Exploring an Implicit Measure of Acceptance and Experiential Avoidance of Anxiety

Experiential avoidance (EA) is a generalized risk factor for psychopathology and is defined as an unwillingness to remain in contact with private events. A number of behavioral tasks have demonstrated potential in assessing EA, including a limited number of studies using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). IRAP studies of EA to date have involved relatively small samples, limited consideration of dependent variables, and/or stimulus configurations that addressed a conceptually narrow aspect of EA. The current study describes the initial piloting of an IRAP designed to assess implicit repertoires regarding EA and acceptance in response to anxiety-relevant and positive emotional words. A variety of conceptually relevant self-report measures were administered along with the EA IRAP to a sample of college undergraduates. Dependent variables included average latencies for each block type as well as D-scores for each trial type of the IRAP. Evidence for convergent validity was revealed by correlations between the IRAP block-type latencies and a self-report measure of defusion, while unexpected divergent relations were obtained between self-reports and IRAP D-scores. Overall, the Drexel Defusion Scale was the most robust correlate of IRAP performance; trait anxiety and experiential avoidance were also correlated. We discuss alternative approaches to stimulus selection (including response options), increased efforts to reduce attrition, and utilization of clinical samples.