Selective Attention and Childhood Anxiety: The Associations Among Attention, Memory, Interpretive Biases and Anxiety

This paper examined the links between selective attention, memory bias, interpretive bias, and anxiety problems in a community sample of 81 children (38 females) aged 9-17 years. Cognitive biases were assessed using a word and picture Dot Probe Discrimination task to assess selective attention, a memory task to assess a memory bias, and the CNCEQ to assess interpretive bias. Childhood anxiety was assessed using the parent and child versions of the RCMAS and RCADS. Significant associations were found between the three cognitive biases and childhood anxiety problems. In addition, selective attention was found to be associated with the selective abstraction subscale of the CNCEQ. The results did not support the mediation of selective attention and interpretive bias by memory bias. Finally, the results supported a cognitive model that posited that interpretive bias may be predictive of childhood anxiety problems beyond what is predicted by selective attention and memory bias.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year

2006

Author dc:creator

• Watts, Sarah

Contributors dc:contributor

• Weems, Carl
• Frick, Paul

• Anxiety Disorders
• Cognitive and Information Processing

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/324

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.uno.edu:td-1357