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Related Concept Videos

Generalized Anxiety Disorder01:30

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry that persists for at least six months, significantly interfering with daily functioning. Unlike situational anxiety, which arises in response to specific stressors, GAD often occurs without a clear cause. Individuals may experience disproportionate worry about work, health, or relationships. For instance, a person might continuously fear poor health despite normal medical evaluations or...
Anxiety: Overview01:18

Anxiety: Overview

Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Behavior Therapy01:22

Behavior Therapy

Behavior therapy incorporates diverse techniques rooted in classical conditioning principles to address maladaptive behaviors and anxiety disorders. These methods aim to reduce avoidance behaviors, foster adaptive coping mechanisms, and alter associations between stimuli and responses, making them effective in a wide range of therapeutic contexts.
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
Social Anxiety Disorder01:28

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is characterized by an intense fear of social situations where one might face humiliation, rejection, embarrassment, or negative evaluation. This disorder leads individuals to avoid activities like casual conversations, public speaking, or seemingly simple tasks such as eating, signing documents, or swimming, in public settings. Its impact extends beyond discomfort, often significantly interfering with daily functioning and quality of life.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder01:30

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It affects approximately 5-8% of children globally, with around 60-70% of cases persisting into adulthood. ADHD has significant implications for educational attainment, social interactions, and occupational success.
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings.
Panic Disorder01:27

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and sudden minutes-long episodes of intense fear, known as panic attacks. These attacks may feel like heart attacks and often happen without warning or a specific cause. They can include symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, chest pain, trembling, sweating, dizziness, and a sense of helplessness. During a panic attack, individuals may feel as though they are experiencing a heart attack or are in a...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
08:17

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

Published on: July 19, 2017

Attention modification program in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder.

Nader Amir1, Courtney Beard, Michelle Burns

  • 1Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92120-4913, USA. namir@mail.sdsu.edu

Journal of Abnormal Psychology
|February 19, 2009
PubMed
Summary

An 8-session attention modification program successfully reduced generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms by decreasing attention bias towards threat. This suggests attention training can effectively treat pathological anxiety.

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Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
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Published on: September 12, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
08:17

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Published on: July 19, 2017

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
11:18

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Published on: September 12, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is linked to an attention bias for threat-related information.
  • The causal role of attention bias in maintaining GAD and the potential for bias modification to reduce anxiety remain under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test if an 8-session attention modification program (AMP) can decrease attention bias to threat.
  • To determine if AMP reduces symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Main Methods:

  • Participants identified letters in a probe detection task involving word pairs.
  • One group received attention training (AMP) linking probe location to non-threat words; a control group (ACC) did not.
  • Anxiety symptoms were assessed via self-report and interviewer measures.

Main Results:

  • The AMP group demonstrated a significant change in attention bias.
  • Participants in the AMP group showed a reduction in GAD symptoms, confirmed by both self-report and interviewer ratings.
  • The attention control condition (ACC) did not exhibit these changes.

Conclusions:

  • Attention bias plays a causal role in the maintenance of generalized anxiety disorder.
  • Modifying attention mechanisms through programs like AMP offers a promising therapeutic strategy for reducing anxiety symptoms.