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Macovei CM, Bumbuc Ș, Martinescu-Bădălan F. The role of personality traits in mediating the relation between fear of negative evaluation and social interaction anxiety. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1268052. [PMID: 37928579 PMCID: PMC10621049 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1268052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Social interaction anxiety and fear of negative evaluation have many maladaptive outcomes and, in order to counteract their effects, it is essential to identify those psychological or social factors that make people vulnerable to them. One of these factors is the individual's personality structure: some personality traits increase the individuals' vulnerability to symptoms of social anxiety, while others protect them. Methods The aim of this paper is to analyse the role of HEXACO personality traits in mediating the relationship between fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety, in a sample of 352 cadets from the Land Forces Academy of Sibiu. The relationships between these concepts were analysed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in several hypothetical models, two of which were ultimately validated. Results In the first model, the fear of negative evaluation has an indirect effect on social interaction anxiety through the mediation of extraversion, conscientiousness, and altruism, separately. Furthermore, extraversion, conscientiousness, and altruism play a serial mediating role in the association between the fear of negative evaluation and social interaction anxiety. In the second model, the fear of negative evaluation has an indirect effect on social interaction anxiety through the mediation of social boldness, liveliness, and organization, separately, but not through altruism. Social boldness, liveliness, and organization played a serial mediating role in the relationship between the two constructs, while altruism moderated the relationship between liveliness, organization, and social interaction anxiety. Discussion Analysing the relationship between the individuals' personality traits, social anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation facilitated the identification of ways to cultivate desirable behaviours in social environments typified by compliance, discipline, uniformity, and rigor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crenguța Mihaela Macovei
- Department of Applied Social Sciences and Humanities, “Nicolae Bălcescu” Land Forces Academy, Sibiu, Romania
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2
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Miller A, Barros I, Callendar A, Schroeder G, Shakeshaft M, St Ours S, Lucero J, Miller K. High-trait anxious individuals show positive relationship between HRV and threat vigilance. Psychophysiology 2023:e14282. [PMID: 36869018 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
Selectively attending to threat-related stimuli in the environment, known as threat bias (TB), is a prominent feature of anxiety. Individuals with high anxiety also tend to show lower heart rate variability (HRV), a reflection of reduced parasympathetic cardiac control. Previous investigations have established associations between low HRV and various attentional processes that facilitate attention to threat, though these have primarily been conducted among non-anxious individuals. The current analysis, derived from a larger TB modification study, examined the relationship between TB and HRV among a young, nonclinical sample of individuals with either high or low trait anxiety (HTA, LTA, respectively; Mage = 25.8, SD = 13.2, 61.3% female). Consistent with expectations, HTA (β = -.18, p = .087) trended toward an association with higher threat vigilance. A significant moderation effect showed the relationship between HRV and threat vigilance was influenced by TA (β = .42, p = .004). Simple slopes analysis revealed that for the LTA group, lower HRV trended toward higher threat vigilance (p = .123), consistent with expectations. However, this relationship was unexpectedly reversed for the HTA group, for whom higher HRV was a significant predictor of higher threat vigilance (p = .015). These results are interpreted within a cognitive control framework, in which regulatory ability, as assessed via HRV, may influence which cognitive strategy is employed when encountering threatening stimuli. Results suggest that HTA individuals with greater regulatory ability may employ a contrast avoidance mechanism, while those with reduced regulatory ability engage in cognitive avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Miller
