Use of eye movement to measure smokers' attentional bias to smoking-related cues.
Smokers have attentional biases towards smoking-related cues, and such cues elicit cravings. Smokers also feel anxious during nicotine deprivation, and anxiety may exacerbate attentional biases toward aversive cues. We examined the attentional bias of smokers (n = 14) and a control group of nonsmokers (n = 16) towards smoking-related and aversive cues. Using an eye-tracking device, we measured eye movement when smoking-related, aversive, and control cues were presented simultaneously. We analyzed the number of initial fixations, and gaze duration, to identify the attentional bias. Smokers initially fixed their gaze on aversive cues, and maintained their gaze longer on smoking-related cues, in comparison to the control group. These results suggest that smokers show biased attentional orientation to smoking-related and aversive cues.
Kwak
Soo-Min
SM
Department of Psychology, Chung-Ang University, 221 Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-756, Korea.
Na
Duk L
DL
Kim
Gho
G
Kim
Gye Seok
GS
Lee
Jang-Han
JH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention; D003463:Cues; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009538:Nicotine / Q000633:toxicity; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000523:psychology
D009538:Nicotine