Introduction to the special issue on Cognitive bias modification: Taking a step back to move forward?

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Highlights

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    Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) research has unique theoretical and clinical potential.

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    Though CBM studies support a causal role of information processing biases on psychopathology, efficacy of CBM as a clinical intervention is disappointing.

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    We highlight key limitations of extant CBM research.

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    We propose future directions for CBM research to realize its clinical potential.

Abstract

Cognitive bias modification (CBM) research holds important theoretical and clinical potential. CBM represents one of the most exciting translational developments in experimental psychopathology research in recent years. Despite theoretical and methodological advances in the past 15 years, the clinical efficacy of CBM, to-date, has been disappointing. However, it is important to remember that the CBM therapeutics literature is only in its early stages of scientific development. We argue that the potential for novel approaches to CBM to contribute to disseminable psychological interventions is strong and has yet to be realized. Accordingly, we propose 5 inter-related steps that may help advance the basic and clinical science of CBM: (1) Innovation and refinement of the methodology to modify information-processing bias; (2) Advancing understanding of the nature of processing biases in order to guide their modification; (3) Conceptualizing and studying the moderating and mediating mechanisms underlying the modification of information-processing bias and their effects on maladaptation; (4) Focus on augmenting existing validated treatments, by targeting psychobehavioral processes proximally linked to information-processing biases; (5) Encouraging publication of methodologically strong, mixed and unexpected findings. Finally, we introduce papers in the special issue with respect to each of these future directions. These papers provide important new conceptual and methodological perspectives to advance CBM research.

Section snippets

Innovation and refinement of the methodology to modify information-processing bias

CBM targeting information-processing biases has adapted cognitive-experimental tasks used to measure and study biases, such as the dot probe task, to re-train biases. It has been argued that such procedures may be reasonable for measurement purposes, but are suboptimal in reducing biases in a way that transfers to multiple context and forms of stimuli (e.g., Everaert, Mogoaşe, David, & Koster, 2015). Indeed, these CBM procedures are not engaging, were not designed to achieve sensitive

Advancing understanding of the nature of processing biases to guide their modification

One of the strongest features of CBM is its level of procedural and mechanistic specificity – targeting biases of information-processing implicated in psychopathology (Koster et al., 2009). Key to such scientific plausibility and specificity, is a strong understanding of the nature of the pathological process targeted (Baker, McFall & Shoham, 2008). Recent work re-examines the assumptions underlying the ways we have conceptualized, measured, and quantified processing bias, in particular

Moderating and mediating mechanisms of CBM

A growing although modest body of CBM research has tested for whom and how CBM works. A number of candidate factors have been studied with to better understand for whom, when and in what context CBM may be (sub)optimal (Clarke et al., 2014). For example, these factors include (e.g., Kuckertz et al., 2014), levels of processing bias before training and the amount of change in processing bias generated by training (as researchers have found differences in the malleability by training; Clarke,

Augmentation of existing treatments

CBM research has largely focused on the efficacy of bias modification in a “stand-alone” format. It may be important also to examine whether CBM is able to augment existing clinical treatments by better targeting information-processing biases (e.g., attentional bias to threat) and proximally-linked psycho-behavioral processes (e.g., escape-avoidance motivation and behavior) key to the larger intervention treatment outcomes (e.g., anxiety symptoms severity). Indeed, CBM could enhance the

Publication of methodologically strong mixed and unexpected findings

Null and unexpected findings are less easily published than significant findings (see Fanelli, 2012). Although some null-findings on CBM have been reported in recent years, some meta-analyses document ongoing publication biases that influence our understanding of the empirical status of CBM (e.g., Hallion & Ruscio, 2011). Such publication biases are problematic as they lead to an overly optimistic picture of the efficacy of CBM and limited understanding of conditions or factors that may

Declaration of interest

None.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Aric Zvielli for providing useful feedback on an earlier version of this manuscript.

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