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Psychiatry Research Jan 2022Individuals with Hoarding Disorder (HD) frequently complain of problems with attention and memory. These self-identified difficulties are often used as justification for...
Individuals with Hoarding Disorder (HD) frequently complain of problems with attention and memory. These self-identified difficulties are often used as justification for saving and acquiring behaviors. Research using neuropsychological measures to examine verbal and visual memory performance and sustained attention have reported contradictory findings. Here we aim to determine the relationship between self-reported problems with memory and attention, objective memory and attention performance, and self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms in HD. Data was available for 319 individuals who participated in a treatment study of HD. Multiple regression was used to assess the relationship between self-reported complaints and objective measures, with age, education, and measures of depression and anxiety included as covariates. We found no association between self-reported memory difficulties and objective verbal or visual memory performance. Self-reported problems with attention were associated with objective attentional performance, although this relationship was partially accounted for by anxiety symptom severity. There was a small association between visual memory performance at baseline and improvements in hoardingrelated functional abilities following treatment. Improvements in subjective memory complaints pre-to-post treatment were associated with improvements in hoarding symptom severity and hoarding-related functioning. These results demonstrate a dissociation between perceived and objective functioning in HD.
Topics: Anxiety; Cognition; Cognitive Dysfunction; Hoarding Disorder; Humans; Neuropsychological Tests
PubMed: 34920395
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114331 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2021Literature suggests that music performance anxiety (MPA) is prevalent in adolescence, a developmental period with increased likelihood of experiencing anxiety under...
Literature suggests that music performance anxiety (MPA) is prevalent in adolescence, a developmental period with increased likelihood of experiencing anxiety under evaluative conditions. Evidence also indicate that individuals may respond to evaluative situations in distinct ways. Factors contributing to the individuality of responses in evaluative situations (such as test taking and musical performance) are not yet fully understood. This study investigated student typologies in adolescent instrumental learners. Participants included 410 learners who completed the Young Musicians' Performance Questionnaire. K-Means cluster analysis revealed three typologies: Cluster 1 - moderately anxious students evidencing lower levels of motivation and feeling ineffective but guarding their self-esteem; Cluster 2 - highly anxious students evidencing negative self-perceptions and being susceptible to experiencing maladaptive MPA; Cluster 3 - low anxious students evidencing high levels of motivation and confidence and inclined toward experiencing adaptive MPA. The 3-cluster solution effectiveness was validated with discriminant analysis. Significant associations between examination achievement and cluster membership revealed variations between clusters. Thematic analysis of qualitative data facilitated further understanding of their characteristics. This study adds to the body of MPA literature by exploring the different ways with which adolescent musicians interpret and respond to anxiety inducing situations. Findings have implications for clinical and educational practice.
PubMed: 34025516
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.645993 -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2023The adoption rate of performance-based pay systems has increased in recent years, and the adverse effects of systems have been emphasized. However, no study has analyzed...
The adoption rate of performance-based pay systems has increased in recent years, and the adverse effects of systems have been emphasized. However, no study has analyzed the increase in the risk of depression/anxiety symptoms caused by the pay system in Korea. This study aimed to reveal the association between performance-based pay systems and symptoms of depression/anxiety, using data from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey. Depressive/anxiety symptoms were assessed using "yes" or "no" questions regarding medical problems related to depression/anxiety. The performance-based pay system and job stress were estimated using self-response answers. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between performance-based pay systems, job stress, and symptoms of depression/anxiety using data from 27,793 participants. The performance-based pay system significantly increased the risk of the symptoms. Additionally, risk increments were calculated after grouping by pay system and job stress. Workers with two risk factors had the highest risk of symptoms of depression/anxiety for both sexes (male: OR 3.05; 95% CI 1.70-5.45; female: OR 2.15; 95% CI 1.32-3.50), implying synergistic effect of performance-based pay system and job stress on depression/anxiety symptoms. Based on these findings, policies should be established for early detection and protection against the risk of depression/anxiety.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Depression; Working Conditions; Occupational Stress; Anxiety; Republic of Korea
PubMed: 36901074
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054065 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023I commenced my academic exploration of music performance anxiety in a study with opera chorus artists from Opera Australia in 2004. I subsequently postulated a new... (Review)
Review
I commenced my academic exploration of music performance anxiety in a study with opera chorus artists from Opera Australia in 2004. I subsequently postulated a new theory of the aetiology of music performance anxiety and began the development of the (K-MPAI) to assess the hypothesized theoretical constructs underpinning its diverse clinical presentations. I proposed a new definition of music performance anxiety in 2009 and revised the item content of the K-MPAI from 26 to 40 in 2011. Over the ensuing years, many researchers have used the K-MPAI in studies on a wide variety of musicians, including vocalists and instrumentalists, popular and classical musicians, tertiary music students, and professional, solo, orchestral, ensemble, band, and community musicians. To date, the K-MPAI has been reported in more than 400 studies and has been translated into 22 languages. It has been the subject of more than 39 dissertations. In this paper, I examine the research that has used the K-MPAI to assess the theory and to ascertain how well the assessment tool, and its cross-cultural validation have provided evidence for its factorial structure, robustness, and utility. The evidence indicates that the factorial structure remains consistent across cultures and different populations of musicians. It has good discriminative ability and utility for diagnostic purposes. I conclude with some reflections on how the K-MPAI can guide therapeutic interventions and with some thoughts on future directions.
