Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults
Published on: October 19, 2014
Attention to novelty, fear-anxiety, and age: their effects on conduct problems
Ronald C Eaves1, Craig Darch, Thomas O Williams
1Department of Rehabilitation and Special Education, Auburn University, AL 36849, USA. eaves11@charter.net
Abstract:
The authors investigated the effects of attention to novelty, fear-anxiety, and age on 3 measures of conduct problems. They found several main and interaction effects. The results indicated the presence of the hypothesized 3-way interaction for 2 dependent measures (i.e., conduct problem, socialized aggression); the 3rd dependent measure (i.e., conduct disorder) approached significance (p = .07). Participants who were older, had low attention to novelty, and high fear-anxiety generally had the highest conduct-problem scores among 8 comparison groups. Older students with high attention to novelty and low fear-anxiety had significantly lower conduct-problem scores that were unremarkable. The findings are congruent with J. Gray's (1987) theory of behavioral activation and inhibition, and the results support R. C. Eaves' (1993) integrated theory of human behavior, which postulates that the level of attention to novelty, fear-anxiety, and age interact to produce individuals with conduct problems.
Related Concept Videos
Conduct Disorder
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings.
Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes
Operant Conditioning Intervention
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
Bullying
Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences

