Learning objectives attentional bias across disorders:
After reading the articles and studying the materials presented during the lecture
1. students know and can explain the following constructs/terms/measurement procedures:
- Engagement bias (vigilance) = salient, disorder-relevant stimuli capture attention more
readily; thus attention is rapidly allocated toward these stimuli; hyper vigilance = excessively
attentive
- disengagement bias = slowed response times or a deficit in disengaging attention from
disorder-relevant stimuli
- maintained attention (avoidance) =
- first fixation = initial gaze
- (total) dwell-time =
- covert vs. overt attention = allowing brain to attend to stimulus without moving eyes toward
it vs obvious move of head toward stimulus one is paying attention to
- attentional (executive) control = ability to choose what one pays attention to and what they
ignore; one’s ability to concentrate
- attentional bias modification = modified version of attentional probe task
1. developed in response to the fact that elevated anxiety vulnerability is characterized by
attentional bias for threatening info
2. complete prolonged variants of tasks similar to those used to asses anxiety attentional
bias = but reconfigured in ways intended to target pattern of attentional change
3. adaptive to selectively attend away from threat info = create an intended avoid-threat
ABM training condition
4. may also render it adaptive to selectively attend toward threat = attend-threat ABM
training condition
5. Training contingency = probes consistently appear in the opposite locus from threat
(avoid-threat) intended to reduce selective attention to threat; probes appear in locus of
threat to increase attention to threat (attend-threat)
6. Modification of attentional selectivity found to influence stress reactivity = less intense
emotional responses to stressors
- Visual (dot) probe task
1. Two words (disorder-related and neutral) appear on screen simultaneously
2. One of them is replaced by a small dot = must indicate location in which dot appeared
3. RTs expected to be faster when dot replaces disorder-relevant word = larger effect
expected in disorder patient
- Exogeneous Cueing task (ECT) = direct measure
1. Participants must detect visual target stimulus presented in left or right
2. Before each target, a cue is briefly presented at either same spatial position (congruent)
or at the opposite one (incongruent)
3. Slower RTs on the incongruent trials = indicates exogenous orienting to the cue
4. Exogenous orienting enhanced when cue is disorder-related or when it is a signal of
impending disorder-related worry
- modified Stroop (colour naming interference) task
1. disorder-related and neutral words presented in different colors
2. assume disorder-related words automatically attract attention = interfere w color naming
3. slower RTs to disorder words
4. expected to be more prominent in patients w disorders
- primary task paradigm = indirect measure of attentional demand
1. the selection of disorder-relevant stimuli will result in decreased attention to other
domains
, 2. during the task, a task-irrelevant, but disorder-relevant, stimulus is presented
3. results in degradation of performance speed and accuracy
4. attentional interruption is short-lived = after initial interruption, attention re engaged to
focal goal
- visual search task
- free viewing task
In addition, students are able to describe how the components of attentional bias can be
meaningfully measured/used in the context of empirical lab research.
2. students know what type of attentional biases are proposed to be most critically involved in
substance use disorders, eating disorders, chronic pain, depression, and anxiety disorders (and are
aware of the critical differences and similarities of ABs across disorders).
- Substance Use: types of AB
1. due to reactivity to substance-related cues
2. some argue biases in cognitive processing of addiction-related stimuli are crucial aspect
of cue reactivity
3. article argues being motivated to use substance enhances attentional processing of
substance cues = this focus leads to increased cravings
4. cues are established by experience = attentional biases develop as result of classical
conditioning
5. substance cues acquire incentive-motivational properties, which can alter the way in
which cues are perceived
6. incentive-motivational theory
a. repeated use of substance produces dopaminergic response that becomes
sensitized (progressively larger) w each subsequent use
b. causes substance to be perceived as very salient n it acquires strong
motivational features
c. obtaining n using substance becomes important goal
d. strong subjective cravings develop
e. substance grabs attention = becomes attractive n wanted = guides behavior to
the incentive
f. cues become focus of attention = increase cravings = increased focus of
attention.. etc
7. Ryan’s model
a. Substance cues receive preferential attention = determines subjective cravings in
response to cues = reciprocal relation b/n cravings n attentional bias
8. Elaborated intrusion theory of desire
a. General model of subjective motivational states
b. Craving experienced as intrusion caused by internal states or external cues
c. Elaboration by ruminating on the craving or sustaining attention on the triggers =
results in increased strength of subjective craving
9. Bakers theory
a. Negative affect acts to inflate the incentive value of substance
10. Tiffany
a. Experienced substance users preferentially and automatically process substance
stimuli
b. Automatically direct and orient attention
