The interaction effect of attentional bias and attentional control on dispositional anxiety among adolescents

Research has shown that children and adolescents with attentional control deficits tend to have high anxiety and exhibit threat‐related selective attentional bias. This study aimed to investigate how positive and negative attentional biases would interact with attentional control on dispositional anxiety. One hundred and twenty participants aged 18 years of age or younger participated in a visual dot‐probe task to measure their attentional bias and completed psychological questionnaires to measure their trait anxiety, and attentional control. Mean reaction times to the probe in milliseconds were used to measure attentional bias. Overall, our participants showed a bigger tendency towards attending to positive emotional stimuli than to negative emotional stimuli. Adolescents with high dispositional anxiety showed poorer attentional control. Regression analyses showed that attentional control interact with negative attentional bias to affect anxiety. For participants with high attentional control, higher negative attentional bias was associated with lower trait anxiety. Trait anxiety was not related to negative attentional bias for participants with low attentional control. Positive attentional bias showed no significant relationship with dispositional anxiety, either alone or in interaction with attentional control. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are also discussed.     

社交焦虑障碍中的注意偏差三成分研究述评

社交焦虑障碍表现为对一种或多种社交情境存在显著并持续的害怕,并表现出对社交刺激具有注意偏差,即注意增强、注意固着和注意回避,这三个成分交互作用促使社交焦虑持续发展.目前主要采用视觉搜索任务、点探测任务、空间线索任务,并结合眼动技术对此进行研究,但三成分之间的关系仍然存在疑惑,三者是否具有时间进程,如何衔接转换,仍需进一步检验.     

广泛性焦虑个体的注意偏向

探讨广泛性焦虑个体在一般情境和不确定性情境下注意偏向的特点。采用点探测注意搜索任务研究了在一般情境下和不确定性情境下广泛性焦虑个体的注意偏向, 结果表明高广泛性焦虑个体的注意偏向以对威胁性刺激的注意转移困难为主, 不确定性情境会让广泛性焦虑个体更容易处于紧张焦虑的状态当中, 从而对情绪性刺激尤其是消极刺激表现出更多的注意偏向和对情绪性刺激直接的注意敏感性。     

注意偏向训练：起源、效果与机制

近年来注意偏向被证明是一些心理疾病产生、维持和复发的原因。因此, 注意偏向训练成为一种前景性的治疗方法, 对低自尊、焦虑障碍、物质成瘾有良好的干预效果。它可能作用于注意的晚期加工阶段, 通过调节 “自上而下”的注意系统来改变相关症状。干预效果的条件、机制与神经机制的探索应成为今后的研究方向。     

焦虑和抑郁对正负性注意偏向的影响：注意控制的中介作用

采用状态-特质焦虑量表、流调抑郁量表、注意控制量表和正负性信息注意量表,对481名在校大学生进行调查研究,考察了焦虑、抑郁对注意偏向的影响,并探讨了注意控制在其中的中介作用。研究发现：（1）正性注意偏向与注意控制呈正相关,与状态焦虑、特质焦虑和流调抑郁呈负相关;负性注意偏向与注意控制呈负相关,与状态焦虑、特质焦虑和流调抑郁呈正相关。（2）特质焦虑、注意集中、注意转移可显著预测正性注意偏向,状态焦虑、流调抑郁和注意集中则显著预测负性注意偏向。（3）注意转移和注意集中中介了状态焦虑、特质焦虑、流调抑郁和正、负性注意偏向间的关系。研究提示注意控制是一个重要的保护性因素,可缓解或消除焦虑和抑郁对注意偏向的负面影响。     

Threat-Related Attentional Bias in Anxious Youth: A Review

The research literature suggests that children and adolescents suffering from anxiety disorders experience cognitive distortions that magnify their perceived level of threat in the environment. Of these distortions, an attentional bias toward threat-related information has received the most theoretical and empirical consideration. A large volume of research suggests that anxiety-disordered youth selectively allocate their attention toward threat-related information. The present review critically examines this research and highlights several issues relevant to the study of threat-related attentional bias in youth, including the influences of temperament, trait anxiety, and state anxiety on threat-related attentional bias. It furthermore identifies the need for developmental and methodological considerations and recommends directions for research.     