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA
| | - Isabel Barros
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA
| | - Alyssa Callendar
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA
| | - Grace Schroeder
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA
| | - Morgan Shakeshaft
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA
| | - Sirena St Ours
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA
| | - John Lucero
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA
| | - Karissa Miller
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA
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Nozadi SS, Aguiar A, Du R, Enright EA, Schantz SL, Miller C, Rennie B, Quetawki M, MacKenzie D, Lewis JL. Cross-cultural applicability of eye-tracking in assessing attention to emotional faces in preschool-aged children. Emotion 2022:2023-01498-001. [PMID: 36107657 PMCID: PMC10014488 DOI: 10.1037/emo0001124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Humans show an attention bias toward emotional versus neutral information, which is considered an adaptive pattern of information processing. Deviations from this pattern have been observed in children with socially withdrawn behaviors, with most research being conducted in controlled settings among children from urban areas. The goal of the current study was to examine the cross-cultural applicability of two eye-tracking-based measures in assessing attention biases and their relations to children's symptoms of socially withdrawn behaviors in two independent and diverse samples of preschool children. The cross-cultural comparison was conducted between the Navajo Birth Cohort study (NBCS), an indigenous cohort with relatively low socioeconomic status (SES), and the Illinois Kids Development study (IKIDS), a primarily Non-Hispanic White and high SES cohort. Children in both cohorts completed eye-tracking tasks with pictures of emotional faces, and mothers reported on children's symptoms of socially withdrawn behaviors. Results showed that general patterns of attention biases were mostly the same across samples, reflecting heightened attention toward emotional versus neutral faces. The differences across two samples mostly involved the magnitude of attention biases. NBCS children were slower to disengage from happy faces when these emotional faces were paired with neutral faces. Additionally, socially withdrawn children in the NBCS sample showed a pattern of attentional avoidance for emotional faces. The comparability of overall patterns of attention biases provides initial support for the cross-cultural applicability of the eye-tracking measures and demonstrates the robustness of these methods across clinical and community settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Aguiar
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
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4
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Xing C, Zhang Y, Lu H, Zhu X, Miao D. Trait anxiety affects attentional bias to emotional stimuli across time: A growth curve analysis. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:972892. [PMID: 36188484 PMCID: PMC9516103 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.972892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies have illustrated the close relationship between anxiety disorders and attentional functioning, but the relationship between trait anxiety and attentional bias remains controversial. This study examines the effect of trait anxiety on the time course of attention to emotional stimuli using materials from the International Affective Picture System. Participants with high vs. low trait anxiety (HTA vs. LTA) viewed four categories of pictures simultaneously: dysphoric, threatening, positive, and neutral. Their eye-movements for each emotional stimulus were recorded for static and dynamic analysis. Data were analyzed using a mixed linear model and growth curve analysis. Specifically, the HTA group showed a greater tendency to avoid threatening stimuli and more pupil diameter variation in the early period of stimulus presentation (0–7.9 s). The HTA group also showed a stronger attentional bias toward positive and dysphoric stimuli in the middle and late period of stimulus presentation (7.9–30 s). These results suggest that trait anxiety has a significant temporal effect on attention to emotional stimuli, and that this effect mainly manifests after 7 s. In finding stronger attentional avoidance of threatening stimuli and more changes in neural activity, as well as a stronger attentional bias toward positive stimuli, this study provides novel insights on the relationship between trait anxiety and selective attention.
