Descriptive Experience Sampling of individuals with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder

This study employed the Descriptive Experience Sampling method to investigate the inner experiences of three individuals with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and one non-OCD-symptom participant. Participants were provided with a random-interval generator (beeper) and were asked to "freeze" the aspects of their inner experience at the moment of the beep and record this experience in a notebook. Participants met with the investigators within 24 hours to discuss each of these sampled moments in detail. Salient characteristics were identified for each participant. Characteristics of inner experience were found to be shared across subjects: OCD-symptom participants were found to have a higher frequency of unsymbolized thinking and feelings, and a lower frequency of inner speech than normal participants. Additionally, participants were often able to localize the characteristics of their inner experience in some specific location in their heads. Results of sampling did not find any frequently recurring thoughts, impulses, or images.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Year

1999

Author dc:creator

• Hugelshofer, Daniela S

Contributors dc:contributor

• Russell T. Hurlburt

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/rtds/1092

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:oasis.library.unlv.edu:rtds-2091