注意偏向训练对社交焦虑的干预：方法、效果与机制

社交焦虑障碍是最普遍且难于治疗的精神障碍之一。大量研究发现, 注意偏向训练可以有效缓解社交焦虑。研究者从自我报告、结构化评估、生理记录等方面考察发现, 接受了注意偏向训练的社交焦虑个体其注意偏向、生理唤醒和脑神经活动发生变化并且社交焦虑症状有所缓解。注意偏向训练对社交焦虑的干预机制可能是因为训练提升了个体对威胁性刺激的注意解除能力。今后的研究可以进一步明确注意偏向训练干预社交焦虑的效果与机制, 拓宽评估注意偏向训练效果的手段, 并探索其对社交焦虑干预的长期效果和对其它心理疾病的作用。     

特质焦虑大学生注意偏向的实验研究

焦虑与注意偏向的研究是近年来情绪与认知领域的热点.本研究采用点探测和线索靶子两个实验任务来探讨特质焦虑大学生注意偏向的特点及其内在机制.结果表明:(1)高特质焦虑大学生对负性情绪词附近靶刺激的反应时显著短于中性和正性情绪词附近的靶刺激.表现出一种对负性刺激的注意偏向.而低特质焦虑大学生没有出现注意偏向;(2)高低特质焦虑大学生在有效线索情况下反应时没有显著差异;在无效线索情况下.高特质焦虑大学生对以负性情绪词为线索的靶刺激反应时显著长于对其他靶刺激的反应时,表现出一种对负性刺激的空间注意的解除困难.因此,高特质焦虑个体对负性刺激的注意偏向是一种注意解除困难.     

注意偏向训练对广泛性焦虑障碍负性情绪注意偏向的影响

采用改良的点探测任务,探讨了注意偏向训练能否改变GAD患者的负性情绪注意偏向并缓解其焦虑状态,及注意偏向训练的作用机制。结果发现,与控制组相比,训练组被试的负性注意偏向分数显著降低,具体表现为训练后训练组的负性注意解除能力显著高于控制组,两组被试的负性注意警觉在前后测均未有显著变化;注意偏向训练引起了GAD患者积极情绪的变化,缓解了状态焦虑。这证明了注意偏向训练对改变GAD患者负性情绪注意偏向及缓解其焦虑状态的有效性,并揭示这种改变主要是通过提升其对负性刺激的注意解除能力来实现的。     

Attentional networks and visuospatial working memory capacity in social anxiety

Social anxiety is associated with attentional bias and working memory for emotional stimuli; however, the ways in which social anxiety affects cognitive functions involving non-emotional stimuli remains unclear. The present study focused on the role of attentional networks (i.e. alerting, orienting, and executive control networks) and visuospatial working memory capacity (WMC) for non-emotional stimuli in the context of social anxiety. One hundred and seventeen undergraduates completed questionnaires on social anxiety. They then performed an attentional network test and a change detection task to measure visuospatial WMC. Orienting network and visuospatial WMC were positively correlated with social anxiety. A multiple regression analysis showed significant positive associations of alerting, orienting, and visuospatial WMC with social anxiety. Alerting, orienting networks, and high visuospatial WMC for non-emotional stimuli may predict degree of social anxiety.     

The Influence of Anticipatory Processing on Attentional Biases in Social Anxiety

Research on cognitive theories of social anxiety disorder (SAD) has identified individual processes that influence this condition (e.g., cognitive biases, repetitive negative thinking), but few studies have attempted to examine the interaction between these processes. For example, attentional biases and anticipatory processing are theoretically related and have been found to influence symptoms of SAD, but they rarely have been studied together (i.e., Clark & Wells, 1995). Therefore, the goal of the current study was to examine the effect of anticipatory processing on attentional bias for internal (i.e., heart rate feedback) and external (i.e., emotional faces) threat information. A sample of 59 participants high (HSA) and low (LSA) in social anxiety symptoms engaged in a modified dot-probe task prior to (Time 1) and after (Time 2) an anticipatory processing or distraction task. HSAs who anticipated experienced an increase in attentional bias for internal information from Time 1 to Time 2, whereas HSAs in the distraction condition and LSAs in either condition experienced no changes. No changes in biases were found for HSAs for external biases, but LSAs who engaged in the distraction task became less avoidant of emotional faces from Time 1 to Time 2. This suggests that anticipatory processing results in an activation of attentional biases for physiological information as suggested by Clark and Wells.     

