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The role of attentional bias in mediating human drug-seeking behaviour.

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 17:46 authored by Lee Hogarth, Anthony Dickinson, Molly Janowski, Aleksandra Nikitina, Dora Duka
RATIONALE: The attentional bias for drug cues is believed to be a causal cognitive process mediating human drug seeking and relapse. METHODS AND RESULTS: To test this claim, we trained smokers on a tobacco conditioning procedure in which the conditioned stimulus (or S+) acquired parallel control of an attentional bias (measured with an eye tracker), tobacco expectancy and instrumental tobacco-seeking behaviour. Although this correlation between measures may be regarded as consistent with the claim that the attentional bias for the S+ mediated tobacco seeking, when a secondary task was added in the test phase, the attentional bias for the S+ was abolished, yet the control of tobacco expectancy and tobacco seeking remained intact. CONCLUSIONS: This dissociation suggests that the attentional bias for drug cues is not necessary for the control that drug cues exert over drug-seeking behaviour. The question raised by these data is what function does the attentional bias serve if it does not mediate drug seeking?

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Psychopharmacology

ISSN

0033-3158

Issue

1

Volume

201

Page range

29-41

Pages

13.0

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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