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5
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Hu MQ, Li HL, Huang SQ, Jin YT, Wang SS, Ying L, Qi YY, Yu X, Zhou Q. Reduction of psychological cravings and anxiety in women compulsorily isolated for detoxification using autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR). Brain Behav 2022; 12:e2636. [PMID: 35674485 PMCID: PMC9304838 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) on the psychological cravings and anxiety of women compulsorily isolated for detoxification. METHOD Around 122 women were recruited in a female drug detoxification center. Except for the 12-week training of ASMR, the experimental conditions of the experimental group (n = 60) were the same as those of the control group (n = 62). The addiction Stroop task was used to assess the level of psychological cravings and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess the level of anxiety. RESULTS After the training, the decrease in state anxiety of the experimental group was larger than that of the control group, and the reaction time of the experimental group in the Stroop was also significantly lower than before the training. CONCLUSIONS ASMR could thus reduce to a certain extent the state anxiety and attentional bias for drug-related clues under signaling psychological cravings among women compulsorily isolated for detoxification. HIGHLIGHTS Intervention effects on psychological cravings and anxiety of women isolated for detoxification Basis for role of ASMR in regulating psychological cravings and anxiety in forced abstainers ASMR intervention reduced forced abstainers' attentional bias to drug-related clues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Qi Hu
- Department of Psychology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Hui Ling Li
- Department of Psychology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Si Qi Huang
- Department of Psychology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yu Tong Jin
- Department of Psychology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Song Song Wang
- Department of Psychology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Liang Ying
- Department of Psychology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.,Renji College, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yuan Yuan Qi
- Zhejiang Moganshan Female Drug Detoxification Center, Huzhou, China
| | - Xin Yu
- Department of Psychology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Qiang Zhou
- Department of Psychology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.,The Affiliated Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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Blekic W, Bellaert N, Lecomte N, Kandana Arachchige K, Melot H, Rossignol M. Cognitive flexibility and attentional patterns among trauma survivors: preliminary evidence from an eye-tracking study. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2022; 13:2055296. [PMID: 35479301 PMCID: PMC9037176 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2022.2055296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Executive functioning has been linked to both the development of post-traumatic symptoms and the efficiency of therapy. Specifically, flexibility processes seem to play a major role in the use of efficient coping strategies after a traumatic event. However, only a few studies have focused on the links between flexibility, resilience, and concrete behaviours displayed by individuals. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of emotional content on the efficiency of cognitive flexibility among trauma-exposed individuals. METHOD Twenty-eight trauma-exposed (TE) and 27 non-trauma-exposed (NTE) individuals performed an overlap task in which neutral, positive, and negative pictures appeared in the centre of the screen. Participants were required to disengage their attentional focus from this picture to identify a peripheral target. Analyses included eye movements during the presentation of the scenes and the response times associated with target localization. RESULTS TE individuals initially presented a rapid overt disengagement from both neutral and negative emotional information. In other words, TE participants moved their gaze away from the central picture towards the target more rapidly than NTE participants. However, TE participants then displayed longer reaction times to identify the target in comparison with NTE participants. DISCUSSION This study presents preliminary evidence that cognitive flexibility may be relevant when considering the impact of trauma. The developed task could provide a novel way to assess this flexibility within an emotional context. HIGHLIGHTS • This study developed an original assessment of cognitive flexibility processes in an emotional context.• Cognitive flexibility was assessed using an overlap task and eye-tracking technology.• Cognitive flexibility may be relevant when considering the impact of a trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wivine Blekic
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium.,Computer Science Department - Algorithms Lab, Faculty of Science, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Nellia Bellaert
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Lecomte
- Effective Mathematics Department, Faculty of Science, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Kendra Kandana Arachchige
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Hadrien Melot
- Computer Science Department - Algorithms Lab, Faculty of Science, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Mandy Rossignol
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
