title: Dissociating effects of subclinical anxiety and depression on cognitive control.
abstract: Even at subclinical levels, anxiety and depression are associated with impaired cognitive control. It is unclear, though, to what extent these deficits reflect a common underlying dysfunction. Using a non-affective hybrid masked prime-Simon task, we obtained several measures of within- and between- trial inhibitory behavioral control in 80 young, healthy volunteers, together with measures of their anxiety and depression levels. Neither depression nor anxiety affected low-level within-trial control, or any of the between-trial control measures. However, increased levels of depression, but not of anxiety, were associated with impaired high-level within-trial control (increased Simon effect). Results indicate that depression, but not anxiety, impairs voluntary online response-control mechanisms independent of affective content.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Hoi Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Friederike
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schlaghecken