PubMed: 37325731
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1143359 -
Acta Medica Academica Dec 2019The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the use of neuroenhancing substances, exam anxiety and academic performance among first-year...
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the use of neuroenhancing substances, exam anxiety and academic performance among first-year Bosnian-Herzegovinian (BH) university students.
METHODS
In a cross-sectional study, an ad hoc questionnaire was delivered to a sample of BH first-year university students. The following data were collected: socio-demographic features, consumption of neuroenchancing substances, the Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS) and academic performance.
RESULTS
A total of 214 students were included. Consumption of lifestyle substances, coffee, energy drinks, nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana, for the purpose of neuroenhancement increased during the week before the exams. OTC cognitive enhancer use was reported by 31.0%, and of benzodiazepines by 1.5% of students. No psycostimulants were used. A high to extremely high exam WTAS score was reported in 38.3% students. The exam WTAS score was positively correlated with consumption of coffee (rho=0.31; P<0.001), energy drinks (rho=0.18; P=0.009), and nicotine (rho=0.22; P=0.001), and negatively correlated with last exam grade (rho=-0.33; P<0.001). The exam WTAS score was a significant independent predictor (OR=0.55; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.97, P=0.039) for self-assessed academic performance. Self-assessed academic performance was positively correlated with last exam grade (rho=0.15; P=0.043).
CONCLUSIONS
Although first-year BH university students do not seem to use either prescription or illicit psycostimulants, the consumption of nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana is worrying. However, the consumption of these neuroenhancing substances seems not to be related to better self-assessed academic performance. Finally, exam anxiety seems to be a significant problem among BH first-year university students.
Topics: Alcohol Drinking; Anxiety; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Cross-Sectional Studies; Educational Measurement; Female; Humans; Male; Marijuana Use; Nootropic Agents; Socioeconomic Factors; Students; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tobacco Use Disorder; Universities; Young Adult
PubMed: 32124627
DOI: 10.5644/ama2006-124.269 -
Trends in Neuroscience and Education Dec 2022A large body of research has found stronger math anxiety in females and suggests that inferior spatial abilities (or attributes towards spatial abilities) in females...
BACKGROUND
A large body of research has found stronger math anxiety in females and suggests that inferior spatial abilities (or attributes towards spatial abilities) in females compared to males are the origin of sex differences in math anxiety.
PURPOSE
To fully explore the complex relationship among math anxiety, spatial abilities, math performance and sex differences, the current study examined spatial skills, working memory skills, math anxiety, and self-efficacy as predictors of math performance.
BASIC PROCEDURES
Participating in the study were 89 undergraduate Israeli students (44 males and 45 females).
MAIN FINDINGS
The result showed sex differences in a few domains: math anxiety was higher in females compared to males, males outperformed females in number line performance and spatial skills. The relationships among spatial abilities, math performance, and math anxiety were stronger in males than in females. By contrast, the relationship between math self-efficacy and performance was stronger in females compared to males.
CONCLUSIONS
This finding demonstrated fundamental differences between the sexes, even with similar performances in curriculum-based assessments.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Spatial Navigation; Mathematics; Anxiety; Memory, Short-Term; Gender Identity
PubMed: 36470623
DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2022.100196 -
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping May 2020Individual differences in acute and chronic anxiety have been linked to changes in working memory ability, though evidence for differences in specifically visual working...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Individual differences in acute and chronic anxiety have been linked to changes in working memory ability, though evidence for differences in specifically visual working memory performance has been inconsistent. The present study examined the role of both trait anxiety and induced feelings of apprehension on visual working memory performance.
