DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN ATTENTION BIAS STUDY IN SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER

Olga A. Sagalakova; Dmitry V. Truevtsev; Olga V. Zhirnova

doi:10.12731/2658-6649-2022-14-3-298-311

Olga A. Sagalakova Altai State University, Barnaul, Russia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9975-1952
Dmitry V. Truevtsev Altai State University, Barnaul, Russia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4246-2759
Olga V. Zhirnova Altai State University, Barnaul, Russia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6680-8286

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12731/2658-6649-2022-14-3-298-311

Keywords: social anxiety, social anxiety disorder, digital technology, eye-tracking experiment, attention distraction, self-focused attention, attention avoidance and hypervigilance

Abstract

The paper aims to methodologically reflect on the scientific perspectives and risk-related reductionist understanding of mental processes of the limitations of digital technologies in the study of attention biases in social anxiety disorder.

Materials and methods of research include theoretical-methodological analysis, expert analysis of sources on the problem of application of digital technologies in the study of attention biases in social anxiety disorder. Methodological basis of analysis is the positions of the cultural-activity approach in comprehension of psychological aspects of application of digital technologies to research mental disorders (Tkhostov, Emelin, Soldatova, etc.), pathopsychology in studying distortions of mental activity (Zeigarnik, Kholmogorova, etc.), cognitive and cognitive-behavioral model of social anxiety disorder in the reconstruction of mechanisms of formation and maintenance of anxiety (Clark, Wells, etc.), principles of organization of contemporary studies using digital technologies, and the results of individual empirical studies on the features of attention in social anxiety disorder.

Results. The use of technology in research can be close to the research aim, substituting its scientific methodological understanding at the expense of visibility and the halo of scientificity of the data obtained. Improvement of digital technologies takes their application to a new level, which includes the priority of methodology. The use of digital technology in the study of mechanisms of social anxiety has provided empirical confirmation of motivational bias to social stimuli and the phenomenon of self-focused attention. The most meaningful results in terms of verification of cognitive and cognitive-behavioral models of social anxiety were obtained using eye-tracking technology and electroencephalography. They allow explicating dynamic properties of attention when solving the task in the experiment. Application of digital technologies provides (1) detection of empirical indicators of selectivity of cognitive-perceptual activity when perceiving social objects, (2) determination of phenotypical features of socially anxious individuals. The last distinguish clinical and normative samples, provide an opportunity to verify the models which put forward biases of attention as leading mechanisms of social anxiety. The variety of empirical studies using different paradigms and methods of study does not always allow for comparisons or generalizations; inconsistencies persist in results.

Scope of the results. The research results can be applied in (1) the planning of current studies using digital technology and comprehending of the results; (2) clarification of the mechanisms of disorders and selectivity of attention in social anxiety; (3) development of psychological interventions aimed to work with biases of attention in relation to social stimuli.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Vygotsky L.S. Istoriya razvitiya vysshikh psikhicheskikh funktsiy [History of the development of higher mental functions]. Moscow: Yurait, 2019, 366 p. URL: https://urait.ru/bcode/437760 (accessed January 20, 2022)

Emelin V.A., Rasskazova E.I., Tkhostov A.S. Psikhologicheskiye posledstviya razvitiya informatsionnykh tekhnologiy [Psychological consequences of information technology development]. Natsional’nyy psikhologicheskiy zhurnal [National Psychological Journal], 2012, vol. 1, no. 7, pp. 81-87.

Zeigarnik B.V. Lichnost’ i patologiya deyatel’nosti [Personality and pathology of activity]. Moscow: MSU Publ., 1971, 100 p. URL: http://childpsy.ru/lib/books/id/8416.php (accessed January 20, 2022)

Sagalakova O.A., Truevtsev D.V., Zhirnova O.V. Negativnost’, svyazannaya s oshibkoj: nejrokognitivnyj transdiagnosticheskij markyor trevozhnyh rasstrojstv [Error-related negativity: neurocognitive transdiagnostic marker of anxiety disorders]. Nevrologicheskij vestnik [Neurology Bulletin], 2021, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 80-83. https://doi.org/10.17816/nb58800

Sagalakova O.A., Truevtsev D.V. Eksperimental’noye «eye tracker» issledovaniye iskazheniy vnimaniya pri sotsial’noy trevoge, oslozhnennoy antivital’nymi perezhivaniyami [Experimental eye-tracker study of attentional bias in social anxiety complicated by anti-vital experiences]. Meditsinskaya psikhologiya v Rossii [Medical Psychology in Russia], 2017, vol. 9, no. 1 iss. 42, p. 5.

