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Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults
Published on: October 19, 2014
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Attention Bias in School-Age Children Who Stutter: Evidence From a Dot-Probe Task
Naomi Eichorn1, Luca Campanelli2
1School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Memphis, TN.
Summary
Children who stutter (CWS) show an attention bias toward threat-related words, particularly those linked to their stuttering experiences. This selective attention may influence emotional reactions and avoidance behaviors in CWS.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Speech and Language Pathology
Background:
- Anxiety and rumination are linked to selective attention towards threat stimuli.
- It remains unclear if children who stutter (CWS) exhibit similar attentional biases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate attentional biases in CWS compared to controls.
- To determine if attentional biases in CWS are specific to stuttering-related threat stimuli.
Main Methods:
- A dot-probe task was administered to 39 children (19 CWS), aged 8-15.
- Participants responded to probes replacing general threat, stuttering-related, or personalized threat words versus neutral words.
- Attention bias (AB) was calculated based on reaction times.
Main Results:
- CWS demonstrated a significant attention bias (AB) effect, unlike controls.
- The AB effect in CWS was primarily driven by stuttering-related and personalized threat words, not general threat words.
Conclusions:
- CWS exhibit a preferential allocation of attention towards stimuli associated with stuttering.
- Further research is needed to understand the role of this selective processing in stuttering-related concerns and behaviors.