DESIGN
2 (Noise) x 2 (Distraction) within-person design with anxiety as a between-person factor.
METHODS
Forty-six participants recruited via online advertisement completed a change detection task, memorizing the orientations of rectangular bars presented either alone or among additional distractors, comparing this to a subsequent test display. Trait anxiety levels were measured by self-report questionnaire. To induce apprehension, participants completed some experimental blocks where loud aversive white noise could be presented at low probability.
RESULTS
Results of ANOVA and ANCOVA models showed that neither trait anxiety nor apprehension affected memory performance when only relevant objects were shown. However, memory performance was impaired when distractor objects were presented, and this effect was exacerbated under apprehension particularly for high trait anxious individuals.
CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that induced apprehension and trait anxiety have little influence on visual working memory capacity, instead primarily disrupting distractor filtering efficiency.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Female; Humans; Male; Memory, Short-Term
PubMed: 32126798
DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2020.1736899 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2022Anticipation is a crucial perceptual-cognitive skill in fast-ball sports, and the effect of high anxiety on performance has attracted more attention from sports...
Anticipation is a crucial perceptual-cognitive skill in fast-ball sports, and the effect of high anxiety on performance has attracted more attention from sports psychologists. Related studies mainly focus on the effect of anxiety on influencing processing efficiency and attentional control (top-down vs. bottom-up) during information processing in sport. Attentional Control Theory (ACT) has been supported by several studies. However, these studies have been criticized by the low ecological validity of task design, such as neglecting the dynamic process of anticipation, and inadequate performance analysis, such as analyzing response accuracy and time separately. Using temporal occlusion paradigm, we tested ACT in a dynamic anticipation process. Eighteen skilled and eighteen less-skilled table tennis players were required to anticipate the serves of opponents under dynamic task constraints (early vs. late occlusion) and anxiety conditions (high vs. low anxiety). High cognitive state anxiety decreased processing efficiency (response time/response accuracy) for both groups whereas performance effectiveness (response accuracy) did not differ. In addition, it negatively affected processing efficiency in early anticipation compared with late anticipation tasks, suggesting that high cognitive state anxiety may have a greater impact on top-down attentional control. Our findings provide support for ACT and show that anxiety impairs anticipation efficiency and performance, possibly due to an ineffectively attentional shift from external kinematic cues to internal long-term working memory. Findings also have implications for the adaptation of attentional strategies and anxiolytic training.
PubMed: 35310248
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.823989 -
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2022(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to contribute to the validation of the Portuguese version of the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI) and...
(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to contribute to the validation of the Portuguese version of the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI) and to study its psychometric properties. (2) Methods: A sample of 164 undergraduate music students in Portugal (62.2% female; mean age = 22.63; SD = 4.36) completed an online survey composed of the K-MPAI Portuguese version, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The K-MPAI psychometric properties were examined using exploratory factor analyses, known-group differences, and Cronbach's alpha. (3) Results: A four-factor structure was identified, in line with recent validation of this measure in other countries: music performance anxiety-related symptoms, depression and hopelessness, parental support, and memory self-efficacy. Concurrent and known-group validity were established, and reliability scores were appropriate for the dimensions and total score. (4) Conclusions: The results provide initial evidence of the appropriateness of the Portuguese version of the K-MPAI.
PubMed: 35200271
DOI: 10.3390/bs12020018 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2022Given the bond between emotion and cognition underlying the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, positive and negative emotions have critical roles in... (Review)
Review
Given the bond between emotion and cognition underlying the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, positive and negative emotions have critical roles in cognitive skills. The aim of this review was to probe into the triarchic relationship between L2 learners' cognition, emotion, and language performance, reflected in the bond between self-efficacy, foreign language anxiety, and speaking skill, in light of the main emerging theories in the field of SLA underpinning this relationship. Moreover, the theoretical foundations, such as learners' cognitive performances, Bandura's self-efficacy theory, control-value theory, and positive psychology theory, were explicated in order to justify the relationship between self-efficacy and oral communication skill. Furthermore, the underlying theories such as attentional control theory, complex dynamic system theory, affective filter theory, and cultural schema theory, which relate foreign language anxiety to speaking skill were scrutinized in this review. The review also expounded on the implications and future directions for EFL teachers, material designers, teacher educators, educational policy-makers, and advisors. The ideas can improve their awareness of learner self-efficacy, foreign language anxiety, and oral communication skill in educational contexts.
PubMed: 36204743
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1002492