Describing the interplay between anxiety and cognition: from impaired performance under low cognitive load to reduced anxiety under high load.
Open accessAbstract
Anxiety impairs the ability to think and concentrate, suggesting that the interaction between emotion and cognition may elucidate the debilitating nature of pathological anxiety. Using a verbal n‐back task that parametrically modulated cognitive load, we explored the effect of experimentally induced anxiety on task performance and the startle reflex. Findings suggest there is a crucial inflection point between moderate and high cognitive load, where resources shift from anxious apprehension to focus on task demands. Specifically, we demonstrate that anxiety impairs performance under low load, but is reduced when subjects engage in a difficult task that occupies executive resources. We propose a two‐component model of anxiety that describes a cognitive mechanism behind performance impairment and an automatic response that supports sustained anxiety‐potentiated startle. Implications for therapeutic interventions and emotional pathology are discussed.
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The influence of anxiety on cognitive load is more pronounced in conditions of low cognitive load and high anxiety than in high cognitive load.
“This idea has been elaborated in subsequent studies that showed that the influence of anxiety on cognitive load is more pronounced in conditions of low cognitive load and high anxiety than high cognitive load (e.g., Vytal et al., 2012).”
From Voice Stress Analysis: A New Framework for Voice and Effort in Human Performance (2018) · cites this paper as Vytal et al., 2012
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- Authors
- Vytal, K., Cornwell, B., Arkin, N., & Grillon, C.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Vytal, Katherine
- Venue
- Psychophysiology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2012-02-14
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 842-852
- ISSN
- 0048-5772 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8986
- PMC
- PMC3345059
- OpenAlex
- W1857778287
- Cited by
- 246
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 17.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychophysiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (Z99 MH999999)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Keywords
- anxiety, cognitive load, emotion-cognition interaction, startle response, executive function, performance impairment
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Anxiety, Cognition, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Electroshock, Fear, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Middle Aged, Photic Stimulation, Psychometrics, Psychomotor Performance, Reflex, Startle, Young Adult, Anticipation, Psychological
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