as, matching and labeHing emotions but not ;"hen the task requires gre~.'Her emo tional dif1'erenttation such as rating an expressed emotion for the presence ...
Journal of the Indian Academ'\' of Apphed Ps,\,chology, 1:)'-))
"\l~.',
~1
1IJ':')
,
~l,~~
Stroop Interference Effect of Emotion-Arousing 'Nords Alexithymia
H}
Rakesh Pandey
Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi
Stroop lOterference effect ofemotion-arousing words was examlOed 10 aleXlthymic and nonalexithymlc subjects \\-ho were presented with baselIne stimuli, neutral words and emotion arousing words in Hindi and its transliteral eqUivalent in Enghsh in five colours (red, blue, green, orange and black). Subjects were asked to name the color ofwords ignoring the content ofwords . Findings suggested that both alexlthymics and nonalexithymics took longer time to < < colour-name' , emotion-arousing \\- ords as compared to baseline stimuli. Howe"er, alexithymic subjects had longer time to colour-name emotion-arousing words as compared to nonalexithyJdics While alexithymic took longer time to colour-name emotion arouslOg words as compared to both baseline stimuli and neutral words, nonalexithymics did not differ in colour naming neutral and emotion arousing words. It was also observed that the perfor mance on modified Stroop colour-naming task was not affected by language (mother! foreign). Findings are discussed in the light ofalexithymic' s heightened arousal and hypersensitivity towards arousal.
The term alexithymia was coined by Sifneos (1973) to refer the cognitive-affec tive characteristics of those psychosomatic . patients who have difficulty in the verbal and symbolic expression ofemotion, an im poverished fantasy life, and an unima ginative, concrete and reality based thinking style (Nemiab, Freyberger, & Sifneos, 1976). Subsequently, alexithymic characteristics were also observed among various clinical population such as, patients with psychogenic pain disorders, somatoform disorders, sub stance use disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, masked depression, character neu roses, sexual perversions and various medi cal diseases such as, diabetes, diabetic nephropathy and carcinoma of breast (Abramson, McCelland, Brown & Kelner, 1991; Fukunishi, Morris, Fahrion, Baer et aI., 1992; Taylor, 19&4~ Todar~lo et at,
1989). The incidence of alexithymia, however, is not limited to only clinical population, a considerable proportion of non-clinical population such as, normal adults-and students has also been found ,to be alexithymic (Pande~andal, Tay lor & Parker, communicaled). Empirical reseaTches dealing with the cognitive-affective disturbances in alexithymia have mostly focussed on the affective and thought content of alexithymic's verbal expression (e.g. Ten-Houten, Hoppe, Bogen & Walter, 1986~ Taylor & Doody, 1985) Few at tempts, however, have also been made !O examine other aspects of affective h; haviour such as perception and expre: sion of nonverbal emotions and felC !ions to positive and negative emotIOn:;
,""
, ti. n.lS
be(~n
f(:H.lT~d
th~it
"
,::J:yaucii can accurately judge far;iaHy 'f,j ~~>,ed ,-"motIons when judgenv~nt '''' Q1W';;':S tess;;:r emotional dlfferentiation, such as, matching and labeHing emotions but not ;"hen the task requires gre~.'Her emo tional dif1'erenttation such as rating an expressed emotion for the presence ofvari ousother emotions (McDonaid & Prkachin, 1990; Pandey, 1993; Parker, Taylor & Bagby, 1993a). It has also been found that aiexithymics as compared to non a;exjtbym~cs are deficient in both verbal and nonverbal (facial) expression of emo tiOI) (McDonald & Prkacbin, 1990; Pandey, 1993); Rt;;~ealches on alexithymic' s sus . ceptibility for positive and negative emo tions and their ability to distinguish among various emotions have indicated that aiexithymics are prone to experience nega tive emotions, have a diminished capacity to experience positive emotions, and are tess able to distinguish between different emotional states (Bagby, Parker. Taylor &, Acklin, j 993; Prince &. Berenbaum, 1993; Taylor, Parker, Bagby &. Acklin, 1992),
However, such investigations tap only the conscious aspects of cogniHve affective behaviour, and most of them tap only verbalizable aspects. A large body of research, however, suggests that emotional stimuli can be processed and subsequently ~nfluence the behavio...: without aware !less of OT actual detection of it (see, Dember & Warm, 1979). It has a]so been noted that words ~-:avJDg some personal emotional significance ("or subj~s can be selectively processed and subsequently mterfete with their performance on tasks requiring to attend to certain non-semantic aspects of words such, as, colour of the wortis m which they are printed (Mathews .& ~.l~(Leoc, 1935 ) :t>/lodlficu ';~g:OQP colour-naming 'lradjgm (Math·e,,'s &; MacLeod, 1985) -:i~;;'S bCi;U used by- a nUD1o c::r of -"e::earch~rs
to
exam~ne th~ bi.~~."~~ ,~ :pr{)'~'-~-_~SP\J ;7r.~;
tion l"elated words. In .this paradigm, sub significance p
'>,
a is colour-namitlg task
(}!.\
Stroop
ilA~c~~r:::c:r:c ~ffect
0: ..,,'.1-"
1
~'·,e.o
'1:2)
N,~1.\';
(\'c1" j I"".'" YOlk' !:-1:;i!:i;'.c"
~
Pre,.~.
Harvpl>' "', (1984). The stroop effect: Failure (f, fo..:u~ ......~:i.ention or failure to malntaUl foc+lII'lmg? (jll.f/r ttJrly JOUI711l1 of ExpBrtmiUliaJ .."':FV.::/wlo/1Y. 3". 89-115, 'dartin. J.B" &: Pbii. R,O. (1.,.&6), '"llu)l!G" of alexithymic cbllnl-cteri"tics on pil.':zl~)fog,,~ .. i and subjective strllss rCll'ponses.n IlQIFlli: ,;JI,S,v,Ju
