The study proposed herein seeks to examine implicit and explicit memory biases for critical faces in individuals with social phobia (SP). A solid understanding of the psychopathology of SP is essential as this syndrome is one of the most common and debilitating of all psychiatric diagnoses. One promising route to furthering our understanding of the psychopathology of SP is to employ the methods of experimental psychopathology to examine possible biases in information-processing. Biases may occur at automatic stages of processing, beyond conscious awareness, prohibiting the use of introspective self-report methods, making the methods of experimental psychopathology particularly useful. Memory biases may play a particularly important role as intrusive memories are a common symptom of several anxiety disorders. However, while much knowledge has been gained from examining memory biases in SP in previous studies, limitations of the existing literature make firm conclusions difficult. The study proposed herein seeks to address previous limitations in an effort to further our understanding of the role of implicit and explicit memory biases in SP. Specifically, the proposed study will use a modified visual analogue version of Jacoby, Allan, Collins, and Larwill's (1988) white noise judgement paradigm. In this study, critical and neutral faces will be presented to individuals with social phobia (SPs) and non-anxious controls (NACs). Two separate memory tests will be employed, with one assessing implicit memory biases and the other assessing explicit memory biases, for critical faces in individuals with SP as compared to NACs. Further, the two groups will also be compared on immediate rote recall to rule-out this factor as a possible explanation for group differences in memories for emotional stimuli. Findings from this study will be utilized to inform existing models of the psychopathology underlying SP and explore possible refinements in existing treatment interventions.
