Intrusive unwanted thoughts: a two-stage model of control.
It was proposed that the greater time taken to dismiss intrusive compared with neutral thoughts is better explained in terms of a decreased ability to disattend to the intrusive thought than a decreased ability to access a more pleasant replacement thought. A study of 43 subjects with 'normal obsessions' using a methodology that controlled the valence and content of replacement thoughts provided support for this disattention hypothesis.
Edwards
S
S
Department of Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra.
Dickerson
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001143:Arousal; D001288:Attention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013850:Thinking