Meta-cognitive beliefs about thought suppression and associated paradoxical effects

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the contents of meta-cognitive beliefs about thought suppression and to investigate the relationship between these beliefs and the paradoxical effects of thought suppression. In Study 1, we developed a scale measuring the endorsement of meta-cognitive beliefs about thought suppression. This measure, the Meta-cognitive Beliefs about Thought Suppression Questionnaire (BTQ), has four subscales: Distraction, Paradoxical Effect, Regret, and Promotion of Concentration. In Study 2 and Study 3, the BTQ showed sufficient criterion-related validity and test-retest reliability. In Study 4, we conducted an experiment to investigate the relationship between meta-cognitive beliefs about thought suppression and its paradoxical effects. Results showed that the Paradoxical Effect subscale score significantly predicted the number of intrusive thoughts during thought suppression. The development process of meta-cognitive beliefs about thought suppression and implications for research about cognitive control are discussed.