Theories and measurement of visual attentional processing in anxiety

Abstract

Most theoretical models of anxiety disorders implicate maladaptive visuo-spatial attentional processing of threat-relevant information in the onset and maintenance of symptoms. We discuss the central mechanistic hypotheses in clinical science regarding problematic attentional processing of threat in anxiety, reconcile what appear to be contradictory predictions, and integrate those hypotheses to describe comprehensively the overt and covert mechanisms of attentional processing within discrete perceptual episodes. In so doing, we examine critically the prevailing theoretical assumptions and measurement models underlying the current investigations of attention and anxiety, and we advocate for increased precision in the translation of models from vision science to the examination of the mechanisms of attentional processing in anxiety. Finally, we discuss the implications of this approach for future translational research that examines the role of attention in anxiety and its treatment.