Soldatova G.U., Rasskazova E.I. Itogi cifrovoj transformacii: ot onlajn-real’nosti k smeshannoj real’nosti [Digital transition outcomes: from online reality to mixed reality]. Кul’turno-istoricheskaya psikhologiya [Cultural-Historical Psychology], 2020, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 87-97. https://doi.org/10.17759/chp.2020160409

Kholmogorova A.B. Rol’ idey L.S. Vygotskogo dlya stanovleniya paradigmy sotsial’nogo poznaniya v sovremennoy psikhologii: obzor zarubezhnykh issledovaniy i obsuzhdeniye perspektiv [The role of L.S. Vygotsky’s ideas in the development of social cognition paradigm in modern psychology: a review of foreign research and discussion on perspectives]. Kul’turno-istoricheskaya psikhologiya [Cultural-historical Psychology], 2015, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 25-43. https://doi.org/10.3389/10.17759/chp.2015110304

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed., 2013, 947 p. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Amir N., Elias J., Klumpp H., & Przeworski A. Attentional bias to threat in social phobia: Facilitated processing of threat or difﬁculty disengaging attention from threat? Behavior Research and Therapy, 2003, vol. 41, no. 11, pp. 1325-1335. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0005-7967(03)00039-1

Bantin T., Stevens S., Gerlach A.L., Hermann C. What does the facial dot-probe task tell us about attentional processes in social anxiety? A systematic review. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 2016, no. 50, pp. 40-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.04.009

Bögels S.M., Alden L., Beidel D.C., Clark L. A. Pine D.S., Stein M.B., Voncken M. Social anxiety disorder: Questions and answers for the DSM-V. Depression and Anxiety, 2010, no. 27(2), pp. 168-189. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20670

Clark D., Wells A. A cognitive model of social phobia. Social Phobia: Diagnosis, Assessment, and Treatment. NY: Guilford Press, 1995, pp. 69-93.

Gregory N.J., Bolderston H., Antolin J.V. Attention to faces and gaze-following in social anxiety: Preliminary evidence from a naturalistic eye-tracking investigation. Cognition and Emotion, 2019, vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 931-942. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2018.1519497

Gupta R.S., Kujawa A., Vago D.R. A preliminary investigation of ERP components of attentional bias in anxious adults using temporospatial principal component analysis. Journal of Psychophysiology, 2021, vol. 35, no 4, pp. 223-236. https://doi.org/10.1027/0269-8803/a000275

Günther V., Kropidlowski A., Schmidt F.M., Koelkebeck K., Kersting A., Suslow T. Attentional processes during emotional face perception in social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of eye-tracking findings. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 2021, vol. 111, 110353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110353

McTeague L.M., Laplante M.-C., Bulls H.W., Shumen J.R., Lang P.J., Keil A. Face perception in social anxiety: Visuocortical dynamics reveal propensities for hypervigilance or avoidance. Society of Biological Psychiatry, 2017, vol. 83, no. 7, pp. 618-628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.10.004

Meral Y., Vriends N. Self-image and self-focused attention in a social interaction situation: what is relevant for social anxiety? Behavioural And Cognitive Psychotherapy, 2021, pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465821000424

Mogg K., Bradley B., Miles F., Dixon R. Brief report time course of attentional bias for threat scenes: Testing the vigilance-avoidance hypothesis. Cognition and emotion, 2004, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 689-700. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930341000158

Rapee R.M., Heimberg R.G. A cognitive-behavioral model of anxiety in social phobia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1997, vol. 35, no. 8, pp. 741-756. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0005-7967(97)00022-3

Sagalakova O.A., Truevtsev D.V., Tinekov A.V., Zhirnova O.V. Neurocognitive mechanisms of attention distraction with social anxiety: A flanker problem experiment. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 2020, vol. 396. https://doi.org/10.2991/iceder-19.2020.57

Talipski L.A., Bell E., Goodhew S., Dawel A., Edwards M. Examining the effects of social anxiety and other individual differences on gaze-directed attentional shifts. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 2020, vol. 74, no. 4, pp. 771-785. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747021820973954

Vriends N., Meral Y., Bargas-Avila J.A., Stadler C., Bögels S.M. How do I look? Self-focused attention during a video chat of women with social anxiety (disorder). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2017, no. 92, pp. 77-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2017.02.008

Список литературы

Выготский Л.С. История развития высших психических функций. М.: Издательство Юрайт, 2019. 366 с. URL: https://urait.ru/bcode/437760 (дата обращения: 20.01.2022)

Емелин В.А., Рассказова Е.И., Тхостов А.Ш. Психологические последствия развития информационных технологий // Национальный психологический журнал. 2012. Т. 1. № 7. C. 81-87.

