Plasticity in attention: Implications for stress response in children

Eldar, Sharon; Ricon, Tsameret; Bar‐Haim, Yair

doi:10.1016/j.brat.2008.01.012

Cited by 139 publications

(143 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The task involves many experimental trials, over the course of which participants learn to direct attention toward the type of stimuli that predict the probe location; for example, if the probe always replaces negative stimuli, participants develop the habit of attending to negative stimuli generally (a negative attentional bias). Importantly, there is increasing evidence that using such tasks to encourage a positive attentional bias (avoid-threat training) in clinical populations results in improvement in symptoms (Amir, Beard, Burns, & Bomyea, 2009;Dandeneau et al, 2007;Eldara, Ricona, & Bar-Haim, 2008;Hazen, Vasey, & Schmidt, 2008;Schmidt, Richey, Buckner, & Timpano, 2009). Concerns about the generalizability and duration of these training effects have, to some extent, been countered by preliminary evidence that the beneficial effects on anxiety symptoms persist for at least 4 months after training (Schmidt et al, 2009).…”

Section: Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

The modification of attentional bias to emotional information: A review of the techniques, mechanisms, and relevance to emotional disorders

Browning

Holmes

Harmer

2010

Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience

216

141

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8A wealth of data from behavioral, neuroimaging, pharmacological, and genetic studies has served to highlight the centrality of attentional processes in our understanding of anxiety and depression. Aberrant deployment of attention, particularly in relation to emotional information, occupies a pivotal position in many of the contemporary models of these disorders in which it is considered a causally relevant, proximal illness process. This view suggests that interventions that modify the habitual deployment of attention to emotional information should impact upon illness expression. In the present article, we will review the evidence that emotional attention may be modified in both experimental and clinical settings. In doing so, we will highlight the data that demonstrate that this modification may be achieved by targeting at least two distinct control mechanisms. Finally, we will consider the implications of this work, particularly with regard to future research and treatment development. What Evidence Links Abnormalities of Emotional Attention and the Emotional Disorders?Both depression and anxiety have been associated with biases in the processing of emotional information; patients with these disorders habitually interpret, attend to, and/or remember information in a more negative manner than do nonclinical control participants (Mathews & MacLeod, 2005). Cognitive theorists suggest that these habits of thought are causal factors in the etiology and maintenance of the disorders (Beck, 1976;Mathews & Mackintosh, 1998;Mathews & MacLeod, 2005;Mogg & Bradley, 1998;Williams, Watts, MacLeod, & Mathews, 1997). Anxiety has particularly been associated with a tendency to attend to threatening information-a phenomenon that has been termed negative attentional bias (see Figure 1 for a summary of the tasks commonly used to assess attentional bias; Fox, Russo, & Georgiou, 2005;MacLeod, Campbell, Rutherford, & Wilson, 2004;Mathews & MacLeod, 1985;Williams, Mathews, & MacLeod, 1996). Recent work, much of it discussed in the body of this article, has employed simple computer-based tasks in order to induce attentional biases in nonclinical populations (for reviews, see MacLeod, Koster, & Fox, 2009;Mathews & MacLeod, 2002). Critically for psychopathology, these studies provide direct support for a causal role of attention in anxiety by demonstrating that inducing a negative attentional bias can lead to symptoms of anxiety in nonclinical participants.In depression, the most consistent cognitive abnormalities were initially described in measures of memory (Gilboa-Schechtman, Erhard-Weiss, & Jeczemien, 2002;Mathews & MacLeod, 2005;Ridout, Astell, Reid, Glen, & O'Carroll, 2003;Williams et al., 1997); however, there has been increasing interest in the possibility that attentional biases may exist in this disorder as well. Specifically, depression has been shown to be associated with a tendency to attend to the spatial location of negative words (Bradley, Mogg, & Lee, 1997;Donaldson, Lam, & Mathews, 2007;Mogg, Bradley, & Williams, 19...

