Attentional bias towards task-irrelevant threatening faces reduces working memory updating efficiency in social anxiety

Evidence From the N -Back Task Combining With Eye-Tracking

Bibliographic Data

ID7149960
AuthorsChi-Wen Liang (0000-0002-3315-5979, Chung Yuan Christian University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume39
Issue5
Pages1141-1148
Publication date2025-07-04
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCognition & Emotion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0269-9931 • E-ISSN: 1464-0600
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02699931.2024.2430402
PMID39561090
OpenAlexW4404522916
LanguageEN
References cited24

back task coupled with eye movement recording. The results showed that, in the 2-back task, SA participants had longer reaction times in the angry-neutral and neutral-neutral interference conditions than in the no-interference condition, whereas NA participants had longer reaction times in the happy-neutral and neutral-neutral interference conditions than in the no-interference condition. In addition, SA participants initially fixated on angry faces more frequently and spent more time looking at them, whereas NA participants initially fixated on happy faces more frequently and spent more time looking at them. This study suggests that attentional bias towards social threats reduces the efficiency rather than effectiveness of WM updating in social anxiety. Moreover, SA individuals are better at resisting interference from task-irrelevant positive stimuli, while NA individuals are better at resisting interference from task-irrelevant threatening stimuli

Anxiety · Attentional bias · Audiology · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Eye movement · Social anxiety · Working memory · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Mental Health Research Topics · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies · Neuroscience · Psychology

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