Adaptive aspects of distractor processing in social anxiety

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K03080
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 10030:Clinical psychology-related
• Research Institution: Kansai University
• Principal Investigator: MORIYA Jun 関西大学, 社会学部, 教授 (70707562)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 社交不安 / 注意 / 記憶 / ワーキングメモリ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The present study investigated whether individuals with social anxiety involuntarily direct attention to distractors, which impairs working memory quality for targets and enhances long-term memory for distractors. The results demonstrated that impaired working memory quality for targets was associated with social anxiety under distractors presented. Guess rates for target recognition were increased in social anxiety when distractor stimuli were presented with targets. Moreover, prolonged attention to the distractors enhanced long-term memory for distractors in socially anxious individuals. In both studies, individuals with social anxiety demonstrated a high degree of sensitivity to goal-irrelevant distractors and enhanced their processing.

Free Research Field

異常心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

目的とは関係のない情報への注意は，目的を達成するためには邪魔な行為である。しかし，目的の対象だけ注意を向けることが有用であろうか。例えば，人前で話すときも，ある特定の人物にのみ注意を向けるより，様々な人物へ注意を向けたほうが状況をより正確に把握することが可能である。社交不安者は，将来生じる脅威に備え多くの情報を収集しているのではないか。社交不安者に見られる特徴は，不安を強める不適応的なものと考えられてきたが，個々の特徴には適応的意義のある可能性が示唆された。