title: The differential effects of written and spoken presentation for the modification of interpretation and judgmental bias in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Interpretation training programs, in which individuals are trained to interpret ambiguous scenarios in either a negative or benign way, have proven effective in altering anxiety-related cognitive biases in both children and adults.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study investigated whether the effects of the interpretation training procedure in children are differentiated according to the mode of presentation of the training.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-four primary school children (aged 10-12 years) scoring above the mean on a social anxiety scale were randomly allocated to four groups, in which they were trained using written or spoken presentation of training materials in either the negative or benign direction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the negative training, children who heard the training material spoken aloud (spoken presentation) made more negative interpretations of ambiguous social events, compared to children who read the training material (written presentation). However, for the benign training, there was less clear evidence for a differentiation of the effects between the two modes of presentation, although children in the spoken presentation group performed better in a stressful task and showed a trend to rate their mood as more positive after the task than children in the written presentation group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results not only forward our understanding of the mechanism of the genesis of cognitive bias in children, but also highlight the need for further investigation of how to optimize the effectiveness of interpretation training in children.
authors.affiliation: University of Patras,Greece.
authors.forename: Stephanos P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Vassilopoulos
authors.affiliation: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit,Cambridge,UK.
authors.forename: Simon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Blackwell
authors.affiliation: University of Ioannina,Greece.
authors.forename: Plousia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Misailidi
authors.affiliation: University of Patras,Greece.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kyritsi
authors.affiliation: University of Patras,Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayfanti
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003469:Culture; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011932:Reading; D012718:Set, Psychology; D012938:Social Perception; D013067:Speech Perception