Selective attentional biases for physical threat in physical anxiety sensitivity

Anxiety sensitivity is a trait susceptibility associated with the fear of a nxiety-related sensations. One reason why such fears exist may be because t hose high in anxiety sensitivity selectively attend towards such sensations . However few studies have actually investigated these cognitive biases in high anxiety sensitive individuals. The current study, therefore, sought to investigate selective attentional biases using the visual dot-probe paradi gm. Since recent research suggests that at least one component of anxiety s ensitivity is linked to the fear of physical sensations, individual were se lected on the basis as to whether they were high or low in their anxious co ncern for physical sensations. In order to determine whether a general or s pecific attentional bias exists, the emotionality of material presented to participants was varied in terms of whether it was physically threat-relate d, socially threat-related, or positive. Consistent with predictions, those high in physical anxiety sensitivity were found to exhibit a selective att entional bias in favour of the location of physically threatening material. Furthermore, those low in anxiety sensitivity were found to avoid such mat erial. Interestingly, a similar attentional bias was not found for either s ocially threatening or positive material. If anything, those high in physic al anxiety sensitivity avoided positive material. These findings are discus sed in light of current theories of anxiety sensitivity and future research . (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.