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The Influence of Security Priming on Avoidant Attentional Biases: Combining a Dot-Probe Design with Microsaccadic Eye Movement Measurements

Mellor, Rebecca LU (2020) PSYP01 20191
Department of Psychology
Abstract
The present study aimed to clarify the influence of experimentally induced feelings of security through security priming on avoidant attentional processing. Although security priming has been linked with various positive cognitive and emotional outcomes, its influence at an early attentional stage is unclear. Here, we focused on attachment avoidance since it has been linked to maladaptive attentional biases to avoid emotional material. Using a randomised within- between-subjects design, a dot-probe task measured differences in attentional vigilance between angry and neutral faces as a function of priming type (neutral vs. secure), and attachment avoidance. We combined this with two novel methodologies: For security priming, we used a... (More)
The present study aimed to clarify the influence of experimentally induced feelings of security through security priming on avoidant attentional processing. Although security priming has been linked with various positive cognitive and emotional outcomes, its influence at an early attentional stage is unclear. Here, we focused on attachment avoidance since it has been linked to maladaptive attentional biases to avoid emotional material. Using a randomised within- between-subjects design, a dot-probe task measured differences in attentional vigilance between angry and neutral faces as a function of priming type (neutral vs. secure), and attachment avoidance. We combined this with two novel methodologies: For security priming, we used a standardized word-probed narrative method to induce attachment script information, making possible the quantification of how strongly primed participants were. Secondly, to strengthen reliability and validity of classic attention indexes gained from the dot-probe task, we measured microsaccades (small fixational eye movements) as they have been shown to index covert attentional shifts. Results revealed that avoidance was linked with attentional disengagement from angry, but not neutral faces. No effect of security priming on attention was found, suggesting the need for further exploration of suitable priming methods to bypass avoidant deactivation. Microsaccadic eye movements provided further insight into avoidant attentional biases, suggesting their potential as components in this line of research. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mellor, Rebecca LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYP01 20191
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
attachment orientation, avoidance, attentional biases, dot-probe design, eye-tracking, microsaccades
language
English
id
9004992
date added to LUP
2020-02-12 16:59:12
date last changed
2020-03-11 11:45:06
@misc{9004992,
  abstract     = {{The present study aimed to clarify the influence of experimentally induced feelings of security through security priming on avoidant attentional processing. Although security priming has been linked with various positive cognitive and emotional outcomes, its influence at an early attentional stage is unclear. Here, we focused on attachment avoidance since it has been linked to maladaptive attentional biases to avoid emotional material. Using a randomised within- between-subjects design, a dot-probe task measured differences in attentional vigilance between angry and neutral faces as a function of priming type (neutral vs. secure), and attachment avoidance. We combined this with two novel methodologies: For security priming, we used a standardized word-probed narrative method to induce attachment script information, making possible the quantification of how strongly primed participants were. Secondly, to strengthen reliability and validity of classic attention indexes gained from the dot-probe task, we measured microsaccades (small fixational eye movements) as they have been shown to index covert attentional shifts. Results revealed that avoidance was linked with attentional disengagement from angry, but not neutral faces. No effect of security priming on attention was found, suggesting the need for further exploration of suitable priming methods to bypass avoidant deactivation. Microsaccadic eye movements provided further insight into avoidant attentional biases, suggesting their potential as components in this line of research.}},
  author       = {{Mellor, Rebecca}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Influence of Security Priming on Avoidant Attentional Biases: Combining a Dot-Probe Design with Microsaccadic Eye Movement Measurements}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}