Attentional bias modification for chocolate: Sham-n training as a new control group

Although attentional bias modification has been shown effective in several appetitive domains, results have been mixed. A major contributor seems to be the choice of control condition. The aim of the present study was to compare attentional bias modification for chocolate against a new control condition, sham-n (neutral or no-contingency) training. Using a modified dot probe protocol, participants (N = 192; 17–30 years) were randomly trained to attend to chocolate pictures, avoid chocolate pictures, or received sham-n training. In the attend and avoid conditions, stimulus pairs consisted of one chocolate and one non-chocolate picture, and probes replaced most often (90/10) chocolate or non-chocolate pictures, respectively. In the sham-n training condition, stimulus pairs consisted of two chocolate or two non-chocolate pictures, and probes replaced pictures within pairs with equal frequency (50/50). Attentional bias for chocolate increased following attend training, decreased following avoidance training, and did not change following sham-n training. The findings clearly demonstrate that both attend and avoidance training alter (in opposite direction) attentional bias for chocolate, whereas sham-n training is inert. This makes sham-n training particularly promising for use in clinical samples who tend to show strong initial biases.

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Attentional bias modification treatment for depression: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

10.31234/osf.io/8ern2 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Kean J. Hsu ◽

Kayla D. Caffey ◽

Derek Pisner ◽

Jason Shumake ◽

Semeon Risom ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Attentional Bias ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Theoretical Models ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Attentional Bias Modification ◽

Treatment Mediators ◽

The Impact ◽

Bias Modification

Theoretical models and empirical research point to negatively biased attention as a maintaining factor in depression. Although preliminary studies suggest experimentally modifying attentional biases (i.e., attentional bias modification; ABM) reduces depression symptoms and depression risk, relatively few rigorous studies with clinical samples have been completed. This clinical trial examines the impact of ABM on a sample of adults (N = 123) with elevated depression severity who also exhibit at least modest levels of negatively biased attention prior to treatment. Participants will be randomly assigned to either active ABM, placebo ABM, or an assessment-only control condition. Individuals assigned to ABM will complete 5 trainings per week (2 in-clinic, 3 brief trainings at-home) during a four-week period. Throughout this four-week period, participants will complete weekly assessments of symptom severity and putative treatment mediators measured across different levels of analysis (e.g., eye tracking, behavioral measures, and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging). This article details the rationale and design of the clinical trial, including methodological issues that required more extensive consideration. Our findings may not only point to an easily-accessible, efficacious treatment for depression but may also provide a meaningful test of whether a theoretically important construct, negatively biased attention, maintains depression.

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Attentional bias modification based on visual probe task: methodological issues, results and clinical relevance

Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy ◽

10.1590/2237-6089-2015-0011 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 183-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Fernanda Machado Lopes ◽

Keitiline R. Viacava ◽

Lisiane Bizarro

Keyword(s):

Attentional Bias ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Additional Treatment ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Specific Class ◽

Attentional Bias Modification ◽

Probe Task ◽

Visual Probe ◽

Potential Clinical Utility ◽

Bias Modification

Introduction: Attentional bias, the tendency that a person has to drive or maintain attention to a specific class of stimuli, may play an important role in the etiology and persistence of mental disorders. Attentional bias modification has been studied as a form of additional treatment related to automatic processing. Objectives: This systematic literature review compared and discussed methods, evidence of success and potential clinical applications of studies about attentional bias modification (ABM) using a visual probe task. Methods: The Web of Knowledge, PubMed and PsycInfo were searched using the keywords attentional bias modification, attentional bias manipulation and attentional bias training. We selected empirical studies about ABM training using a visual probe task written in English and published between 2002 and 2014. Results: Fifty-seven studies met inclusion criteria. Most (78%) succeeded in training attention in the predicted direction, and in 71% results were generalized to other measures correlated with the symptoms. Conclusions: ABM has potential clinical utility, but to standardize methods and maximize applicability, future studies should include clinical samples and be based on findings of studies about its effectiveness.

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Effects of Online Attentional Bias Modification on Coronavirus Anxiety

Practice in Clinical Psychology ◽

10.32598/jpcp.9.2.739.2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 143-152

Author(s):

Saeed Nasiry ◽

◽

Zahra Ameli ◽

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Attentional Bias ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Mental Health Issue ◽

Control Group ◽

Control Group Design ◽

Attentional Bias Modification ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Bias Modification

Objective: The negative impacts of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)outbreak on public mental health are enhancing the number of individuals requiring psychotherapy. Besides, anxiety is becoming more frequent than any other mental health issue among individuals. Similar to other anxiety types, coronavirus anxiety is associated with elevated attentional bias. The present study aimed to examine the effects of Attentional Bias Modification (ABM) on attentional bias towards coronavirus-related stimuli, and coronavirus anxiety. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest-follow-up and a control group design. The research participants were 37 adults (aged 18 to 38 y), who were randomly assigned to the experimental (n=18) and control (n=19) groups. The experimental group received ABM, while no intervention was delivered to the controls. Attentional bias and coronavirus disease anxiety were assessed at pretest, posttest, and 2 months follow-up stages using the Dot-Probe Task (DPT) and the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS). The collected data were analyzed using two-way repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Fisher’s least significant difference in SPSS v. 26. Results: After receiving online ABM, the study participant’s coronavirus-related attentional bias decreased, leading to a significant reduction in coronavirus anxiety (P<0.05). These significant changes were evident at the posttest and maintained until the follow-up step. However, no significant changes occurred in the control group (P>0.05). Conclusion: The presented ABM could decrease coronavirus anxiety; thus, its online implementation is a suitable approach to treat individuals with this anxiety while observing social distancing.

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