Abstract
This investigation examined attentional biases toward illness-related information in persons with hypochondriacal tendency. Consistent with cognitive behavioural conceptualizations, it was hypothesized that individuals with high hypochondriacal tendency as well as individuals with high somatosensory amplification would be more likely than those with lower levels to exhibit attentional biases to illness-related information when assessed using a modified Stroop task. Forty-two undergraduate and graduate students in Japan were assessed using the Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS) and the Illness Attitude Scales (IAS), and participated in the experiment using the modified Stroop task. Results showed that participants with high SSAS showed a significantly larger Stroop effect compared to those with low SSAS. However, Stroop effect differences among participants with respect to the IAS were not significant. These findings suggest that individuals with high somatosensory amplification have attentional bias toward illness-related words automatically, and it is important to take account of information processing in the research of hypochondriacal tendency.
