Trait anxiety, defensiveness and selective processing of threat: an investigation using two measures of attentional bias

Attentional biases for threat were examined in a non-clinical sample (N = 6 0), with each participant tested on both the modified Stroop colour-naming and dot probe tasks. Three groups were selected on the basis of trait anxie ty and social desirability scale (SDS) scores: "low anxiety" (LA: low trait , low SDS), "repressor" (REP: low trait, high SDS) and "high anxiety" (HA: high trait, low SDS). Results from the colour-naming task suggested that hi gh levels of defensiveness (in combination with low trait anxiety) were ass ociated with greater avoidance of threat. The REP group showed less interfe rence in colour-naming threat than neutral words; whereas the HA group show ed increased interference due to threat words. On the dot probe task, there was a general tendency for this non-clinical sample as a whole to show avo idance of social threat relative to neutral words, but there was no bias fo r physical threat words. Avoidance: of social threat was significant only w ithin the REP group. No relationships were found between the measures of co gnitive bias from the two tasks, suggesting different underlying mechanisms . Results are discussed in relation to previous findings and theoretical vi ews of the effects of anxiety and defensiveness on the processing of threat . (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.