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An Exploration of Diagnosis Threat and Group Identification Following Concussion Injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2013

Shital P. Pavawalla ,
Robert Salazar ,
Cynthia Cimino ,
Heather G. Belanger  and
Rodney D. Vanderploeg
Shital P. Pavawalla*
Affiliation:
Adventist Medical Group/George Washington Medical Faculty Associates, Washington, District of Columbia Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, James A. Haley VA, Tampa, Florida
Robert Salazar
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
Cynthia Cimino
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida Department of Neurology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
Heather G. Belanger
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, James A. Haley VA, Tampa, Florida Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, Silver Spring, Maryland
Rodney D. Vanderploeg
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, James A. Haley VA, Tampa, Florida Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, Silver Spring, Maryland Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Shital Pavawalla, Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital, 9909 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850. E-mail: spavawal@adventisthealthcare.com
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Abstract

Cognitive performance can be impacted by many non-neurological factors, including preexisting expectations. The phenomenon of stereotype threat, or reduced cognitive performance due to preexisting beliefs, can apply to individuals following neurological injury (i.e., “diagnosis threat”). We examined the effect of diagnosis threat on cognitive performance and symptom reporting following concussions while accounting for group identification (i.e., extent to which one's identity is tied to being concussed). We also examined gender stereotype threat (i.e., women and math ability) to understand how these two related threat effects compare. Participants with a history of concussion were randomly assigned to one of three instructional sets emphasizing concussion history or gender, or neutral instructions. Individuals without a history of concussion served as a comparison group. Results revealed an effect of diagnosis threat on cognitive performance after group identification was taken into account, but only in male participants. In contrast, an underlying gender stereotype threat was observed in females across conditions, which was counteracted in the gender stereotype condition (i.e., stereotype reactance effect) due to the type of threat cues used. Also, controls exhibited greater symptom reporting than individuals with a concussion. Our findings highlight the importance of considering non-neurological factors impacting cognitive performance. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–9)

Keywords

Head injuryMemoryExpectationsStereotype threatNeuropsychological testsGender
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , March 2013 , pp. 305 - 313
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2012

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