Attention biases in children and adolescents

Biases in selective attention arise as a result of imbalance or disruption in voluntary and involuntary attention systems. This chapter reviews the evidence on attention biases and their role in the development of internalizing and exsternalizing psychopathology in children and adolescents. Specifically, differences in the expression of, and risk factors for, the development of attention biases is reviewed in relation to domains of psychopathology, as well as the emerging evidence on the extent to which attention biases improve with established treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, as well as novel treatments such as attention bias modification training. This chapter concludes with a discussion of issues for further research, including the developmental sequelae of attention biases and psychopathology and the importance of understanding links between laboratory assessments of attention biases and day-to-day emotional reactivity.