ABSTRACT

Attentional mechanisms were investigated in a sample of primary school children (aged 9 -11). Based on The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale scores, we split the sample into high versus low anxiety groups. The attentional mechanisms were explored using two versions of Simon Tasks: a classical Simon Task (ST) and an Emotional Simon Task (EST - including photographs of men and women with calm or fearful emotional expressions). Attention Network Task was introduced because it enabled us to investigate the alerting, orienting, and executive attention mechanisms, using a single task. In Study 1 (n = 89) we found no associations between the level of subclinical anxiety and the performance in ST. In study 2a (n = 37), results showed differences between the low versus high anxiety groups in EST, for the calm facial expressions condition and also for incongruent trials of the fearful facial expressions condition. In study 2b (n = 32), the orienting scores of children with low anxiety levels were associated with their performance for EST congruent trials (fearful condition) (r = .69, p < .01), respectively ST incongruent trials (r = .64, p < .01). The results are discussed from the perspective of Attentional Control Theory (Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, 2007; Derakshan & Eysenck, 2009).

KEYWORDS: attentional mechanisms, response inhibition, anxiety, children

PAGES:315-337