Cognitive and physiological determinants of symptom perception and interpretation

The purpose of the current study was to test the aspects of MacGregor and Fleming's model of symptom reporting and illness interpretation. Participants were randomly assigned to cognitive cue (Chemical or No Chemical), sensory cue (Odor or No Odor), and somatic arousal (Exercise or No Exercise) conditions. The findings suggested that although somatic arousal primarily determines whether one experiences symptoms, and expectations - or one's mental model - determine the nature of the attribution regarding the cause of the symptoms, it appears that both the attribution about the cause of the symptoms and the amount of somatic arousal experienced combine to produce the intensity of negative symptoms.