Social Anxiety DisorderNCT06054386
Attention Bias Modification Training for Social Phobia (ABMSP)
A study testing Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT) in people with Social Anxiety Disorder, run by University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Attentional bias has primarily been investigated as a primary cognitive etiology of social anxiety symptoms. Previous research has found that individuals with high social anxiety showed facilitated attentional engagement to threat stimuli or delayed disengagement of attention from threat. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- What is being tested?
- Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT)
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 84 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 7 Apr 2022to 11 Apr 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (based on the DIAMOND interview - Social anxiety module)
- Moderate or severe symptoms of social anxiety as revealed by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS score of ≥ 40) or MINI-SPIN (Score of ≥ 6)
- Ages 18-60
- English as a primary language
- Possession of a mobile device for access to the app (Inquisit 6)
Who cannot join
- Self-reported visual impairment that cannot be adjusted and will prevent them from clearly recognizing words and pictures on mobile screen
- Self-reported history of a bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53211
About this study
Official title: Mobile-based Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT) for Socially Anxious Individuals
Attentional bias has primarily been investigated as a primary cognitive etiology of social anxiety symptoms. Previous research has found that individuals with high social anxiety showed facilitated attentional engagement to threat stimuli or delayed disengagement of attention from threat. Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT) was developed through applying the attentional mechanism in social anxiety. During ABMT, participants are deliberately induced to shift their attention away from threat stimuli and toward neutral stimuli. Despite its proven effectiveness, a recent meta-study found that the effect size of ABMT is significant but too small. As a result, the current study focuses on improving the existing ABMT by incorporating integrative factors into attention training. The current study aims to integrate bottom-up and top-down cognitive processes in ABMT. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions (active or placebo training) and will complete the ABMT for three weeks. The ABMT's efficacy will be assessed by comparing pre- and post-training measures.
Read the detailed description
Individuals with at least mild level of social anxiety symptoms will be invited to the current study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two attention training conditions: a Integrated Attentional Bias Modification (I-ABM) training or placebo training (PLT). Before and after the training, participants will complete computerized tasks (e.g., attention network task, dot-probe task) and self-report questionnaires.
The basic design of I-ABM training will follow the dot-probe task, which will ask participants to swipe or tap on the probe in the correct direction. The I-ABM training aims to shift attention away from threatening stimuli or improve the inhibitory control ability. The PLT training will have the same basic design, but this will not include therapeutic components. Participants will complete the training three times per week for three weeks (a total of 9 training sessions), and there will be post-training and a 2-week follow-up assessment.
- Conditions
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Being tested
- Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT), General Attention Control Training
- Keywords
- Attentional bias, Cognitive process, Mobile training
- Medical subject headings
- Phobia, Social
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT)Other
The ABMT is aimed to modify attentional bias for negative stimuli in social anxiety by deliberately inducing the participant's attention to positive or neutral stimuli. In the training, after a pair of facial stimuli (e.g., threatening-neutral, neutral-neutral) are presented, a left or right arrow appears in one of the location. Participants are instructed to press the button in the correct direction as quickly and accurately as possible.
General Attention Control TrainingOther
The general attention control training aimed to improve participants' general attention control ability by asking them to press a left or right arrow in the correct direction. The basic design of attention control training is the same as the ABMT, but the attention control training does not aim to alter the direction of attention toward or away from certain stimuli.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated ABM (I-ABM) | Active comparator | The I-ABM will include four progressively difficult levels of training blocks, each containing 72 trials. Participants will be required to tap or swipe the probe in the correct direction during the first and second levels of training. The inhibitory control components will be included in the third and fourth levels, where participants should not respond to the probe under certain conditions. Each training will take 10-15 minutes, and participants will complete the sessions three times a week for three weeks. Receives: Other: Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT) |
| Placebo Training (PLT) | Placebo comparator | The PLT has four training blocks that follow the same basic design as the I-ABM training. However, the PLT will not aim to change social anxiety-related attention bias. Participants will simply swipe or tap the probe regardless of the stimuli condition, which is expected to exert a minimum level of effect on changing the attention bias linked to social anxiety. Participants will complete the training three times per week for three weeks. Receives: Other: General Attention Control Training |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN) across Pre-training, Post-training, and 2-week follow up
The Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN; Connor et al., 2001) is a 3-item measure which assesses the degree to which an individual experiences fear or avoidance in social situations. The measure uses a 5-point-Likert rating scale ranges from 0="not at all" to 4="extremely", with a total score range of 0-12. At a cutoff score of 6, the Mini-SPIN showed sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 90% for detecting generalized social anxiety disorder (Connor et al., 2001). The higher the scores, the more severe the symptoms of social anxiety.
