Encouraging attention to inclusion cues enhances P3b responses and subjective amelioration after social exclusion

Previous research suggests that attentional allocation to inclusion cues is associated with subjective amelioration from social exclusion. However, individuals high in avoidant attachment show reduced attention to inclusion cues while still exhibiting subjective amelioration comparable with those low in avoidance. This study examined whether experimentally encouraging attention to inclusion cues enhances attentional processing and subjective amelioration following social exclusion, and whether these effects differ as a function of avoidant attachment.

Thirty-six undergraduate students completed a Cyberball task consisting of exclusion and subsequent inclusion sessions under two conditions: an attention-manipulation condition, in which they counted ball receptions, and a natural condition without additional attention instructions. P3b amplitudes elicited by inclusion cues during the inclusion session indexed attentional processing. Subjective amelioration was defined as the reduction in Need-Threat scores from exclusion to inclusion.

Preregistered analyses of covariance showed that encouraging attention to inclusion cues increased P3b amplitudes ( P = 0.02) and subjective amelioration ( P = 0.04), with no significant moderation by avoidant attachment ( P s > 0.39). However, additional group-based analyses of variance showed that the attention manipulation significantly increased P3b amplitudes in the high-avoidance group ( P = 0.004), but not in the low-avoidance group ( P = 0.55), whereas no corresponding Group × Condition interaction was observed for subjective amelioration ( P = 0.94).

The present study suggests that encouraging attention to inclusion cues facilitates amelioration from social exclusion without disrupting this process among individuals high in avoidance.