Explicit memory for threat and non-threat stimuli
was examined in Iranian adolescents aged between
11 to 18 years. Clinically anxious (n=29), subclinically
anxious (n=27), and normal controls
(n=29) were matched for age, gender and academic
performance. Participants asked to encode the
stimuli words including threat, depression, positive
and neutral words, presented on a screen one after
another. Content-specificity hypothesis predicts
anxious individuals should show a memory bias
favouring anxiety information. However, Williams
et al’s theory does not predict such a bias. The
present study conducted to examine the two
different theories.
In sum, the results support the Williams et al’s
theory. Although, anxious patients compared to the
sub-clinically anxious individuals, show a memory
bias towards threat words. The difference between
the two anxious groups and theoretical implications
with regard to the two theories are discussed.
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