title: Reward-related attentional biases and adolescent substance use: the TRAILS study.
abstract: Current cognitive-motivational theories of addiction propose that prioritizing appetitive, reward-related information (attentional bias) plays a vital role in the development and maintenance of substance abuse. This study focused on reward-related attentional processes that might be involved in young-adolescent substance use. Participants were young adolescents (N = 682, mean age = 16.14), who completed a motivated game in the format of a spatial orienting task as a behavioral index of appetitive-related attentional processes and a questionnaire to index substance (alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis) use. Correlational analysis showed a positive relationship between substance use and enhanced attentional engagement, with cues that predicted potential reward and nonpunishment. These results are consistent with the view that adolescents who show a generally enhanced appetitive bias might be at increased risk for developing heavier substance use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 1/2, 9712 TS Groningen, the Netherlands. m.e.van.hemel-ruiter@rug.nl
authors.forename: Madelon E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: van Hemel-Ruiter
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: Albertine J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Oldehinkel
authors.forename: Brian D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Ostafin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation; D011930:Reaction Time; D012201:Reward; D013028:Space Perception; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*