Зейгарник Б.В. Личность и патология деятельности. М.: Издательство МГУ, 1971. 100 с. URL: http://childpsy.ru/lib/books/id/8416.php (дата обращения: 20.01.2022)

Сагалакова О.А., Труевцев Д.В., Жирнова О.В. Негативность, связанная с ошибкой: нейрокогнитивный трансдиагностический маркёр тревожных расстройств // Неврологический вестник. 2021. Т. 53. № 1. C. 80-83. https://doi.org/10.17816/nb58800

Сагалакова О.А., Труевцев Д.В. Экспериментальное «eye tracker» исследование искажений внимания при социальной тревоге, осложненной антивитальными переживаниями // Медицинская психология в России: электрон. науч. журн. 2017. T. 9. № 1(42). C. 5.

Солдатова Г.У., Рассказова Е.И. Итоги цифровой трансформации: от онлайн-реальности к смешанной реальности // Культурно-историческая психология. 2020. Т. 16. № 4. C. 87-97. https://doi.org/10.17759/chp.2020160409

Холмогорова А.Б. Роль идей Л.С. Выготского для становления парадигмы социального познания в современной психологии: обзор зарубежных исследований и обсуждение перспектив // Культурно-историческая психология. 2015. Т. 11. № 3. С. 25-43. https://doi.org/10.3389/10.17759/chp.2015110304

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th ed., 2013, 947 p. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Amir N., Elias J., Klumpp H., Przeworski A. Attentional bias to threat in social phobia: Facilitated processing of threat or difﬁculty disengaging attention from threat? // Behavior research and therapy, 2003, vol. 41, no. 11, pp. 1325-1335. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0005-7967(03)00039-1

Bantin T., Stevens S., Gerlach A.L., Hermann C. What does the facial dot-probe task tell us about attentional processes in social anxiety? A systematic review // Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry, 2016, no. 50, pp. 40-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.04.009

Bögels S.M., Alden L., Beidel D.C., Clark L. A. Pine D.S., Stein M.B., Voncken M. Social anxiety disorder: Questions and answers for the DSM-V // Depression and anxiety, 2010, no. 27(2), pp. 168-189. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20670

Clark D., Wells A. A cognitive model of social phobia // Social phobia: Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. NY: Guilford Press, 1995, pp. 69-93.

Gregory N.J., Bolderston H., Antolin J.V. Attention to faces and gaze-following in social anxiety: Preliminary evidence from a naturalistic eye-tracking investigation // Cognition and emotion, 2019, vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 931-942. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2018.1519497

Gupta R.S. Kujawa A., Vago D.R. A preliminary investigation of ERP components of attentional bias in anxious adults using temporospatial principal component analysis // Journal of psychophysiology, 2021, vol. 35, no 4, pp. 223-236. https://doi.org/10.1027/0269-8803/a000275

Günther V., Kropidlowski A., Schmidt F.M., Koelkebeck K., Kersting A., Suslow T. Attentional processes during emotional face perception in social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of eye-tracking findings // Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology and biological psychiatry, 2021, vol. 111, 110353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110353

McTeague L.M., Laplante M.-C., Bulls H.W., Shumen J.R., Lang P.J., Keil A. Face perception in social anxiety: Visuocortical dynamics reveal propensities for hypervigilance or avoidance // Society of biological psychiatry, 2017, vol. 83, no. 7, pp. 618-628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.10.004

Meral Y., Vriends N. Self-image and self-focused attention in a social interaction situation: what is relevant for social anxiety? // Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy, 2021, pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465821000424

Mogg K., Bradley B., Miles F., Dixon R. Brief report time course of attentional bias for threat scenes: Testing the vigilance-avoidance hypothesis // Cognition and emotion, 2004, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 689-700. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930341000158

Rapee R.M., Heimberg R.G. A cognitive-behavioral model of anxiety in social phobia // Behaviour research and therapy, 1997, vol. 35, no. 8, pp. 741-756. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0005-7967(97)00022-3

Sagalakova O.A., Truevtsev D.V., Tinekov A.V., Zhirnova O.V. Neurocognitive mechanisms of attention distraction with social anxiety: A flanker problem experiment // Advances in social science, education and humanities research, 2020, vol. 396. https://doi.org/10.2991/iceder-19.2020.57

Talipski L.A., Bell E., Goodhew S., Dawel A., Edwards M. Examining the effects of social anxiety and other individual differences on gaze-directed attentional shifts // Quarterly journal of experimental psychology, 2020, vol. 74, no. 4, pp. 771-785. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747021820973954

Vriends N., Meral Y., Bargas-Avila J. A., Stadler C., Bögels S. M. How do I look? Self-focused attention during a video chat of women with social anxiety (disorder) // Behaviour research and therapy, 2017, no. 92, pp. 77-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2017.02.008

FOR AUTHORS

EDITORIAL POLICIES