PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Eye movements allow the direct and dynamic assessment of attention. They allow the investigation of cognitive and neuropsychological processes. This paper outlines the advantages of eyetracking in children and then provides a summary of eyetracking studies in childhood. Finally, we present results from a pilot study with 17 children of which half reported high social anxiety. In line with the literature we found that all children are more likely to initially attend toward the negative social cue with a vigilance reaction; the low socially anxious children, however, adjust their attention to the threat while the high socially anxious children build up vigilance after a brief period of avoidance. The results of eyetracking studies may help to further shape clinical interventions by providing helpful hints for perceptional and attentional processes and by developing components which may be added to psychotherapy.