Background: Selective and exaggerated attention towards threat, termed attention bias (AB), has been identified as a core behavioral and neurocognitive mechanism in anxiety (Bar-Haim et al., 2010). AB is commonly quantified through the dot probe (DP) paradigm in which neutral and threatening faces compete for attention (Mathews & MacLeod, 2002). Another commonly-used measure of AB is the Posner spatial cueing paradigm in which neutral and threatening words serve as valid and invalid cues (Posner, 1980). In both tasks, the presence of AB is indicated by faster reaction times to probes following threat relative to neutral cues. The Word Sentence Association Paradigm (WSAP) is a task governed by top-down processing in which individuals decide whether a threat or neutral word should be paired with an ambiguous sentence
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Thus, the first aim of this study was to evaluate the cross-task convergence of AB measurement across the DP paradigm, Posner paradigm, and WSAP task. The second aim of this study was to assess the relationship between trait anxiety and the three measures of AB.
Hypotheses: We predicted that 1) all three measures of AB (DP, Posner, and WSAP) will be intercorrelated, and 2) bottom-up measures of AB (DP, Posner) will be sensitive to affective context whereas top-down AB measured via WSAP will be associated with trait measures of anxiety.
Method: A large college-aged sample (N=215) was randomly assigned to either a brief stressor (n=104) or control task (n=111). Trait anxiety was assessed using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-trait; Spielberger & Sydenham, 1994). AB was measured using each of the three tasks at two timepoints: pre- and
Thus, the first aim of this study was to evaluate the cross-task convergence of AB measurement across the DP paradigm, Posner paradigm, and WSAP task. The second aim of this study was to assess the relationship between trait anxiety and the three measures of AB.
Hypotheses: We predicted that 1) all three measures of AB (DP, Posner, and WSAP) will be intercorrelated, and 2) bottom-up measures of AB (DP, Posner) will be sensitive to affective context whereas top-down AB measured via WSAP will be associated with trait measures of anxiety.
Method: A large college-aged sample (N=215) was randomly assigned to either a brief stressor (n=104) or control task (n=111). Trait anxiety was assessed using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-trait; Spielberger & Sydenham, 1994). AB was measured using each of the three tasks at two timepoints: pre- and