Depressive and Anxious Symptomatology Moderate the Relationship Between Childhood Emotional Abuse Severity and Attentional Bias on the Modified Stroop Task

Research has demonstrated that the impact of childhood abuse often outlasts the initial abuse experiences, paving the way for a myriad of psychological difficulties in adulthood. Attentional bias might serve as a pathway from childhood abuse to negative outcomes associated with such experiences. The primary aim of the study was to investigate the impact of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) experiences on the presence of attentional bias in a sample of college women by comparing performance on a modified Stroop task between CEA survivors (n = 28) and a nonabused control group (n = 31). Results suggest that for CEA survivors, psychological symptoms moderated the relationship between CEA severity and attentional bias to specific word types. Results underscore the importance in continued exploration of the relationship among childhood emotional abuse, attentional bias, and concurrent psychopathology. Results also suggest that modification of attentional biases, via cognitive bias modification procedures, could help mitigate the impact of childhood abuse experiences on psychological well-being in adult survivors.     

情绪信息与注意偏向

情绪信息对注意的调节是情绪研究的热点问题之一。过去的研究多集中于注意偏向,研究范式的多样化、被试群体特质的差异性,导致对注意偏向机制的诸多争论,形成了注意成分说、图式说、注意资源说和PDP模型。注意成分说认为,威胁相关的刺激损害了注意解除能力而引起偏向。图式说认为,图式或知识结构的激活引发注意偏向。注意资源说认为,过多注意资源的消耗引起情绪Stroop实验中的注意偏向。PDP模型认为,特殊人群过高的输入单元激活水平引起注意偏向。     

低自尊个体注意偏向的ERP研究

本研究以高兴、愤怒和中性面孔图片为实验材料,采用空间线索任务,借助事件相关电位技术(ERP)探讨低自尊个体注意偏向的内在机制及生理基础,即从电生理的角度,探讨注意偏向的内在机制是反映了注意的快速定向还是注意的解脱困难,亦或是既有快速注意定向又伴随注意的解脱困难。行为数据发现,高低自尊个体在有效提示下的反应显著快于无效提示条件。脑电数据发现,无效提示条件下,愤怒面孔后的靶子比高兴和中性面孔后的靶子在低自尊个体中诱发了更大的P1和更小的N1波幅,有效提示下无显著差异;高自尊个体在N1和P1波幅上无显著结果。晚期P300成分上,无效提示比有效提示诱发了更正的波幅,未发现自尊相关的显著差异。结果表明,低自尊个体对评价性威胁信息(愤怒)的注意偏向是对威胁信息(愤怒)的注意解脱困难。     

Attentional bias and anxiety in individuals with coronary heart disease

This study examined whether in an emotional Stroop task, individuals with coronary heart disease (CHD) would show greater attention towards the threatening words related to their disease than healthy persons, and if such an attentional bias is associated with anxiety. An emotional Stroop task with threatening words related to CHD as well as positive, negative and neutral words was administered to 35 individuals with CHD and 35 healthy controls. Additionally, the original Stroop task, the Beck anxiety inventory and the state-trait anxiety inventory were administered. The results indicated an attentional bias towards threatening words related to CHD in the individuals with CHD. They experienced higher interference than healthy participants from threatening words related to CHD but not from positive or negative words. Moreover, the level of interference was associated with their level of anxiety, and a vicious circle may exist in this association. In addition, results indicated a possible deficit of executive functioning among individuals with CHD. Attentional bias, as well as its association with anxiety, and an indication of deficit in executive functioning among individuals with CHD might be the risk factors for these individuals’ quality of life and for further development of their disease.     

成年期残疾个体对不同类型社交线索的注意偏向

为了探讨成年期残疾个体对不同类型社交线索的注意偏向,以正常人作为对照组,通过两个实验,分别采用情绪Stroop任务和同中选异任务考察了成年期残疾个体对社交反馈言语线索和社交反馈情绪线索的注意偏向。研究发现:(1)残疾人对社交拒绝词的颜色命名显著快于正常人,即残疾人对消极社交反馈言语线索存在注意偏向;(2)残疾人对愤怒面孔的检测显著快于正常人,正常人对快乐面孔的检测显著快于残疾人,即残疾人对消极社交反馈情绪线索更加敏感,而正常人则对积极社交反馈情绪线索更加敏感;(3)残疾人不存在对消极社交反馈情绪线索的注意解脱困难。     

