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Id eed642f7-14db-46dd-b849-61694a268cda

Year 2021

Abstract

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Attention, flexibility, and imagery in misophonia
(Simner et al., 2021)

Key Terms

Misophonia
cognitive inflexibility
auditory imagery
Embedded Figures Task
Attention to detail
seductive details effect

Dv Limitations • Study 2 ( the one with the behavioral task) had a small sample size. • Female-dominant sample may reflect self-selection biases rather than actual gender skew in misophonia. • they did not expose subjects to actual trigger sounds.

Dv Future Directions • Explore causal relationships between attention traits and misophonia. specifically, trait high attention to detail. • Investigate gender differences and replicate behavioral tasks with larger samples. • Examine links to related conditions (e.g., perfectionism, OCD) more directly.

Dv Relevance • tested the idea that disproportional differences in attentional traits causes Misophonics to over attended to otherwise mildly aversive sounds. the results ( self reports and behavioral data) support this, suggesting a dimensional rather than categorical view of misophonia. see note on “trait-based cognitive model” for more details • results support the idea of triggers being generally aversive. a great source to reference for attentional implications in Misophonia. • a great source to base designs of future studies looking at attention in Misophonia • note that they did not expose subjects to actual trigger sounds. • suggests that mental imagery is enhanced in Misophonics • Embedded Figures task findings support attentional trait differences, with symptom severity predicting accuracy. specifically, those reporting having more triggers did better on the task, making it an issue of number of trigger rather then severity of symptoms.

Dv Status #status/reviewed

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Initial Source

Misophonia

•

Attention, flexibility, and imagery in misophonia: Does attention exacerbate everyday disliking of sound?

Status:: #status/reviewed

Metadata

Item Type: #journalArticle
Authors: J. Simner, S. Koursarou, L.J. Rinaldi, J. Ward,
Date: 03-17-2022
Date Added: August 15, 2025
URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13803395.2022.2056581
DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2022.2056581
Cite Key: simnerAttentionFlexibilityImagery2021
Tags: #Misophonia, #sound-sensitivity, #Attention, #aversion, #models
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Abstract


Background/Purpose	Background- • Misophonia involves strong aversions to commonly occurring sounds. • It's hypothesized that this condition may be an exaggerated form of general sound disliking, rather than a categorically distinct phenomenon. • Previous research points to neural and cognitive differences in misophonics, particularly in attentional and emotional salience networks. • There is limited understanding of whether traits like attentional focus, cognitive rigidity, or vivid auditory imagery predispose individuals to misophonia. Purpose- • To test whether people with misophonia display dispositional cognitive traits—especially heightened attention to detail, cognitive inflexibility, and vivid auditory imagery—that exacerbate common sound aversions. • To determine if misophonia arises from amplified responses to generally disliked sounds.
Participants/samples	• Study 1: • 136 misophonics (mean age = 27.6) and 203 non-misophonics (mean age = 20.2). • Misophonia diagnosed using Misophonia Questionnaire (MQ); self-declared participants were screened. • Study 2: • 20 misophonics and 36 non-misophonics completed the Embedded Figures Task. • Participants restricted to trackpad users for response time consistency.
Measures	• Misophonia Questionnaire (MQ) – Assesses severity and behavioral/emotional impact of sound aversions • Sussex Misophonia Scale – Triggers (SMS-Triggers) – Measures aversion to 48 known misophonic triggers. • DFlex Questionnaire – Assesses cognitive inflexibility and attention to detail. • Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) – Attention to Detail Subscale – Measures focused attention on details. • Clarity of Auditory Imagery Scale (CAIS) – Assesses vividness of internal auditory representations. • Embedded Figures Task – Behavioral measure of local visual processing (attention to detail).
Procedures	• Online administration via the Misophonia Hub platform. • Participants completed all measures sequentially. • Study 2 used the Embedded Figures Task to measure performance-based attention to detail.
Results	• AQ Subscale: Misophonics scored higher in attention to detail (M = 5.47) than non-misophonics (M = 4.57); significant with d = 0.44. • DFlex: Misophonics showed higher scores on both attention and inflexibility subscales. • CAIS: Misophonics reported significantly more vivid auditory imagery (M = 18.99 vs 17.04; d = 0.34). • Trigger Aversiveness: High correlation (r = 0.88) in disliking of sounds between misophonics and non-misophonics; misophonics disliked more sounds overall. • Embedded Figures Task: No significant mean differences in accuracy/speed, but within the misophonic group, self reporting more triggers predicted higher accuracy (r = 0.63, p = .002).
Discussion/Limits	Conclusion- • Misophonics demonstrate elevated attention to detail, cognitive rigidity, and auditory imagery. • Trigger aversions appear quantitatively, not qualitatively, different—misophonics react more strongly to sounds that are already mildly aversive to others. • Attentional traits may contribute to heightened salience of trigger sounds. specifically, they note that having more attention to detail may be a key trait in Misophonia that results in hyper awareness of the annoying sounds • Embedded Figures task findings support attentional trait differences, with symptom severity predicting accuracy. specifically, those reporting having more triggers did better on teh task, making it an issue of number of trigger rather then severity of symptoms. (pdf) • found link to attention to detail and the frequency of triggers (rather then the severity of resposnes). the authors frame this as predictable in the sense that greater attention to detail makes one more likely to identify triggers. (pdf)
Limitations::	• Study 2 ( the one with the behavioral task) had a small sample size. • Female-dominant sample may reflect self-selection biases rather than actual gender skew in misophonia. • they did not expose subjects to actual trigger sounds.
Future Directions::	• Explore causal relationships between attention traits and misophonia. specifically, trait high attention to detail. • Investigate gender differences and replicate behavioral tasks with larger samples. • Examine links to related conditions (e.g., perfectionism, OCD) more directly.
Relevance::	• tested the idea that disproportional differences in attentional traits causes Misophonics to over attended to otherwise mildly aversive sounds. the results ( self reports and behavioral data) support this, suggesting a dimensional rather than categorical view of misophonia. see note on “trait-based cognitive model” for more details • results support the idea of triggers being generally aversive. a great source to reference for attentional implications in Misophonia. • a great source to base designs of future studies looking at attention in Misophonia • note that they did not expose subjects to actual trigger sounds. • suggests that mental imagery is enhanced in Misophonics • Embedded Figures task findings support attentional trait differences, with symptom severity predicting accuracy. specifically, those reporting having more triggers did better on the task, making it an issue of number of trigger rather then severity of symptoms.

