title: Attentional control mediates fearful responding to an ecologically valid stressor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Attentional control (AC) is defined as the ability to voluntarily shift and disengage attention and is thought to moderate the relationship between preexisting risk factors for fear and the actual experience of fear.
  
  
  METHODS
  This longitudinal study elaborates on current models of AC by examining whether AC moderates or mediates effects of an ecologically valid stressor (a college examination) and also whether AC is predictive of state-like fear over longer timescales than previously reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on previous findings, we hypothesized that AC would moderate the relationship between trait anxiety and affective distress in response to the examination stressor. We also tested a competing mediational model based on AC theory. These models were tested in two separate samples (sample 1, N = 219; sample 2, N = 129; Total N = 348) at two time points, at the beginning of a college semester in a large undergraduate class and 5 minutes prior to a college examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mediation but not moderation of anxiety by AC was supported in both samples using multiple dependent measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that AC may be useful in predicting affective distress in naturalistic settings, particularly in cases where anxiety is anticipatory.
authors: a Department of Psychology , Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , Virginia Tech, 109 Williams Hall, MC0436, Blacksburg , VA 24061 , USA.
authors: J Anthony
authors: JA
authors: Richey
authors: a Department of Psychology , Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , Virginia Tech, 109 Williams Hall, MC0436, Blacksburg , VA 24061 , USA.
authors: Bradley A
authors: BA
authors: White
authors: a Department of Psychology , Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , Virginia Tech, 109 Williams Hall, MC0436, Blacksburg , VA 24061 , USA.
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Valdespino
authors: a Department of Psychology , Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , Virginia Tech, 109 Williams Hall, MC0436, Blacksburg , VA 24061 , USA.
authors: Merage
authors: M
authors: Ghane
authors: b Department of Psychology , Florida State University , 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee , FL 32304 , USA.
authors: Norman B
authors: NB
authors: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014495:Universities
keywords: anxiety; attention; mediation; moderation; stress