title: How does attention training work in social phobia: disengagement from threat or re-engagement to non-threat?
abstract: Social phobics exhibit an attentional bias for threat in probe detection paradigms. Attention training, whereby probes always replace non-threat in a display presenting both threat and non-threat, reduces attentional bias for threat and social anxiety. However, it remains unclear whether therapeutic benefits result from learning to disengage attention from threat or learning to orient attention towards non-threat. In this experiment, social phobics were randomly assigned to one of four training conditions: (1) disengagement from threat, (2) engagement towards non-threat, (3) disengagement from threat and re-engagement towards non-threat, and (4) a control condition. Effects were examined on subjective and behavioral responses to a subsequent stressor. Data revealed that training to disengage from threat reduces behavioral indices of anxiety. Engagement towards non-threat faces did not have effects in itself. These results support that the difficulty in disengaging attention from threat is a critical process in maintenance of the disorder.
authors: Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Alexandre.Heeren@uclouvain.be
authors: Alexandre
authors: A
authors: Heeren
authors: Laurent
authors: L
authors: Lievens
authors: Pierre
authors: P
authors: Philippot
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001288:Attention; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003463:Cues; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010775:Photic Stimulation