SynthesisSystematic reviews2018
The effectiveness of attentional bias modification for substance use disorder symptoms in adults: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review of Attentional Bias in Problem Gambling.Journal of gambling studies · 2024Pooled it
- Alcohol-Specific Computerized Interventions to Alter Cognitive Biases: A Systematic Review of Effects on Experimental Tasks, Drinking Behavior, and Neuronal Activation.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Attentional Bias Modification Combined With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Reducing Relapse Risk and Cravings in Male Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trial.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2025Trial
- Integrating cognitive bias modification for pain and opioid cues into medication for opioid use disorder clinical care: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary results.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Attentional bias for alcohol-related cues in a clinical setting among patients with alcohol use disorder: Evidence from eye movements and reaction times.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2026Article
- Neurocognitive Deficits Associated with Gambling Behavior: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Executive Function, Decision-making, Delay Discounting & Reward Sensitivity.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2026Review
- Unhealthy food bias in food addiction: behavioral evidence from a probabilistic image choice task.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Cognitive Bias Modification for Individuals With Opioid Use Disorder and Chronic Pain Did Not Predict Changes in Clinical Outcomes.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2026Article
- Article
- Attentional Bias in Exercise Dependence: An ERP Study of Enhanced Early Attentional Allocation to Exercise Cues.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effect of attentional bias modification on social media addiction: a visual dot-probe task.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Attentional bias toward food in binge eating disorder: baseline differences and the limits of attention modification training.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Temporal dynamics in attentional bias toward shopping cues among problematic online shoppers.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2025Article
- Perceptions Toward an Attentional Bias Modification Mobile Game Among Individuals With Low Socioeconomic Status Who Smoke: Qualitative Study.JMIR serious games · 2025Article
- Context-dependent Impulsivity in Substance Use Disorder: A Neuroscience-informed Framework.Current addiction reports · 2025Article
- The Continuing Challenges of Studying Parallel Behaviours in Humans and Animal Models.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2025Review
- Using eye tracking to evaluate the impact of smartphone-delivered attentional bias modification training for smokers.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2024Article
- Boosting Resilience Attentional Bias in Previously Bullied University Students with Low Post-Traumatic Growth: A Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Study.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Neural Correlates of the Attentional Bias Towards Subliminal Pornographic Cues in Individuals with Tendencies Toward Problematic Pornography Use: An ERP Study Using a Dot-Probe Task.Archives of sexual behavior · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAttentional bias modification (ABM) interventions have been developed to address addiction by reducing attentional bias for substance-related cues. This study provides a systematic review of the effectiveness of ABM interventions in decreasing symptoms of addictive behaviour, taking baseline levels of attentional bias and changes in attentional bias into account.
methodsWe included randomised and non-randomised studies that investigated the effectiveness of ABM interventions in heavy-using adults and treatment-seeking individuals with symptoms of substance use disorder to manipulate attentional bias and to reduce substance use-related symptoms. We searched for relevant English peer-reviewed articles without any restriction for the year of publication using PsycINFO, PubMed, and ISI Web in August 2016. Study quality was assessed regarding reporting, external validity, internal validity, and power of the study.
resultsEighteen studies were included: nine studies reported on ABM intervention effects in alcohol use, six studies on nicotine use, and three studies on opiate use. The included studies differed with regard to type of ABM intervention (modified dot probe task n = 14; Alcohol Attention Control Training Programme n = 4), outcome measures, amount and length of provided sessions, and context (clinic versus laboratory versus home environment). The study quality mostly ranged from low average to high average (one study scored below the quality cut-off). Ten studies reported significant changes of symptoms of addictive behaviour, whereas eight studies found no effect of ABM interventions on symptoms. However, when restricted to multi-session ABM intervention studies, eight out of ten studies found effects on symptoms of addiction. Surprisingly, these effects on symptoms of addictive behaviour showed no straightforward relationship with baseline attentional bias and its change from baseline to post-test.
conclusionsDespite a number of negative findings and the diversity of studies, multi-session ABM interventions, especially in the case of alcohol and when the Alcohol Attention Control Training Programme was used, appear to have positive effects on symptoms of addictive behaviour. However, more rigorous well-powered future research in clinical samples is needed before firm conclusions regarding the effectiveness of ABM interventions can be drawn. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Registration number PROSPERO: CRD42016046823.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.