Attention processing for threat face in social anxious individuals: tests of hypervigilance-avoidance hypothesis and hypervigilance-difficult to disengagement hypothesis

本研究主要目的為，運用點偵測作業探討高社交焦慮者面對環境中的社會威脅訊息的注意力處理歷程，並釐清在實驗中加入誘發社交焦慮情緒程序對高社交焦慮者的注意力處理是否造成影響。由於過往研究對高社交焦慮者對社會威脅訊息的注意力處理意見分歧，學者們分別提出過度警覺－逃避假設與過度警覺－難以轉移假設，兩假設皆有相關理論與研究支持，本研究企圖檢驗這兩個假設的合理性。 本研究篩選出高社交焦慮組30人與低社交焦慮組30人參與實驗，受試者在接受所分派的情緒誘發程序後，進行以生氣臉與嫌惡臉所組成的威脅臉為實驗刺激的點偵測作業，以評估個體對威脅的注意力。 研究結果發現，接受社交威脅誘發程序的高社交焦慮者對社會威脅訊息的注意力處理，傾向為過度警覺－逃避假設的歷程，對威脅產生警覺後，便逃避對威脅的處理；而接受中性情緒誘發程序的高社交焦慮者對社會威脅訊息的注意力處理，傾向為過度警覺－難以轉移假設的歷程，對威脅產生警覺後，便無法將注意力自威脅轉移。 高社交焦慮者對社會威脅訊息，有明顯的注意力偏誤，且此偏誤會隨個體所處的情境與接觸威脅的時間而有所變化。由於這些偏誤扮演著維持個體的社交焦慮的重要角色，故在釐清高社交焦慮者在不同情境下對威脅的注意力處理後，有助於選擇適當的治療策略，協助高社交焦慮者因應環境中的威脅。The purpose of the present study was to utilize the dot-probe task to investigate the attention processing for social threat in high social anxiety, and to know what under conditions of social threat influence. Owing to the conflicts of the past studies, there are hypervigilance-avoidance hypothesis and hypervigilance-difficult to disengagement hypothesis for the attention processing. This study attempt tests the rationality of the two hypotheses. Performance on a face-probe task was assessed in high (n=30) and low (n=30) social anxiety. After participants were assigned the mood induction procedure randomly, they were presented the task. The results revealed that under conditions of social threat high social anxiety are at first vigilant of threat faces, and avoid them. And under conditions of neutral high social anxiety are at first vigilant of threat faces, and difficult to disengage them. These results suggest that the attention bias for social threat in high social anxiety would be changed by the context and how long the individual face the threat. Know that the attention processing for social threat in the different context in high social anxiety would help the psychologists to choice the applicable therapy for high social anxiety