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

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.

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

10.31234/osf.io/z6y53 ◽

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.

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Limited generalisation of changes in attentional bias following attentional bias modification with the visual probe task

Cognition & Emotion ◽

10.1080/02699931.2015.1092418 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 369-376 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Bram Van Bockstaele ◽

Elske Salemink ◽

Susan M. Bögels ◽

Reinout W. Wiers

Keyword(s):

Attentional Bias ◽

Attentional Bias Modification ◽

Probe Task ◽

Visual Probe ◽

Bias Modification

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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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Does a Single Session of Training Modify Emotion-Induced Blindness?

10.31234/osf.io/5j4sf ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sandersan Onie ◽

Chris Donkin ◽

Steven Most

Keyword(s):

Attentional Bias ◽

Strong Evidence ◽

Attentional Biases ◽

Target Interval ◽

Single Session ◽

Attentional Bias Modification ◽

Task Irrelevant ◽

The Impact ◽

Bias Modification ◽

Negative Stimuli

Emotion-Induced Blindness (EIB) is a robust phenomenon in which people fail to see targets that appear in spatiotemporal proximity to task-irrelevant emotional distractors. Evidence suggests that it involves different mechanisms than tasks widely used to assess attentional biases and their modification. To assess the utility of EIB as an attentional bias modification task, we investigated its malleability in two experiments. In Experiment 1, participants trained to ignore negative distractors, ignore neutral distractors, or simply received equivalent exposure to negative distractors over 720 trials. Analyses revealed strong evidence against effects of training condition. Experiment 2 investigated whether training effects might emerge with EIB was tested at a longer distractor-target interval and added an additional, no-distractor comparison condition. Analyses of Experiment 2 provided some evidence that exposure to negative stimuli may reduce the impact of novel negative stimuli, which may hold implications for the wider attentional literature.

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Perspectives on Modifying Attentional Biases Amongst Individuals with Tobacco Use Disorder Using Technology: A Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16152644 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (15) ◽

pp. 2644 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tan ◽

Zhang ◽

Choo

Keyword(s):

Attentional Bias ◽

Tobacco Use ◽

Psychosocial Interventions ◽

Recent Decade ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Mobile App ◽

Attentional Biases ◽

Attention Bias Modification ◽

Attentional Bias Modification ◽

Bias Modification

Smoking remains a significant health problem. Attentional biases influence smoking behaviours, but have not been the target of psychosocial interventions. The first part of this perspective article will provide an overview of the theoretical constructs underlying attentional biases, methods of measuring attentional biases, and evidence for attentional bias modification amongst individuals with tobacco use disorders. The second part of this article will outline how the advent of technological advances could be harnessed in attentional bias modification for smokers. As there is potential for attentional bias training to be delivered via mobile app, literature was reviewed over the recent decade, 2009 to 2019, to examine available research evidence. The search terms were “web-based” or “mobile based”, and “attention bias modification” or “attentional bias” and “smoking” or “tobacco use”. The PsycINFO, Scopus, and PubMed databases were initially used to identify papers with the above-mentioned inclusion criteria. Five papers were included in the review. Lastly, an integrated perspective will be provided, from both clinical and research standpoints. In conclusion, more research is needed to address the gaps in knowledge and to provide an evidence base for the implementation of mobile phone technologies for attention retraining in smokers.

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Attentional Bias Modification in Virtual Reality – A VR-Based Dot-Probe Task With 2D and 3D Stimuli

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02526 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Lichen Ma ◽

Anne-Wil Kruijt ◽

Sofia Nöjd ◽

Elin Zetterlund ◽

Gerhard Andersson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Attentional Bias ◽

Dot Probe ◽

Attentional Bias Modification ◽

Probe Task ◽

2D And 3D ◽

Bias Modification

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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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