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Section: Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

The modification of attentional bias to emotional information: A review of the techniques, mechanisms, and relevance to emotional disorders

Browning

Holmes

Harmer

2010

Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience

216

141

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“…38 that ABM was efficient in inducing an AB for threat, but inefficient in inducing a bias away from threat 37 Attend/control (6) 4 (2) 301-400 (2) Threat-neutral 750 (1) Avoid (3) 5 (2) 401-500 (1) Neutral-angry 20/480 (2) Attend/avoid/control (2) 14 (2) 501-600 (5) Threat-happy 100/500 (1) Attend to + and -/control (1) 2 (1) 701-800 (2) Angry-happy 30/100/1,500 (1) 7 (1) 960 (1) Spider-cow/neutral 500/1,000 (1) 10 (1) Positive-neutral…”

Section: Anxietymentioning

confidence: 98%

“…62,65 Similar encouraging results were found in two other recent studies. 63,64 In the first, groups were trained either to attend to healthy food or to attend to unhealthy food, and 33 Avoid (-)/control Yes No Amir et al 6 Avoid (-)/control Yes Yes Hazen et al 26 Avoid (-)/control Yes Yes Heeren et al 27 Avoid (-)/control Yes Yes See et al 28 Avoid (-)/control Yes Yes Heeren et al 29 Avoid (-)/control Yes No MacLeod et al 7 Avoid (-)/attend (+) Yes Yes Browning et al 19 Avoid (-)/attend (+) Yes Yes MacLeod et al 34 Avoid (-)/attend (+) Yes Yes Van Bockstaele et al 35 Avoid (-)/attend (+) Yes No Van Bockstaele et al 36 Avoid (-)/attend (+) Yes No Eldar et al 37 Avoid (-)/attend (+) Partly No O'Toole et al 38 Avoid (-)/attend (+) Partly No Heeren et al 39 Attend (-)/control Yes Yes Krebs et al 40 Attend (-)/control Yes Yes Hayes et al 41 Attend (+)/control Yes Yes Li et al 42 Attend (+)/control Yes Yes Taylor et al 43 Attend (+)/control Yes Yes Wadlinger et al 44 Attend (+)/control Yes Yes Cowart et al 46 Avoid (-) Not applicable Not applicable Amir et al 45 Avoid (-) Yes Yes Brosan et al 47 Avoid (-) Yes Yes Heeren et al 48 Avoid (-)/attend (+)/control Yes Yes Klumpp et al 49 Avoid (-)/attend (+)/control No No Boettcher et al 50 Attend ( 51 Avoid (-)/attend (+) Yes Yes Schoenmakers et al 10 Avoid (-)/control Yes No Schoenmakers et al 53 Avoid (-)/control Yes Partly Kerst et al 54 Avoid (-)/control Yes Partly Lopes et al 55 Avoid (-)/control Yes No McHugh et al 52 Avoid (-)/control No No Fie...…”

Section: Eating Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attentional bias modification based on visual probe task: methodological issues, results and clinical relevance

Lopes

Viacava

Bizarro

2015

Trends Psychiatry Psychother.

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Introduction: Attentional bias, the tendency that a person has to drive or maintain attention to a specific class of stimuli, may play an important role in the etiology and persistence of mental disorders. Attentional bias modification has been studied as a form of additional treatment related to automatic processing. Objectives: This systematic literature review compared and discussed methods, evidence of success and potential clinical applications of studies about attentional bias modification (ABM) using a visual probe task. Methods: The Web of Knowledge, PubMed and PsycInfo were searched using the keywords attentional bias modification, attentional bias manipulation and attentional bias training. We selected empirical studies about ABM training using a visual probe task written in English and published between 2002 and 2014. Results: Fifty-seven studies met inclusion criteria. Most (78%) succeeded in training attention in the predicted direction, and in 71% results were generalized to other measures correlated with the symptoms. Conclusions: ABM has potential clinical utility, but to standardize methods and maximize applicability, future studies should include clinical samples and be based on findings of studies about its effectiveness.

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“…TD children who completed a computerized training program designed to induce an attentional bias toward threatening stimuli demonstrated increased levels of anxiety following a stressinduction task compared to children who completed training for attentional bias toward neutral stimuli (Eldar, Ricon, & Bar-Haim, 2008). Further, Rozenman, Weersing, and Amir (2011) found that children with anxiety disorders who completed 12 sessions of attentional bias training designed to direct automatic attention away from threat demonstrated a significant decrease in anxiety level, with 75% of treated children no longer meeting criteria for an anxiety disorder at post-treatment assessment.…”

Section: Implications For Treatment Of Anxiety In Williams Syndromementioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety in children with Williams syndrome : association with negative reactivity, self-regulation, and sensory modulation.

Crawford-Zelli

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Plasticity in attention: Implications for stress response in children

Cited by 139 publications

References 29 publications

The modification of attentional bias to emotional information: A review of the techniques, mechanisms, and relevance to emotional disorders

The modification of attentional bias to emotional information: A review of the techniques, mechanisms, and relevance to emotional disorders

Attentional bias modification based on visual probe task: methodological issues, results and clinical relevance

Anxiety in children with Williams syndrome : association with negative reactivity, self-regulation, and sensory modulation.

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