Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Attention bias (AB) is a characteristic seen in individuals with anxiety, in which they attend to threatening or negative stimuli more frequently than neutral stimuli (Bar-Haim et al., 2007). To our knowledge, prior research investigating AB has not conducted experiments in true real-world situations, making results difficult to generalize to the real world. The present study adapted the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirchbaum et al, 1993) to assess attention bias in a real-life stressful situation. The TSST involves completing a brief speaking task in front of a panel; here the panel consisted of two confederates, one of which presents as attentive and affirmative (positive) and the other disengaged (negative). For this study, participants will wear PupilCore mobile eye tracking glasses to monitor eye gaze during the TSST, as well as during pre- and post-stressor social interactions. Data will be analyzed to compare eye gaze between the positive and negative social stimuli across task conditions. It is hypothesized that in the pre-stress interaction participants will exhibit greater attention to the negative than positive stimulus, and that this attention bias will increase during the stressful situation. This hypothesis will be tested by analyzing the dwell time from the pretest, non-stressful interaction, as well as comparing it to the TSST, stressful, interaction.
Recommended Citation
Faery, Kaelin; Tas, Destina; Licausi, Sophia; Flanagan, Molly; and Matthew, Isabell, "105 - Attention Bias Differences During Stressful Interactions" (2025). GREAT Day Posters. 30.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2025/posters-2025/30
105 - Attention Bias Differences During Stressful Interactions
Attention bias (AB) is a characteristic seen in individuals with anxiety, in which they attend to threatening or negative stimuli more frequently than neutral stimuli (Bar-Haim et al., 2007). To our knowledge, prior research investigating AB has not conducted experiments in true real-world situations, making results difficult to generalize to the real world. The present study adapted the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirchbaum et al, 1993) to assess attention bias in a real-life stressful situation. The TSST involves completing a brief speaking task in front of a panel; here the panel consisted of two confederates, one of which presents as attentive and affirmative (positive) and the other disengaged (negative). For this study, participants will wear PupilCore mobile eye tracking glasses to monitor eye gaze during the TSST, as well as during pre- and post-stressor social interactions. Data will be analyzed to compare eye gaze between the positive and negative social stimuli across task conditions. It is hypothesized that in the pre-stress interaction participants will exhibit greater attention to the negative than positive stimulus, and that this attention bias will increase during the stressful situation. This hypothesis will be tested by analyzing the dwell time from the pretest, non-stressful interaction, as well as comparing it to the TSST, stressful, interaction.
Comments
Sponsored by Bradley Taber-Thomas