The effect of eye movement on attentional bias to threat stimulus

Previous study suggested that bilateral stimulation may reduce attentional bias with high anxious group[1]. However, two methodical problems can be pointed. Dual task (memory and attention) may be too complicated for participants. Duration of the presentation time of prime stimulus was inappropriate for investigating bias. In current study, we focused only attentional bias with high anxious people and carried out the dot-probe tasks with two different presentation times of prime stimulus with students in eye fixed and eye movement conditions. The dot appeared on the center of the PC monitor and two faces with different facial expressing (angry or neutral) appeared simultaneously above and below the dot. Following 250ms or 1750ms duration of prime presentation, one of the stimulus is replaced with a probe. The participants are asked to press key indicating the position of the probe (upper or lower). Reaction time was measured and bias scores were calculated with difference between congruent and incongruent condition. Positive scores mean vigilance and negative ones mean avoidance. Result showed that the interaction of eye movement x state anxiety on 250ms was statistically significant. High anxious individuals showed more biased score than low anxious ones. High anxious individuals showed less bias in eye movement condition. Eye movement may reduce avoidance of threat stimulus. This result may indicate clinical advantage of eye movement for approaching negative stimulus. Audience can learn method for investigating function of eye movement from cognitive psychological perspective, relationship between anxiety and attentional bias and clinical indication from attentional bias.

Conference

English

Masaya Ichii
Emiri Koshida

Ichii, M., & Koshida, E. (2021, June). The effect of eye movement on attentional bias to threat stimulus. Poster presented at the 20th EMDR Europe Association Conference, Virtual