Implementation of the diffusion model on dot-probe task performance in children with behavioral inhibition
Open Access
- Author:
- Wise, Shane
- Graduate Program:
- Psychology
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- July 22, 2019
- Committee Members:
- Cynthia L Huang-Pollock, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Koraly Elisa Perez-Edgar, Committee Member
Peter Andrew Arnett, Committee Member
Melvin Michael Mark, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- Threat bias
Behavioral inhibition
diffusion model - Abstract:
- OBJECTIVE: Attentional bias to threat, the process of attending toward potentially threatening environmental stimuli over neutral stimuli, is positively associated with trait anxiety and may underlie the relationship between behavioral inhibition (BI) and anxiety disorders. However, the most commonly used measure of attentional bias to threat, the dot-probe task, has recently been criticized for demonstrating poor reliability. The present study aimed to assess whether the one-week test-retest reliability of the dot-probe task could be improved by utilizing computational parameters of performance. The drift diffusion model is a computational model of perceptual decision making that combines both RT and accuracy into a single set of performance indices. METHOD: The drift diffusion model was applied to longitudinal task data of 244 children with and without BI, aged 8-12, to produce three diffusion parameters: drift (v), non-decision time (ter), and relative start-point (z). Event Related Potentials (ERPs) based on Electroencephalograph (EEG) data were also obtained as indices of direct, time-sensitive neurological markers of attention. RESULTS: We observed a non-significant relationship between BI and dot-probe performance as measured by both traditional RT measures and diffusion parameters. It was also found that diffusion model parameters of performance did not significantly improve test-retest reliability of the dot-probe task. Lastly, no significant correlations were found between traditional scoring measures or mean diffusion parameters and ERPs of early attention. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that although diffusion modeling has been utilized to improve reliability and interpretability of findings in other cognitive tasks, it does not improve reliability of the dot-probe task. These results confirm recommendations to move away from using the dot probe task as the sole reliable index of attentional bias, even with indices of performance that relay more accurate summaries of performance. Alternative methods of studying attentional bias to threat are recommended.