11. Theory of current concerns
After reading the articles and studying the materials presented during the lecture
1. students know and can explain the following constructs/terms/measurement procedures:
- Engagement bias (vigilance) = salient, disorder-relevant stimuli capture attention more
readily; thus attention is rapidly allocated toward these stimuli; hyper vigilance = excessively
attentive
- disengagement bias = slowed response times or a deficit in disengaging attention from
disorder-relevant stimuli
- maintained attention (avoidance) =
- first fixation = initial gaze
- (total) dwell-time =
- covert vs. overt attention = allowing brain to attend to stimulus without moving eyes toward
it vs obvious move of head toward stimulus one is paying attention to
- attentional (executive) control = ability to choose what one pays attention to and what they
ignore; one’s ability to concentrate
- attentional bias modification = modified version of attentional probe task
1. developed in response to the fact that elevated anxiety vulnerability is characterized by
attentional bias for threatening info
2. complete prolonged variants of tasks similar to those used to asses anxiety attentional
bias = but reconfigured in ways intended to target pattern of attentional change
3. adaptive to selectively attend away from threat info = create an intended avoid-threat
ABM training condition
4. may also render it adaptive to selectively attend toward threat = attend-threat ABM
training condition
5. Training contingency = probes consistently appear in the opposite locus from threat
(avoid-threat) intended to reduce selective attention to threat; probes appear in locus of
threat to increase attention to threat (attend-threat)
6. Modification of attentional selectivity found to influence stress reactivity = less intense
emotional responses to stressors
- Visual (dot) probe task
1. Two words (disorder-related and neutral) appear on screen simultaneously
2. One of them is replaced by a small dot = must indicate location in which dot appeared
3. RTs expected to be faster when dot replaces disorder-relevant word = larger effect
expected in disorder patient
- Exogeneous Cueing task (ECT) = direct measure
1. Participants must detect visual target stimulus presented in left or right
2. Before each target, a cue is briefly presented at either same spatial position (congruent)
or at the opposite one (incongruent)
3. Slower RTs on the incongruent trials = indicates exogenous orienting to the cue
4. Exogenous orienting enhanced when cue is disorder-related or when it is a signal of
impending disorder-related worry
- modified Stroop (colour naming interference) task
1. disorder-related and neutral words presented in different colors
2. assume disorder-related words automatically attract attention = interfere w color naming
3. slower RTs to disorder words
4. expected to be more prominent in patients w disorders
- primary task paradigm = indirect measure of attentional demand
1. the selection of disorder-relevant stimuli will result in decreased attention to other
domains
, 2. during the task, a task-irrelevant, but disorder-relevant, stimulus is presented
3. results in degradation of performance speed and accuracy
4. attentional interruption is short-lived = after initial interruption, attention re engaged to
focal goal
- visual search task
- free viewing task
In addition, students are able to describe how the components of attentional bias can be
meaningfully measured/used in the context of empirical lab research.
2. students know what type of attentional biases are proposed to be most critically involved in
substance use disorders, eating disorders, chronic pain, depression, and anxiety disorders (and are
aware of the critical differences and similarities of ABs across disorders).
- Substance Use: types of AB
1. due to reactivity to substance-related cues
2. some argue biases in cognitive processing of addiction-related stimuli are crucial aspect
of cue reactivity
3. article argues being motivated to use substance enhances attentional processing of
substance cues = this focus leads to increased cravings
4. cues are established by experience = attentional biases develop as result of classical
conditioning
5. substance cues acquire incentive-motivational properties, which can alter the way in
which cues are perceived
6. incentive-motivational theory
a. repeated use of substance produces dopaminergic response that becomes
sensitized (progressively larger) w each subsequent use
b. causes substance to be perceived as very salient n it acquires strong
motivational features
c. obtaining n using substance becomes important goal
d. strong subjective cravings develop
e. substance grabs attention = becomes attractive n wanted = guides behavior to
the incentive
f. cues become focus of attention = increase cravings = increased focus of
attention.. etc
7. Ryan’s model
a. Substance cues receive preferential attention = determines subjective cravings in
response to cues = reciprocal relation b/n cravings n attentional bias
8. Elaborated intrusion theory of desire
a. General model of subjective motivational states
b. Craving experienced as intrusion caused by internal states or external cues
c. Elaboration by ruminating on the craving or sustaining attention on the triggers =
results in increased strength of subjective craving
9. Bakers theory
a. Negative affect acts to inflate the incentive value of substance
10. Tiffany
a. Experienced substance users preferentially and automatically process substance
stimuli
b. Automatically direct and orient attention
11. Theory of current concerns
