Attention bias training

Processing confusing procedures in the recent re-analysis of a cognitive bias modification (CBM) meta-analysis

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Those worried about the cognitive bias modification field being affected by ever-moving goal posts may have thought their concerns confirmed by Grafton and colleagues’ re-analysis of the meta-analysis by Cristea and colleagues[1,2]. The paper concludes with the suggestion that we should only call CBM CBM if it is successful. To provide a treatment-inspired analogue: “This? … Read more

Less is more: Patient-Level metaanalysis reveals paradoxical effects

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The past decade of research has seen considerable interest in computer-based approaches designed to directly target cognitive mechanisms of anxiety, such as Attention Bias Modification (ABM). By pooling patient-level datasets from randomized controlled trials of ABM that utilized a dot-probe training procedure, we assessed the impact of training ‘dose’ on relevant outcomes among a pooled sample of 693 socially … Read more

Pooled patient-level meta-analysis of children and adults completing a computer-based anxiety intervention targeting attentional bias

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Computer-based approaches, such as Attention Bias Modification (ABM), could help improve access to care for anxiety. Study-level meta-analyses of Attention Bias Modification have produced conflicting findings and leave critical questions unresolved regarding ABM’s mechanisms of action and clinical potential. In a paper that was just accepted for publication in Clinical Psychology Review (see reference below) we … Read more

Posttraumatic Stress and Attentional Bias towards Cancer-Related Stimuli in Parents of Children Recently Diagnosed with Cancer

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We wanted to investigate whether posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are related to attentional bias towards cancer-related stimuli among parents of children recently diagnosed with cancer. We conducted a study and included 66 participants. These participants were parents who completed questionnaires measuring posttraumatic stress symptoms, level of depression and anxiety as well as the emotional Stroop … Read more

New study: CBT vs attention training in social anxiety disorder

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Today we published a new study in Behaviour Research and Therapy which is freely available. The new paper is entiteled Moderation and mediation of the effect of attention training in social anxiety disorder. While attention modification programs (AMP) have shown promise as laboratory-based treatments for social anxiety disorder, trials of internet-delivered AMP have not yielded significant … Read more