The influence of emotional reasoning on fear through false biofeedback manipulation

Abstract

The prevalence of anxiety disorders, both on its own as co-occurring with other disorders, makes it a subject welcome to research. Present study takes from the information-processing-theory (Beck & Clark, 1996) and focuses on the third, most cognitive stage leading to anxiety. For it is in this third stage that anxiety disorders originate. The cognitive bias that is central to this study concerns a higher validation of the emotional response compared to the objective information presented in a situation, leading to a vicious circle called: ‘Ex-consequentia reasoning.’ A study by Arntz (1995) shows emotional reasoning as a possible causal factor in the origination of anxiety disorders. Present study tests for a causal connection between emotional reasoning and anxiety. The study uses false bio-feedback of skin-conductance recordings to try and manipulate emotional reasoning. It is expected that S’s presented with a false recording of increased skin-conductance will report higher anxiety levels then those presented with a false recording of normal skin-conductance. A total of 10 S’s from the university of Utrecht were selected through a pretest measuring emotional reasoning (Arntz et al, 1995) and divided between a control condition and an experimental condition. A total of 80 scripts was presented auditory while two different computer screens showed a VAS-scale to rate the situation from very safe to very dangerous, and the false skin-conductance recording. A manipulation check equal to the pretest but with different scripts was presented after the 80 auditory scripts. State anxiety was measured at three different points in the study. Finally a paper stress task was presented in order to test for a difference in state anxiety under stress. Present study found no way to manipulate emotional reasoning with false biofeedback, higher levels of emotional reasoning were not related to higher levels of anxiety, there was no significant effect for anxiety within or between conditions and there was no significant difference within or between conditions between state anxiety after a stress task. In conclusion, no causal connection between emotional reasoning and anxiety was found.