攻击者的注意偏向与归因偏向及其关系

在攻击者的认知偏向中,注意偏向与归因偏向尤为引人注目。攻击者常偏向于注意敌意性的刺激,并会对模棱两可的情境作出敌意性的解释。二者的关系存在注意优先模型与解释优先模型两种可能性,注意优先模型认为注意过程先于解释过程,解释优先模型则相反。两种假设各有论据支持,而攻击者注意偏向与归因偏向的关系尚无定论。今后的研究当改进实验方法、运用多种技术从理论和应用两方面更深入地探讨攻击者的这二种偏向及其关系。     

Intergenerational transmission of attentional bias and anxiety

Earlier evidence has revealed a bi‐directional causal relationship between anxiety and attention biases in adults and children. This study investigated the prospective and concurrent relations between anxiety and attentional bias in a sample of 89 families (mothers, fathers, and first‐born children). Parents’ and children's attentional bias was measured when children were 7.5 years old, using both a visual probe task and visual search task with angry versus happy facial expressions. Generalized and social anxiety symptoms in parents and children were measured when children were 4.5 and 7.5 years old. Anxiety in parents and children was prospectively (but not concurrently) related to their respective attentional biases to threat: All participants showed a larger attentional bias to threat in the visual search (but not in the visual probe) task if they were more anxious at the 4.5 (but not at the 7.5) year measurement. Moreover, parents’ anxiety levels were prospectively predictive of the visual search attentional bias of their children after controlling for child anxiety. More anxiety in mothers at 4.5 years was related to a faster detection of angry among happy faces, while more anxiety in fathers predicted a faster detection of happy among angry faces in children at 7.5 years. We found no direct association between parental and child attentional biases. Our study contributes to the recently emerging literature on attentional biases as a potential mechanism in the intergenerational transmission of anxiety by showing that parents’ anxiety rather than parents’ attentional bias contributes to the intergenerational transmission of risk for child anxiety.     

手机成瘾与抑郁：社交焦虑和负性情绪信息注意偏向的多重中介作用

为考察手机成瘾与抑郁的关系, 研究同时整合情绪和认知两方面因素, 探讨了社交焦虑和负性情绪信息注意偏向在手机成瘾和抑郁之间的多重中介作用。研究1共有545名大学生完成了大学生手机成瘾倾向量表、贝克抑郁量表和社会交往焦虑量表。研究2选取51名大学生采用问卷法和2(配对面孔表情的情绪类型: 负性、中性) × 2(探测点位置: 与负性情绪面孔表情同侧、与负性情绪面孔表情异侧)的被试内实验设计。结果表明: (1)手机成瘾、社交焦虑和抑郁两两间存在显著正相关, 且社交焦虑在手机成瘾和抑郁之间起完全中介作用; (2)社交焦虑和负性情绪信息注意偏向在手机成瘾与抑郁的关系中起链式中介作用, 而负性情绪信息注意偏向在手机成瘾与抑郁间的单独中介效应不显著。具体而言, 手机成瘾通过两条路径影响抑郁: 一是社交焦虑的单独中介作用; 二是社交焦虑→负性情绪信息注意偏向的链式中介作用。     

积极情绪促进对积极刺激注意偏向：投入与抽离

一系列研究结果被认为反映了积极情绪促进投入注意至积极刺激的偏向。然而,由于所使用的范式不能分离对积极刺激的注意投入偏向和抽离偏向,这些研究结果也可能反映了积极情绪促进从积极刺激抽离注意更少的偏向。本研究采用音乐聆听和事件回忆唤起被试的积极或中性情绪,随后要求被试完成点探测范式的变式任务,通过中性-中性条件与一致条件的反应时之差测量投入偏向,以及不一致条件与中性-中性条件的反应时之差测量抽离偏向,探讨积极情绪究竟促进投入偏向,还是促进抽离偏向。结果表明：（1）相比中性组,积极情绪组并没有表现出更大的中性-中性条件和一致条件的反应时之差。这说明,积极情绪没有促进投入注意至积极刺激的偏向;（2）相比中性情绪组,积极情绪组的不一致条件与中性-中性条件的反应时之差更大。这说明,积极情绪促进从积极刺激抽离注意更少的偏向。由此,积极情绪并不促进投入注意至积极刺激的偏向,而是促进对积极刺激的抽离偏向。