Automaticity of Attentional Bias to Threat in High and Low Worriers

TY - JOUR

T1 - Automaticity of Attentional Bias to Threat in High and Low Worriers

AU - Goodwin, Huw

AU - Eagleson, Claire

AU - Mathews, Andrew

AU - Yiend, Jenny

AU - Hirsch, Colette

PY - 2016/11/19

Y1 - 2016/11/19

N2 - Individuals with high levels of worry are more likely than others to attend to possible threats, although the extent of top-down attentional control processes on this bias is unknown. We compared the performance of high (n = 26) and low worriers (n = 26) on a probe discrimination task designed to assess attention to threat cues, under cognitive load or no-load conditions. The expected difference between groups was confirmed, with high worriers being more likely to attend to threat cues than low worriers. Importantly however, there were no significant effects involving condition (cognitive load vs. no-load), nor any significant association with self-perceived attentional control ability. These results suggest that pathological worriers are more likely to attend to threat than are individuals with low levels of worry, regardless of task demands on limited cognitive control resources. This finding is consistent with the dominance of habitual bottom-up influences over top-down control processes in biased attention to threat.

AB - Individuals with high levels of worry are more likely than others to attend to possible threats, although the extent of top-down attentional control processes on this bias is unknown. We compared the performance of high (n = 26) and low worriers (n = 26) on a probe discrimination task designed to assess attention to threat cues, under cognitive load or no-load conditions. The expected difference between groups was confirmed, with high worriers being more likely to attend to threat cues than low worriers. Importantly however, there were no significant effects involving condition (cognitive load vs. no-load), nor any significant association with self-perceived attentional control ability. These results suggest that pathological worriers are more likely to attend to threat than are individuals with low levels of worry, regardless of task demands on limited cognitive control resources. This finding is consistent with the dominance of habitual bottom-up influences over top-down control processes in biased attention to threat.

KW - Anxiety

KW - Attention

KW - Cognitive bias

KW - Cognitive load

KW - Generalised anxiety disorder

KW - Worry

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84995768455&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10608-016-9818-5

DO - 10.1007/s10608-016-9818-5

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84995768455

SN - 0147-5916

SP - 1

EP - 10

JO - Cognitive Therapy and Research

JF - Cognitive Therapy and Research

ER -