Cognitive flexibility and attentional patterns among trauma survivors: preliminary evidence from an eye-tracking study

Abstract

Background Executive functioning has been linked to both the development of post-traumatic symptoms and the efficiency of therapy. Specifically, flexibility processes seem to play a major role in the use of efficient coping strategies after a traumatic event. However, only a few studies have focused on the links between flexibility, resilience, and concrete behaviours displayed by individuals. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of emotional content on the efficiency of cognitive flexibility among trauma-exposed individuals. Method Twenty-eight trauma-exposed (TE) and 27 non-trauma-exposed (NTE) individuals performed an overlap task in which neutral, positive, and negative pictures appeared in the centre of the screen. Participants were required to disengage their attentional focus from this picture to identify a peripheral target. Analyses included eye movements during the presentation of the scenes and the response times associated with target localization. Results TE individuals initially presented a rapid overt disengagement from both neutral and negative emotional information. In other words, TE participants moved their gaze away from the central picture towards the target more rapidly than NTE participants. However, TE participants then displayed longer reaction times to identify the target in comparison with NTE participants. Discussion This study presents preliminary evidence that cognitive flexibility may be relevant when considering the impact of trauma. The developed task could provide a novel way to assess this flexibility within an emotional context. HIGHLIGHTS • This study developed an original assessment of cognitive flexibility processes in an emotional context. • Cognitive flexibility was assessed using an overlap task and eye-tracking technology. • Cognitive flexibility may be relevant when considering the impact of a trauma

Keywords

• flexibility
• trauma
• eye-tracking
• attention
• executive processes
• resilience
• ptsd