Abstract
Examining the interaction between cognition and emotion has a long tradition in research on emotional disorders. Indeed, many theories place great emphasis on the role of cognitive processes, such as attention and memory, in the onset and maintenance of these disorders. Biases in attention, for example, have been identified as central characteristics of depression and anxiety and have been linked to the difficulties in emotion regulation that define these disorders. Despite these important findings, it remains unclear what underlies these biases and an integration of current cognitive theories of attention with clinical research seems essential to answering this important question. The relational theory of attention presents important new information on how attention works, how relevant information is selected from complex environments, and how irrelevant information is ignored. The emphasis on context dependence suggests a radically different way to understand these processes, and this commentary tries to outline some implications for research on emotional disorders.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 399-401 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Australian Psychologist |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2013 |
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Keywords
- Attentional bias
- Context
- Emotion
- Emotion regulation
- Interpretation bias
- Relational theory of attention
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychology(all)
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Cite this
The Relational Theory of Attention : Implications for the Processing of Emotional Stimuli in Psychological Disorders. / Joormann, Jutta; Arditte, Kimberly A.
In: Australian Psychologist, Vol. 48, No. 6, 01.12.2013, p. 399-401.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The Relational Theory of Attention
T2 - Implications for the Processing of Emotional Stimuli in Psychological Disorders
AU - Joormann, Jutta
AU - Arditte, Kimberly A.
PY - 2013/12/1
Y1 - 2013/12/1
N2 - Examining the interaction between cognition and emotion has a long tradition in research on emotional disorders. Indeed, many theories place great emphasis on the role of cognitive processes, such as attention and memory, in the onset and maintenance of these disorders. Biases in attention, for example, have been identified as central characteristics of depression and anxiety and have been linked to the difficulties in emotion regulation that define these disorders. Despite these important findings, it remains unclear what underlies these biases and an integration of current cognitive theories of attention with clinical research seems essential to answering this important question. The relational theory of attention presents important new information on how attention works, how relevant information is selected from complex environments, and how irrelevant information is ignored. The emphasis on context dependence suggests a radically different way to understand these processes, and this commentary tries to outline some implications for research on emotional disorders.
AB - Examining the interaction between cognition and emotion has a long tradition in research on emotional disorders. Indeed, many theories place great emphasis on the role of cognitive processes, such as attention and memory, in the onset and maintenance of these disorders. Biases in attention, for example, have been identified as central characteristics of depression and anxiety and have been linked to the difficulties in emotion regulation that define these disorders. Despite these important findings, it remains unclear what underlies these biases and an integration of current cognitive theories of attention with clinical research seems essential to answering this important question. The relational theory of attention presents important new information on how attention works, how relevant information is selected from complex environments, and how irrelevant information is ignored. The emphasis on context dependence suggests a radically different way to understand these processes, and this commentary tries to outline some implications for research on emotional disorders.
KW - Attentional bias
KW - Context
KW - Emotion
KW - Emotion regulation
KW - Interpretation bias
KW - Relational theory of attention
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84887783772&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84887783772&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ap.12040
DO - 10.1111/ap.12040
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84887783772
VL - 48
SP - 399
EP - 401
JO - Australian Psychologist
JF - Australian Psychologist
SN - 0005-0067
IS - 6
ER -