Attentional retraining and cognitive biases in a regular cannabis smoking student population

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 355-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Andrea Wolf ◽  
Elske Salemink ◽  
Reinout W. Wiers
Keyword(s):  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Stroop Task ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Avoidance Task ◽  
Implicit Measures ◽  
Approach And Avoidance ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Visual Probe ◽  
Problematic Substance Use ◽  
Problematic Substance

Abstract. Aim Repeated drug use can lead to attentional bias and approach tendencies, which are thought to play an important role in problematic substance use and dependence. The aims of the current study were to 1) test an attentional retraining procedure in a sample of moderate and heavy cannabis using students and 2) compare baseline attentional and approach bias between the two groups with different implicit measures. Design and participants Attentional bias scores toward cannabis-related or neutral stimuli were determined with modified versions of the Visual Probe Task and the cannabis Stroop task. Approach and avoidance action tendencies toward cannabis-related and neutral stimuli were assessed with the cannabis Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) and the Stimulus Response Compatibility task (SRC). Seventeen participants were assigned randomly to five sessions of an attentional retraining procedure or control training. Results Attentional retraining did not decrease the speeded detection of cannabis stimuli and the difficulty to disengage from those stimuli, no trainingseffects were revealed. Moderate cannabis users did not show an attentional bias for cannabis-related cues (measured with the cannabis Stroop task), whereas heavy cannabis users did show an attentional bias for cannabis-related stimuli that cannot be attributed to cognitive control deficits on the classical Stroop task. Moreover, heavy cannabis users, but not moderate users, were significant faster to approach cannabis images compared to neutral images, using the SRC task. Conclusion Seen the observed difference in cognitive biases towards cannabis stimuli between moderate and heavy cannabis users, this study supports the allegation that cognitive biases towards cannabis stimuli may be an important marker of problematic cannabis use.

scholarly journals Predictive attentional bias modification induces stimulus-evoked attentional bias for threat

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Gladwin
Keyword(s):  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Attentional Biases ◽  
Cognitive Response ◽  
Attention Bias Modification ◽  
Attentional Bias Modification ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Visual Probe ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Primary Test ◽  
Bias Modification

Attention Bias Modification (ABM) aims to modulate attentional biases, but questions remain about its efficacy and there may be new variants yet to explore. The current study tested effects of a novel version of ABM, predictive ABM (predABM), using visually neutral cues predicting the locations of future threatening and neutral stimuli that had a chance of appearing after a delay. Such effects could also help understand anticipatory attentional biases measured using cued Visual Probe Tasks. 102 participants completed the experiment online. We tested whether training Towards Threat versus Away from Threat contingencies on the predABM would cause subsequent attentional biases towards versus away from threat versus neutral stimuli, respectively. Participants were randomly assigned and compared on attentional bias measured via a post-training Dot-Probe task. A significant difference was found between the attentional bias in the Towards Threat versus Away from Threat group. The training contingencies induced effects on bias in the expected direction, although the bias in each group separately did not reach significance. Stronger effects may require multiple training sessions. Nevertheless, the primary test confirmed the hypothesis, showing that the predABM is a potentially interesting variant of ABM. Theoretically, the results show that automatization may involve the process of selecting the outcome of a cognitive response, rather than a simple stimulus-response association. Training based on contingencies involving predicted stimuli affect subsequent attentional measures and could be of interest in future clinical studies.

scholarly journals Predictive attentional bias modification induces stimulus-evoked attentional bias for threat

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Gladwin ◽  
Martin Möbius ◽  
Eni S. Becker
Keyword(s):  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Attentional Biases ◽  
Cognitive Response ◽  
Attentional Bias Modification ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Probe Task ◽  
Visual Probe ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Primary Test ◽  
Bias Modification

Attentional Bias Modification (ABM) aims to modulate attentional biases, but questions remain about its efficacy and there may be new variants yet to explore. The current study tested effects of a novel version of ABM, predictive ABM (predABM), using visually neutral cues predicting the locations of future threatening and neutral stimuli that had a chance of appearing after a delay. Such effects could also help understand anticipatory attentional biases measured using cued Visual Probe Tasks. One hundred and two participants completed the experiment online. We tested whether training Towards Threat versus Away from Threat contingencies on the predABM would cause subsequent attentional biases towards versus away from threat versus neutral stimuli, respectively. Participants were randomly assigned and compared on attentional bias measured via a post-training Dot-Probe task. A significant difference was found between the attentional bias in the Towards Threat versus Away from Threat group. The training contingencies induced effects on bias in the expected direction, although the bias in each group separately did not reach significance. Stronger effects may require multiple training sessions. Nevertheless, the primary test confirmed the hypothesis, showing that the predABM is a potentially interesting variant of ABM. Theoretically, the results show that automatization may involve the process of selecting the outcome of a cognitive response, rather than a simple stimulus-response association. Training based on contingencies involving predicted stimuli affect subsequent attentional measures and could be of interest in future clinical studies.

scholarly journals Relating Reactive and Proactive Aggression to Trait Driving Anger in Young and Adult Males: A Pilot Study Using Explicit and Implicit Measures

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1850
Author(s):  
Veerle Ross ◽  
Nora Reinolsmann ◽  
Jill Lobbestael ◽  
Chantal Timmermans ◽  
Tom Brijs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Proactive Aggression ◽  
Implicit Measures ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Driving Anger ◽  
Reactive And Proactive Aggression

Driving anger and aggressive driving are main contributors to crashes, especially among young males. Trait driving anger is context-specific and unique from other forms of anger. It is necessary to understand the mechanisms of trait driving anger to develop targeted interventions. Although literature conceptually distinguished reactive and proactive aggression, this distinction is uncommon in driving research. Similar, cognitive biases related to driving anger, measured by a combination of explicit and implicit measures, received little attention. This pilot study related explicit and implicit measures associated with reactive and proactive aggression to trait driving anger, while considering age. The sample consisted of 42 male drivers. The implicit measures included a self-aggression association (i.e., Single-Target Implicit Association Test) and an attentional aggression bias (i.e., Emotional Stroop Task). Reactive aggression related positively with trait driving anger. Moreover, a self-aggression association negatively related to trait driving anger. Finally, an interaction effect for age suggested that only in young male drivers, higher proactive aggression related to lower trait driving anger. These preliminary results motivate further attention to the combination of explicit and implicit measures related to reactive and proactive aggression in trait driving anger research.

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