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Long N, Yu W, Wang Y, Gong X, Zhang W, Chen J. Do Infant Faces Maintain the Attention of Adults With High Avoidant Attachment? Front Psychol 2021; 12:631751. [PMID: 34025505 PMCID: PMC8137973 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated whether adults have attentional bias toward infant faces, whether it is moderated by infant facial expression, and the predictive effect of the adult attachment state on it. One hundred unmarried nulliparous college students [50 men and 50 women; aged 17–24 years (M = 19.70, SD = 1.35)] were recruited. Each completed a self-report questionnaire—the Chinese version of the State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM), and a dot-probe task with a stimulus presentation duration of 500 ms, which used 192 black-and-white photographs of 64 people (32 infants and 32 adults; each person displayed three expressions: happy, neutral, and sad) as the experimental stimuli. The results showed that, at the duration of 500 ms, individuals' attentional bias toward infant faces disappeared, regardless of the facial expression. However, when the interaction between avoidant attachment state and face was controlled, the attentional bias was significant again, and the avoidant attachment state negatively predicted individuals' attentional bias toward infant faces. This indicates that at the suprathreshold stage, there are individual differences in the attentional bias toward infant faces, and high avoidant attachment will weaken individuals' attentional bias toward infant faces. This study advances previous studies that focused only on individuals' attention to infant faces occurring at the early processing stage of attention. The results provide direction for interventions; specifically, changing the attachment state of avoidant individuals can affect their attention to infants, which may promote the establishment of parent–child relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nü Long
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.,Center for Rural Children and Adolescents Mental Health Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Wei Yu
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.,Center for Rural Children and Adolescents Mental Health Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Ying Wang
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.,Center for Rural Children and Adolescents Mental Health Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xiaohan Gong
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.,Center for Rural Children and Adolescents Mental Health Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Wen Zhang
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.,Center for Rural Children and Adolescents Mental Health Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Jia Chen
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.,Center for Rural Children and Adolescents Mental Health Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
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8
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Positive attentional biases moderate the link between attentional bias for threat and anxiety. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-01448-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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9
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He J, Jin L, Guan Y, Zi H. Attentional bias toward waiting time information among individuals with high and low trait self-control when making intertemporal choices. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2020.1807998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jiamei He
- Department of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Healthy Personality Assessment and Cultivation of Children and Adolescents in Liaoning Province, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lei Jin
- Department of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Healthy Personality Assessment and Cultivation of Children and Adolescents in Liaoning Province, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuan Guan
- Department of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Healthy Personality Assessment and Cultivation of Children and Adolescents in Liaoning Province, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongyan Zi
- Department of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Healthy Personality Assessment and Cultivation of Children and Adolescents in Liaoning Province, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
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10
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Britton MK, Anderson BA. Attentional avoidance of threatening stimuli. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2019; 85:82-90. [PMID: 31605204 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-019-01255-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Aversive conditioning has been shown to influence the control of attention, such that aversively conditioned stimuli receive elevated priority. Although aversively conditioned but task-irrelevant distractors are known to capture attention during speeded search in rapid orienting tasks, it is unclear whether this bias extends to situations where orienting can be more deliberate. We demonstrate that punishment, via electric shock, does not give rise to oculomotor capture by shock-associated stimuli during a foraging task; rather, such aversively conditioned stimuli are actively avoided when searching through a display. On the other hand, even during a foraging task, we found some evidence for a covert attentional bias to threat. Our findings indicate that the previously described effects of aversive conditioning on visual search may not generalize beyond the initial glance and can be suppressed when conditions allow for more deliberate search strategies. More generally, our findings reveal that sustained attentional avoidance of aversively conditioned stimuli is possible during active search.
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Stefan S, Zorila A, Brie E. General threat and health-related attention biases in illness anxiety disorder. A brief research report. Cogn Emot 2019; 34:604-613. [PMID: 31354048 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2019.1645643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Illness anxiety disorder, formerly known as hypochondria, has been conceptualised in the psychological literature as an anxiety disorder, and its dimensional correlate is usually referred to as health anxiety. Similarly to other anxiety disorders, health anxiety has also been investigated in the context of attention biases as maintaining factors. However, so far, there is little consensus in the literature concerning the types of biases most relevant to health anxiety (i.e. facilitation, difficulty in disengaging, or avoidance), and whether biases occur towards generally threatening or specific stimuli. The current study aimed to investigate the presence of all three types of biases in relation to both general-threat and health-related threat pictures in clinical participants with illness anxiety disorder as compared to participants with low levels of health anxiety. The results showed a larger difficulty in disengagement bias for health-related threatening stimuli than for general-threatening stimuli in all participants regardless of group factor. No other significant effects were identified. Thus, attention biases follow a simiar pattern in illness anxiety and low-anxiety participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Stefan
