Research into OCD Flashcards
Self-report Habit Index of compulsions
Severity of checking, hoarding and ordering symptoms correlated positively
Outcome devaluation task
Slips-of-action test checked habit control in OCD
OCD patients made more slips of action. Evidence for generally enhanced habit propensity.
Severity of OCD symptoms predicted the vulnerability (based on YBOCS)
Manipulation with a shock training and length of training
After training, it’s devalued with removing of the shock on one hand. Both OCD and control show devalued response so goal-directed behaviour.
In the next part, the training time was 10x longer. Making habit formation possible. There, the OCD prest more often on average than control.
Replication with brain scanning
Patients showed hyperactivation of the orbitofrontal cortex during the learning phase. This disappeared during the course of training.
Patients who had formed habits showed hyperactivation of the caudate. This positively related with self-report.
Habit propensity
Disturbance of balance between dual processes in the brain, leading to more habit formation that goal-directed control
NOT clear if this is due to impaired goal-directed or increased habit
Effect of habit on memory certainty
Repetition lead to more memory uncertainty in the stove experiment. those who had practiced doubted if they had done it correct in test phasing more than those who did it for the first time.
This could mean that repetition makes uncertainty worse, feeding into cognitive biases like not dealing with uncertainty
HRT treatment
According to habit account treatment should switch from ERP to replacement of the habit. Habit reversal therapy (HRT). This is well-established for Tourette
2 components:
- Awareness training (daily monitoring of compulsions/triggers)
- Competing response training (physically incompatible response)
EG if compulsion is hand washing, a incompatible response would be go to the living room and sit on your hands for 6 secs.