Notes

key terms and concepts

Misophonia – A condition characterized by intense aversions to specific everyday sounds, such as chewing, breathing, or repetitive tapping, often resulting in emotional reactions like anger or disgust.
Attention to detail – The tendency to allocate cognitive resources to fine-grained features of the environment or tasks, sometimes at the expense of broader context.
Cognitive inflexibility – A trait characterized by difficulty in adapting thought patterns or behaviors in response to changing environmental demands.
Auditory imagery – The ability to mentally simulate or "hear" sounds internally in the absence of external auditory stimuli.
Embedded Figures Task – A behavioral task used to measure local processing and attention to detail by requiring participants to detect simple figures hidden within complex patterns. It is a visual perception test used to assess attention to detail and local processing abilities. Participants are shown a complex visual figure and must locate a simple target shape that is hidden within it. The target shape is embedded without any rotation or alteration, and the task measures how accurately and quickly individuals can identify it. Superior performance on the EFT indicates a heightened focus on fine-grained visual details, often associated with traits like cognitive rigidity or autism-spectrum tendencies.

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trait based cognitive model of Misophonia

Core Premise: Misophonia is not triggered by qualitatively different sounds but by common sounds (e.g., chewing, tapping) that most people find at least slightly unpleasant. However, Misophonics experience these sounds with extreme aversion due to underlying cognitive traits

Key Components of the Model:

Heightened Attention to Detail:
- Misophonics exhibit a stronger focus on fine-grained sensory features.
- This attentional style may lead to over-attending to sounds that others can ignore.
Cognitive Inflexibility:
- Difficulty shifting cognitive focus or adapting to environmental changes.
- Associated with traits like perfectionism, which may intensify negative evaluations of sound.
Vivid Auditory Imagery:
- Greater capacity to mentally simulate sounds may lead to re-experiencing aversive sounds internally, prolonging distress even in the absence of real stimuli.
Shared Aversive Sound Spectrum:
- Triggers in misophonia are not unique; they follow the same preference gradient as non-misophonics.
- The difference lies in magnitude of aversion, not in type of stimulus.

Mechanism: Dispositional traits (attention to detail, inflexibility, vivid imagery) heighten the salience of mildly aversive stimuli → leads to greater emotional and behavioral reactivity → results in the clinical profile of misophonia.

Model Implications:

Misophonia is best conceptualized as an intensified expression of common sensitivities, mediated by cognitive style.
These cognitive traits may serve as vulnerability factors for the development or exacerbation of misophonia.

Misophonia as Trait Amplification

The study supports a dimensional rather than categorical view of misophonia.
Misophonia may be understood as an intensification of shared sensitivities rather than a distinct perceptual disorder.

Theoretical Implications

Attention to detail and imagery might feed into each other, leading to enhanced mental representations of unwanted stimuli.
Misophonia shares cognitive traits with disorders involving over-attention and rigidity, suggesting overlapping etiology.

zettelkasten

a trait based cognitive model of Misophonia proposes significant role of hyper attention to detail and cognitive inflexibility in Misophonia
there is support for an idea that Misophonia responses represent intensified expressions of responses to generally aversive stimuli