Cognitive deficits in compulsive checkers: An exploratory study. Sher, K. J., Frost, R. O., & Otto, R. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21(4):357–363, 1983. Publisher: Elsevier Science
Cognitive deficits in compulsive checkers: An exploratory study [link]Paper  doi  abstract   bibtex   
Compared the performance of compulsive checkers with the performance of noncheckers on cognitive tasks hypothesized to be relevant to understanding checking behavior. Using the Checking and Cleaning subscales of the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory, 4 groups of college students (N = 54) were identified: cleaning checkers, noncleaning checkers, cleaning noncheckers, and noncleaning noncheckers. It was hypothesized that the cognitive deficits studied would characterize Ss with checking compulsions, but not Ss with nonchecking compulsions or normal controls. Compulsive checkers were found to have a poorer memory for prior actions than noncheckers and underestimated their ability at distinguishing memories of real and imagined events, a process referred to as reality monitoring. Both of these deficits were specific to compulsive checkers and can be viewed as contributing to the likelihood that an individual will engage in checking behavior. If individuals have difficulty in recalling whether an intended action has been executed, they may be inclined to engage in checking behavior to insure the intended action is carried out. A tendency to underestimate reality-monitoring ability could result in increased checking behavior as individuals attempt to reduce uncertainty over whether a previous behavior actually occurred or merely was thought to occur. (14 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
@article{sher_cognitive_1983,
	title = {Cognitive deficits in compulsive checkers: {An} exploratory study},
	volume = {21},
	issn = {0005-7967},
	url = {https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=psyh&AN=1983-32869-001&site=ehost-live},
	doi = {10.1016/0005-7967(83)90004-9},
	abstract = {Compared the performance of compulsive checkers with the performance of noncheckers on cognitive tasks hypothesized to be relevant to understanding checking behavior. Using the Checking and Cleaning subscales of the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory, 4 groups of college students (N = 54) were identified: cleaning checkers, noncleaning checkers, cleaning noncheckers, and noncleaning noncheckers. It was hypothesized that the cognitive deficits studied would characterize Ss with checking compulsions, but not Ss with nonchecking compulsions or normal controls. Compulsive checkers were found to have a poorer memory for prior actions than noncheckers and underestimated their ability at distinguishing memories of real and imagined events, a process referred to as reality monitoring. Both of these deficits were specific to compulsive checkers and can be viewed as contributing to the likelihood that an individual will engage in checking behavior. If individuals have difficulty in recalling whether an intended action has been executed, they may be inclined to engage in checking behavior to insure the intended action is carried out. A tendency to underestimate reality-monitoring ability could result in increased checking behavior as individuals attempt to reduce uncertainty over whether a previous behavior actually occurred or merely was thought to occur. (14 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)},
	number = {4},
	journal = {Behaviour Research and Therapy},
	author = {Sher, Kenneth J. and Frost, Randy O. and Otto, Randall},
	year = {1983},
	note = {Publisher: Elsevier Science},
	keywords = {Cognition Disorders, Compulsions, Etiology, Humans, Memory, Mental Recall, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, compulsive checkers, memory deficits \& ability to distinguish memories of real vs imagined events},
	pages = {357--363},
}

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