COGNITIVE BIAS IN SPIDER FEAR AND CONTROL CHILDREN - ASSESSMENT OF EMOTIONAL INTERFERENCE BY A CARD FORMAT AND A SINGLE-TRIAL FORMAT OF THESTROOP TASK

The aim of the study was to clarify whether fear in children is relate d to a distorted cognitive processing of fear-related information. In anxious children, only a few studies of this bias were performed which yielded inconsistent results. Martin, Herder, and Jones (1992. Cognit ion and Emotion, 6(6), 479-486) found a bias for spider words in spide r-fear children, using a card format of the Stroop task. However, by u sing a single-trial format of the Stroop task, we previously found tha t both anxious and control children favored the processing of threaten ing information (Kindt, Brosschot, & Everaerd, 1997. Journal of Experi mental Child Psychology, 64, 79-97). In the present study, we administ ered both a card format and a single-trial format of the Stroop task t o spider-fear and control children. In line with our previous results, a bias for spider words was observed in spider fear but also in contr ol children, regardless of the format used. Furthermore, the processin g biases assessed by the two formats did not correlate, which suggests that they measure different mechanisms and/or that one or both mechan isms are unstable. It is speculated that certain cognitive development al deficits in regulating emotions may be a vulnerability factor in th e etiology of anxiety disorders. (C) 1997 Academic Press.