title: Cognitive bias modification: the critical role of active training in modifying emotional responses.
abstract: Training participants to select threat or nonthreat interpretations of emotionally ambiguous stimuli or passively exposing them to valenced scenarios can modify later interpretation of ambiguity. However, only when encouraged to actively select meanings do congruent changes in emotional response occur during training itself (Mathews & Mackintosh, 2000). The present study assessed the more critical question of whether active training is also necessary for modifying subsequent emotional responses to images of new ambiguous scenarios presented after training. As predicted, active training did lead participants to rate their images of emotionally ambiguous scenarios as being more unpleasant after training as compared to a matched passive condition. This finding supports the view that active generation of meaning during interpretive training is critical for the modification of later emotional responses.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work and Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR47TJ, UK. l.hoppitt@uea.ac.uk
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hoppitt
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yiend
authors.forename: Bundy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mackintosh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult