title: Attentive processing of threat and adult attachment: a dot-probe study.
abstract: We examined selective attention to threat stimuli as a function of individual differences in adult attachment. Participants completed a dot-probe task in which a general threat word, attachment-related threat word, general positive or attachment-related positive word was presented together with a neutral word. Results showed that attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with an attentional bias away from attachment threat words. This attentional avoidance effect was best predicted by the interaction between attachment anxiety and avoidance and not by their unique main effects. The findings are discussed in terms of attachment theory and its relation to attentional biases observed in psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. marieke.dewitte@Ugent.be
authors.forename: Marieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dewitte
authors.forename: Ernst H W
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Koster
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Houwer
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buysse
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011594:Psychometrics; D011930:Reaction Time