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.,The International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Alexandru Zorila
- The International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.,Evidence-Based Assessment and Psychological Interventions Doctoral School, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Elena Brie
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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12
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Attentional Bias and Its Modification in Contamination OCD Symptomatology. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-018-9927-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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13
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Jastrowski Mano K, Gibler R, Mano Q, Beckmann E. Attentional bias toward school-related academic and social threat among test-anxious undergraduate students. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2018.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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14
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Davis SK. Emotional intelligence and attentional bias for threat-related emotion under stress. Scand J Psychol 2018; 59:328-339. [PMID: 29569275 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Emotional intelligence (EI) can buffer potentially harmful effects of situational and chronic stressors to safeguard psychological wellbeing (e.g., Mikolajczak, Petrides, Coumans & Luminet, ), yet understanding how and when EI operates to promote adaptation remains a research priority. We explored whether EI (both trait and ability) modulated early attentional processing of threat-related emotion under conditions of stress. Using a dot probe paradigm, eye movement (fixation to emotive facial stimuli, relative to neutral) and manual reaction time data were collected from 161 adults aged 18-57 years (mean age = 25.24; SD = 8.81) exposed to either a stressful (failure task) or non-stressful (control) situation. Whilst emotion management ability and trait wellbeing corresponded to avoidance of negative emotion (angry and sad respectively), high trait sociability and emotionality related to a bias for negative emotions. With most effects not restricted to stressful conditions, it is unclear whether EI underscores 'adaptive' processing, which carries implications for school-based social and emotional learning programs.
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Sagliano L, Trojano L, Di Mauro V, Carnevale P, Di Domenico M, Cozzolino C, D'Olimpio F. Attentional biases for threat after fear-related autobiographical recall. ANXIETY STRESS AND COPING 2017; 31:69-78. [DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2017.1362297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Sagliano
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Luigi Trojano
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Valentina Di Mauro
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Paola Carnevale
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Marina Di Domenico
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Caterina Cozzolino
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Francesca D'Olimpio
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
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16
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The effect of bicephalic stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on the attentional bias for threat: A transcranial direct current stimulation study. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2017; 17:1048-1057. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-017-0532-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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17
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Pintzinger NM, Pfabigan DM, Tran US, Kryspin-Exner I, Lamm C. Attentional biases in healthy adults: Exploring the impact of temperament and gender. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2016; 52:29-37. [PMID: 26972446 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2015] [Revised: 02/05/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Attentional biases such as faster attentional orienting toward negative information were consistently replicated in high-anxious and depressive individuals, but findings in healthy individuals are inconsistent so far. METHODS Using a dot-probe paradigm, we investigated whether temperament traits and gender, which are linked to (sub)clinical symptoms and attentional processing, influenced attentional biases in healthy adults. RESULTS All participants showed protective attentional biases in terms of orienting their attention away from negative information. In both genders higher values of negative affect were compensated with stronger attentional engagement with positive stimuli. This effect was more pronounced in men than in women. Effortful control fulfilled its regulative function in terms of stronger avoidance of negative stimuli only among men. LIMITATIONS Reaction times after probe detection provide only a snapshot of attention and allow only for an indirect assessment of visual attention. Future research should emphasize methods that allow for continuous monitoring of attention allocation, therefore results of the present study await replication in psychophysiological or eye-tracking studies. CONCLUSION Our results highlight the importance of considering influencing factors such as gender and temperament traits for attentional biases in healthy adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina M Pintzinger
- Department of Health, Development and Psychological Intervention, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Daniela M Pfabigan
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrich S Tran
- Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ilse Kryspin-Exner
