The DOI matches its Crossref record; 28 of the 29 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The causal role of interpretive bias in anxiety reactivity
Abstract
Elevated anxiety vulnerability is associated with a tendency to interpret ambiguous stimuli as threatening, but the causal basis of this relationship has not been established. Recently, procedures have been developed to systematically manipulate interpretive bias, but the impact of such manipulation on anxiety reactivity to a subsequent stressor has not yet been examined. In the present study, training procedures were used to induce interpretive biases favoring the threatening or nonthreatening meanings of ambiguous information in a sample of 48 undergraduate students. Following this interpretive training, participants' emotional reactions to a stressful video were assessed. The finding that the manipulation of interpretive bias modified emotional reactivity supports the hypothesis that interpretive bias can indeed play a causal role in anxiety vulnerability.
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“Furthermore, contrary to predictions that the tendency to benignly interpret ambiguous situations should decrease the negative mood response particularly under conditions of emotional provocation [63], we did not find this in the present data.”
From How to boost positive interpretations? A Meta-Analysis of the effectiveness of cognitive bias modification for interpretation (2014) · cites this paper as [63]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Wilson, E. J., MacLeod, C., Mathews, A., & Rutherford, E. M.
- Affiliations
- The University of Western Australia (AU)
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (GB)
- ORCID
- MacLeod, Colin
- Venue
- Journal of Abnormal Psychology
- Published
- 2006-02
- Volume
- 115
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 103-111
- ISSN
- 0021-843X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1846
- OpenAlex
- W2043978415
- Cited by
- 262
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 20.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Abnormal Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion)
- UEA Digital Repository (University of East Anglia) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- interpretation bias, threat interpretation, ambiguous stimuli, emotional reactivity, stress response, anxiety vulnerability, causal manipulation
- MeSH terms
- Anxiety Disorders, Cognition, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Humans, Teaching, Observer Variation, Bias
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