The DOI matches its Crossref record; 29 of the 29 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Attention modification program in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder
Open accessAbstract
Research suggests that individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) show an attention bias for threat-relevant information. However, few studies have examined the causal role of attention bias in the maintenance of anxiety and whether modification of such biases may reduce pathological anxiety symptoms. In the present article, the authors tested the hypothesis that an 8-session attention modification program would (a) decrease attention bias to threat and (b) reduce symptoms of GAD. Participants completed a probe detection task by identifying letters (E or F) replacing one member of a pair of words. The authors trained attention by including a contingency between the location of the probe and the nonthreat word in one group (Attention Modification Program; AMP) and not in the other (attention control condition; ACC). Participants in the AMP showed change in attention bias and a decrease in anxiety, as indicated by both self-report and interviewer measures. These effects were not present in the ACC group. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that attention plays a causal role in the maintenance of GAD and suggest that altering attention mechanisms may effectively reduce anxiety.
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In the citing paper
“Recent attentional bias modification (ABM) studies find an increased ability to improve directed attention away from a hypervigilant threat focus and subsequent improvement in symptoms and impairment, particularly for anxiety disorders”
From United we stand: emphasizing commonalities across cognitive-behavioral therapies. (2013) · cites this paper as Amir et al., 2009
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“non-CBT treatments such as mindfulness-based interventions consisting solely of meditative practice71–73 or bias modification programs74, 75, which may be seen as requiring less effort to deliver, have shown some promise in reducing GAD severity but often did not enroll GAD patients with prominent levels of depression72), restore patients to high endstate functioning75, 76, or significantly resolv”
From AN OPEN TRIAL OF EMOTION REGULATION THERAPY FOR GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AND COOCCURRING DEPRESSION: Research Article: An Open Trial of Emotion Regulation Therapy (2015) · cites this paper as [74]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“briefer, more homogeneous interventions have emerged (e.g., ABM; Amir et al., 2009)”
From United we stand: emphasizing commonalities across cognitive-behavioral therapies. (2013) · cites this paper as Amir et al., 2009
In the citing paper
“These simple, computer-based training tasks have been found to alter processing biases (eg, in attention) in both non-clinical (Browning et al, 2010b; MacLeod et al, 2002) and clinical groups (Amir et al, 2009)”
From Using an Experimental Medicine Model to Explore Combination Effects of Pharmacological and Cognitive Interventions for Depression and Anxiety (2011) · cites this paper as Amir et al, 2009
In the citing paper
“After promising preclinical studies (MacLeod et al., 2002), first successful clinical applications have been reported in targeted prevention (See et al., 2009) and in clinically anxious patient groups (Amir et al., 2009;Schmidt et al., 2009), and targeted prevention (See et al., 2009) with maintenance of clinical improvement reported four months after the training (Schmidt et al., 2009).”
From Addiction, adolescence, and the integration of control and motivation (2011) · cites this paper as Amir et al., 2009
In the citing paper
“while reducing negative attentional biases in clinically anxious populations improves anxiety (5,6).”
From Lateral prefrontal cortex mediates the cognitive modification of attentional bias (2010) · cites this paper as [5]
In the citing paper
“Third, interpretation of findings of AB change is complicated by a methodological limitation of many ABM studies, which is the use of the same or similar paradigm to modify and assess AB (e.g., as noted by Amir et al., 2009;Cristea, Kok, et al., 2015).”
From Anxiety and attention to threat: cognitive mechanisms and treatment with attention bias modification (2016) · cites this paper as Amir et al., 2009
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Citations
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Metadata
- Authors
- Amir, N., Beard, C., Burns, M., & Bomyea, J.
- Affiliations
- San Diego State University (US)
- University of Georgia (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Abnormal Psychology
- Published
- 2009-02
- Volume
- 118
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 28-33
- ISSN
- 0021-843X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1846
- PMC
- PMC2645540
- OpenAlex
- W2039854536
- Cited by
- 539
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 52 · 2014: 56 · 2013: 37 · 2012: 45
- FWCI
- 74.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Abnormal Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (R34 MH073004-01; R34 MH077129-01)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
- Keywords
- generalized anxiety disorder, attentional bias, threat attention, anxiety maintenance, attention training, anxiety symptoms
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Attention, Educational Status, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Processes, Severity of Illness Index, Vocabulary, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
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