The Effects of Computerized Interpretation Trainings on Thought-Action Fusion

Thought-action fusion (TAF) is a phenomenon that occurs in various emotional disorders, but it is strongly associated with individuals who experience Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms. Holding TAF beliefs causes an individual to interpret intrusive thoughts as an indication of poor morals (Moral TAF), and/or believing that negative thoughts can make negative outcomes more likely to happen (Likelihood TAF). Past research has used Interpretation Training (IT) to modify biased interpretations about personally relevant emotional information and reduce distress and impairment. The current study is comparing three different computerized ITs to examine their effects on TAF beliefs. The primary outcome measure is the Thought-Action Fusion Scale-Revised (TAFS), with higher scores indicating greater TAF belief. Eligible participants include undergraduate students (N = 35) enrolled in Psychology courses at UWM, with prescreen TAFS scores ≥ 18, and the presence of minimal obsessional beliefs. Eligible participants are randomly assigned into one of these three following training conditions. The TAF Incongruent condition (TAF-INC) challenges TAF interpretations of thoughts, the TAF Congruent condition (TAF-CON) does not challenge TAF interpretations, and a Stress Management Psychoeducation condition (SMP) is a credible comparison condition as it has been shown in past research to reduce obsessional severity without directly targeting TAF. Results indicated that participants in TAF-INC displayed the largest reduction in TAF Total Scores at post-training (M=22.92, SD=16.72), while the TAF-CON (M=37.92, SD=11.12) and the SMP (M= 35.20, SD=18.93) displayed only small reduction. These condition differences were held when TAF was broken down into Moral TAF and Likelihood TAF. The results indicated that a single session of TAF-targeted interpretation training (TAF-INC) outperformed the control (TAF-CON) and comparison condition (SMP) in TAF belief reduction. Further research is warranted to examine the long-term effects of training. The clinical and theoretical implications from the study findings will be discussed