- Department of Health, Development and Psychological Intervention, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Sagliano L, D'Olimpio F, Panico F, Gagliardi S, Trojano L. The role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in early threat processing: a TMS study. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2016; 11:1992-1998. [PMID: 27510494 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsw105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2015] [Revised: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies demonstrated that excitatory (high frequency) offline transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) modulates attention allocation on threatening stimuli in non-clinical samples. These studies only employed offline TMS protocol that did not allow investigating the effect of the stimulation on the early stage of threat processing. In this study, the role of the right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in early threat processing was investigated in high and low anxious individuals by means of an inhibitory single-pulse online TMS protocol. Our results demonstrated the role of the left DLPFC in an early stage of threat processing and that this effect is modulated by individuals' anxiety level. The inhibitory stimulation of the left DLPFC determined a disengagement bias in high anxious individuals, while the same stimulation determined an attentional avoidance in low anxious individuals. The findings of the present study suggest that right and left DLPFC are differently involved in early threat processing of healthy individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Sagliano
- Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, Caserta, 81100, Italy
| | - Francesca D'Olimpio
- Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, Caserta, 81100, Italy
| | - Francesco Panico
- Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, Caserta, 81100, Italy
| | - Serena Gagliardi
- Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, Caserta, 81100, Italy
| | - Luigi Trojano
- Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, Caserta, 81100, Italy
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Pintzinger NM, Pfabigan DM, Pfau L, Kryspin-Exner I, Lamm C. Temperament differentially influences early information processing in men and women: Preliminary electrophysiological evidence of attentional biases in healthy individuals. Biol Psychol 2016; 122:69-79. [PMID: 27396749 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2015] [Revised: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Preferential processing of threat-related information is a robust finding in anxiety disorders. The observation that attentional biases are also present in healthy individuals suggests factors other than clinical symptoms to play a role. Using a dot-probe paradigm while event-related potentials were recorded in 59 healthy adults, we investigated whether temperament and gender, both related to individual variation in anxiety levels, influence attentional processing. All participants showed protective attentional biases in terms of enhanced attention engagement with positive information, indexed by larger N1 amplitudes in positive compared to negative conditions. Taking gender differences into account, we observed that women showed enhanced attention engagement with negative compared to neutral information, indicated by larger P2 amplitudes in congruent than in incongruent negative conditions. Attentional processing was influenced by the temperament traits negative affect and effortful control. Our results emphasize that gender and temperament modulate attentional biases in healthy adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina M Pintzinger
- Department of Health, Development and Psychological Intervention, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Daniela M Pfabigan
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lorenz Pfau
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ilse Kryspin-Exner
- Department of Health, Development and Psychological Intervention, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Sagliano L, D'Olimpio F, Taglialatela Scafati I, Trojano L. Eye movements reveal mechanisms underlying attentional biases towards threat. Cogn Emot 2015. [PMID: 26212202 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2015.1055712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms underlying attentional biases towards threat (ABTs), such as attentional avoidance and difficulty of disengagement, are still unclear. To address this issue, we recorded participants' eye movements during a dot detection task in which threatening or neutral stimuli served as peripheral cues. We evaluated response times (RTs) in trials where participants looked at the central fixation cross (not at the cues), as they were required, and number and duration of (unwanted) fixations towards threatening or neutral cues; in all analyses trait anxiety was treated as a covariate. Difficulty in attentional disengagement (longer RTs) was found when peripheral threatening stimuli were presented for 100 ms. Moreover, we observed significantly shorter (unwanted) fixations on threatening than on neutral peripheral stimuli, compatible with an avoidance bias, for longer presentation times. These findings demonstrate that, independent of trait anxiety levels, disengagement bias occurs without eye movements, whereas eye movements are implied in threat avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Sagliano
- a Department of Psychology , Second University of Naples , 81100 Caserta , Italy
| | - Francesca D'Olimpio
- a Department of Psychology , Second University of Naples , 81100 Caserta , Italy
| | - Ilaria Taglialatela Scafati
- a Department of Psychology , Second University of Naples , 81100 Caserta , Italy.,b Laboratory of Experimental Psychology , Università Suor Orsola Benincasa , 80135 Naples , Italy
| | - Luigi Trojano
- a Department of Psychology , Second University of Naples , 81100 Caserta , Italy
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21
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Pfabigan DM, Tran US. Editorial: Behavioral and physiological bases of attentional biases: paradigms, participants, and stimuli. Front Psychol 2015; 6:686. [PMID: 26052307 PMCID: PMC4440900 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M Pfabigan
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrich S Tran
- Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
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