Jochen Mueller1, Georg W Alpers, Norman Reim. 1. Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany. j.mueller@psychologie.uni-wuerzburg.de
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate a theoretically predicted deficit in the capacity to process emotions in alexithymia. The performance of patients high and that of patients low in alexithymia was tested in a computerized emotional Stroop task. METHODS: Reaction times of high and low self- and observer-rated alexithymia groups of 45 psychosomatic inpatients were compared. The task was to name the color of emotionally neutral, positive, negative, and bodily-symptom words as quickly as possible. RESULTS: As expected, patients rated high versus those rated low in alexithymia by observers (but not by self-rating) showed a significantly lesser emotional bias for emotionally negative words and bodily-symptom words but did not differ in their explicit rating of the emotional valence of the words. CONCLUSION: This dissociation between explicit and implicit reactions to the emotional valence of word stimuli suggests that patients high in alexithymia spontaneously allocate less processing resources to negative information.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate a theoretically predicted deficit in the capacity to process emotions in alexithymia. The performance of patients high and that of patients low in alexithymia was tested in a computerized emotional Stroop task. METHODS: Reaction times of high and low self- and observer-rated alexithymia groups of 45 psychosomatic inpatients were compared. The task was to name the color of emotionally neutral, positive, negative, and bodily-symptom words as quickly as possible. RESULTS: As expected, patients rated high versus those rated low in alexithymia by observers (but not by self-rating) showed a significantly lesser emotional bias for emotionally negative words and bodily-symptom words but did not differ in their explicit rating of the emotional valence of the words. CONCLUSION: This dissociation between explicit and implicit reactions to the emotional valence of word stimuli suggests that patients high in alexithymia spontaneously allocate less processing resources to negative information.
Authors: Jorien van der Velde; Paula M Gromann; Marte Swart; Durk Wiersma; Lieuwe de Haan; Richard Bruggeman; Lydia Krabbendam; André Aleman Journal: Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci Date: 2014-04-23 Impact factor: 3.436