Digital Technologies in Attention Bias Study in Social Anxiety Disorder

Abstract

The paper aims to methodologically reflect on the scientific perspectives and risk-related reductionist understanding of mental processes of the limitations of digital technologies in the study of attention biases in social anxiety disorder.
 Materials and methods of research include theoretical-methodological analysis, expert analysis of sources on the problem of application of digital technologies in the study of attention biases in social anxiety disorder. Methodological basis of analysis is the positions of the cultural-activity approach in comprehension of psychological aspects of application of digital technologies to research mental disorders (Tkhostov, Emelin, Soldatova, etc.), pathopsychology in studying distortions of mental activity (Zeigarnik, Kholmogorova, etc.), cognitive and cognitive-behavioral model of social anxiety disorder in the reconstruction of mechanisms of formation and maintenance of anxiety (Clark, Wells, etc.), principles of organization of contemporary studies using digital technologies, and the results of individual empirical studies on the features of attention in social anxiety disorder.
 Results. The use of technology in research can be close to the research aim, substituting its scientific methodological understanding at the expense of visibility and the halo of scientificity of the data obtained. Improvement of digital technologies takes their application to a new level, which includes the priority of methodology. The use of digital technology in the study of mechanisms of social anxiety has provided empirical confirmation of motivational bias to social stimuli and the phenomenon of self-focused attention. The most meaningful results in terms of verification of cognitive and cognitive-behavioral models of social anxiety were obtained using eye-tracking technology and electroencephalography. They allow explicating dynamic properties of attention when solving the task in the experiment. Application of digital technologies provides (1) detection of empirical indicators of selectivity of cognitive-perceptual activity when perceiving social objects, (2) determination of phenotypical features of socially anxious individuals. The last distinguish clinical and normative samples, provide an opportunity to verify the models which put forward biases of attention as leading mechanisms of social anxiety. The variety of empirical studies using different paradigms and methods of study does not always allow for comparisons or generalizations; inconsistencies persist in results.
 Scope of the results. The research results can be applied in (1) the planning of current studies using digital technology and comprehending of the results; (2) clarification of the mechanisms of disorders and selectivity of attention in social anxiety; (3) development of psychological interventions aimed to work with biases of attention in relation to social stimuli.