understand how fear responses change throughout exposure, we aimed to demonstrate the incremental value of sorting HR responses (an index of fear) prior to applying averaging procedures. As part of their panic treatment, 85 patients with PD/A completed a total of 233 bus exposure exercises. Heart rate (HR), global positioning system (GPS) location, and self-report data were collected. Patients were randomized to one of two active treatment conditions (standard exposure or fear-augmented exposure) and completed multiple exposures in four consecutive exposure sessions. We used latent class cluster analysis (CA) to cluster heart rate (HR) responses collected at the start of bus exposure exercises (5 min long, centered on bus boarding). Intra-individual patterns of assignment across exposure repetitions were examined to explore the relative influence of individual and situational factors on HR responses. The association between response types and panic disorder symptoms was determined by examining how clusters were related to self-reported anxiety, concordance between HR and self-report measures, and bodily symptom tolerance. These analyses were contrasted with a conventional analysis based on averages across experimental conditions. HR responses were sorted according to form and level criteria and yielded nine clusters, seven of which were interpretable. Cluster assignment was not stable across sessions or treatment condition. Clusters characterized by a low absolute HR level that slowly decayed corresponded with low self-reported anxiety and greater self-rated tolerance of bodily symptoms. Inconsistent individual factors influenced HR responses less than situational factors. Applying clustering can help to extend the conventional analysis of highly variable data collected in the field. We discuss the merits of this approach and reasons for the non-stereotypical pattern of cluster assignment across exposures.

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