Psychological Science ›› 2011, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (3): 532-537.

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Perfectionism and Attention to Imperfect Figures

  

  • Received:2011-06-15 Revised:2011-06-15 Online:2011-05-20 Published:2011-06-19

完美主义者对不完美图形的注意偏好研究

訾非1,2,周晓林3,刘兴华4,潘苗苗5   

  1. 1.
    2. 北京林业大学人文社会科学学院心理系
    3. 北京大学心理学系
    4. 首都师范大学
    5. 北京大学心理系
  • 通讯作者: 訾非

Abstract: Using dot-probe task design, two experiments were conducted to explore the attentional bias models of participants to imperfect figures. In experiment 1, pairs of figures (one of the pair may be imperfect) appeared on the computer screen for 1000ms. Then, at the center of one of the paired figures appears an arrow, pointing upward or downward. Participants (perfectionists and non-perfectionists) were asked to press one of the two keys on a joystick as quickly and accurately as possible to indicate the direction of the arrow. Such task purported to contrast the attentional biases between the two groups. The second experiment used the same task design except that the time of the figure appearance was shorter (750ms). According to the two experiments, the researcher inferred the shift of attention (from 750ms to 1000ms) when the imperfection of figures were noticed. Results indicated that individuals low on perfectionism tended to show avoidance to the imperfect figures when the imperfect-perfect stimulus pairs were presented. In contrast, highly perfectionistic individuals had a tendency of showing attentional preference to the imperfect figures. The severity of imperfection (mildly imperfect vs. imperfect) of the figures also influenced the models and time courses of participants’ attentional bias. Attention of participants tended to disengage more easily from the mildly imperfect figures (broken line figures) than from the imperfect figures (broken solid figures). Results suggested that imperfect figures arouse “imperfection anxiety” and induces the attentional capture effects which prevents highly perfectionistic individuals from disengaging their attention from it. According to the two snapshots of attention bias with 750ms and 1000ms exposures, the present study indicated that the attentional capture effects induced by imperfect figures were quite similar in nature to those obtained in previous studies on other anxiety-provoking objects(Yiend & Mathews, 2001; Mogg et al., 2000). Therefore, imperfection anxiety may also be studied and interpreted through cognitive approaches, as pervious studies did on other anxiety and other emotional disorders.

摘要: 本研究通过两组点探测任务实验,考察高完美主义者和低完美主义者对不完美图形的注意模式。两组实验都表明,当不完美图形与完美图形成对出现时,高完美主义的个体倾向于回避不完美图形,而低完美主义的个体对不完美图形表现出一定的注意倾向。图形不完美的程度对被试的注意偏好模式也有影响。被试比较容易从对中度不完美图形的注意中抽离出来。研究者推断:不完美图形能够唤起完美主义者的“不完美焦虑”,产生注意俘获效应,使其比非完美主义者更难从对这类图形的注意中抽离。

关键词: 完美主义, 不完美焦虑, 注意偏好, 点探测任务, 不完美图形, Perfectionism, imperfection anxiety, attentional bias, dot-probe task, imperfect figures