Investigation of attentional bias in anxiety through exposure to facial expressions: an eye-tracking study

Abstract

Objective The present study investigated attentional biases in anxiety using facial expressions and eye-tracking measures. Method Seventy-six participants, between 18 and 36 years, took part in the study and were divided based on trait anxiety levels: Low, Moderate, and High. The stimuli were facial expressions, and the measures of interest were Probability of First Fixation and Proportion of Fixation Time. Results The results revealed vigilance biases towards expressions of disgust, regardless of anxiety level, and maintenance biases towards expressions of happiness, regardless of stimulus presentation time, in the Low Trait Anxiety group compared to the High Trait Anxiety group. Conclusion These findings raise questions related to the importance of using positive stimuli in anxiety treatment and the need to specify the types, levels, and characteristics of stimuli used in research.