A cognitive model of selective processing in anxiety

Abstract

Anxiety states are associated with increased attention to threat and a greater likelihood of reaching a pessimistic interpretation of ambiguous events. Existing models of this selective processing possess features that are difficult to reconcile with current experimental findings. In this paper we build on these earlier ideas to develop a new model, incorporating adaptations that allow it to account better for the accumulating data. Essential features are that attributes or meanings of stimuli are processed in parallel and compete for attentional resources. Input from a threat evaluation system (TES) strengthens activation of threat-related attributes, to an extent influenced by anxiety level. Such activation can be countered, within limits, by voluntary task-related effort, and the balance between these opposing influences determines the extent of any attentional or interpretative bias seen. Such a model is plausible from an evolutionary perspective and is consistent with neurological evidence concerning the acquisition and extinction of aversive conditioning.