Measured: Pre-training (before the first mobile training), Post-training (after three weeks of training), 2-Week follow-up (two weeks after the post training assessment)
Secondary outcomes (2)
Change in Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) across Pre-training, Post-training, and 2-week follow-up
The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale (DASS-21; Lovibond \& Lovibond, 1995) comprises 21 items with three subscales (depression, anxiety, and stress), each subscale consisting of seven items. Items are rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 0="did not apply to me at all" to 3="applied to me very much or most of the time". Total scores in each subscale are calculated by adding the scores from seven items and multiplying by two, with each subscale having a total score range of 0-42. The DASS-21 showed good internal reliability (coefficient alpha ranged between 0.74 and 0.93). The higher the scores, the more severe the depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms.
Measured: Pre-training (before the first mobile training), Post-training (after three weeks of training), 2-Week follow-up (two weeks after the post training assessment)
Change in Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS-SR) across Pre-training, Post-training, and 2-week follow-up
The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale-Self Report (LSAS-SR; Liebowitz, 1987) assesses the severity of social anxiety and its associated avoidance across a variety of life domains. The LSAS-SR consists of 24 items that are rated on a 5-point scale from 0 ("none") to 4 ("very severe"). The LSAS-SR is divided into two subscales: fear and avoidance, with total scores ranging from 0-72 for each. The The higher the scores, the more severe the symptoms of social anxiety.
Measured: Pre-training (before the first mobile training), Post-training (after three weeks of training), 2-Week follow-up (two weeks after the post training assessment)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Sep 2023
- Study start7 Apr 2022
- Primary completion11 Apr 2024
- Study completion11 Apr 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (7)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Social Anxiety DisorderStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Han-Joo Lee, PhD, Principal investigator, 414-229-5858
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06054386
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- UWM 21.197
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 21 Aug 2023
- Last updated
- 20 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Publications
Amir N, Bomyea J, Beard C. The effect of single-session interpretation modification on attention bias in socially anxious individuals. J Anxiety Disord. 2010 Mar;24(2):178-82. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.10.005. Epub 2009 Oct 27.
PubMed 19926442Connor KM, Kobak KA, Churchill LE, Katzelnick D, Davidson JR. Mini-SPIN: A brief screening assessment for generalized social anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety. 2001;14(2):137-40. doi: 10.1002/da.1055.
PubMed 11668666Heeren A, Mogoase C, Philippot P, McNally RJ. Attention bias modification for social anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev. 2015 Aug;40:76-90. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.06.001. Epub 2015 Jun 6.
PubMed 26080314Lovibond PF, Lovibond SH. The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behav Res Ther. 1995 Mar;33(3):335-43. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-u.
PubMed 7726811Mogg K, Bradley BP. Selective orienting of attention to masked threat faces in social anxiety. Behav Res Ther. 2002 Dec;40(12):1403-14. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(02)00017-7.
PubMed 12457635Schofield CA, Johnson AL, Inhoff AW, Coles ME. Social anxiety and difficulty disengaging threat: evidence from eye-tracking. Cogn Emot. 2012;26(2):300-11. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2011.602050. Epub 2011 Oct 5.
PubMed 21970428Liebowitz MR. Social phobia. Mod Probl Pharmacopsychiatry. 1987;22:141-73. doi: 10.1159/000414022. No abstract available.
PubMed 2885745
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Mobile-based Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT) for Socially Anxious Individuals
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06054386
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- UWM 21.197
- Conditions
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Keywords
- Attentional bias, Cognitive process, Mobile training
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Wisconsin, MilwaukeeUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 7 Apr 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 11 Apr 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 11 Apr 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 26 Sep 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Attentional bias has primarily been investigated as a primary cognitive etiology of social anxiety symptoms. Previous research has found that individuals with high social anxiety showed facilitated attentional engagement to threat stimuli or delayed disengagement of attention from threat. Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT) was developed through applying the attentional mechanism in social anxiety. During ABMT, participants are deliberately induced to shift their attention away from threat stimuli and toward neutral stimuli. Despite its proven effectiveness, a recent meta-study found that the effect size of ABMT is significant but too small. As a result, the current study focuses on improving the existing ABMT by incorporating integrative factors into attention training. The current study aims to integrate bottom-up and top-down cognitive processes in ABMT. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions (active or placebo training) and will complete the ABMT for three weeks. The ABMT's efficacy will be assessed by comparing pre- and post-training measures.
Detailed description
Individuals with at least mild level of social anxiety symptoms will be invited to the current study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two attention training conditions: a Integrated Attentional Bias Modification (I-ABM) training or placebo training (PLT). Before and after the training, participants will complete computerized tasks (e.g., attention network task, dot-probe task) and self-report questionnaires.
The basic design of I-ABM training will follow the dot-probe task, which will ask participants to swipe or tap on the probe in the correct direction. The I-ABM training aims to shift attention away from threatening stimuli or improve the inhibitory control ability. The PLT training will have the same basic design, but this will not include therapeutic components. Participants will complete the training three times per week for three weeks (a total of 9 training sessions), and there will be post-training and a 2-week follow-up assessment.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated ABM (I-ABM) | Active comparator | Other: Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT)The I-ABM will include four progressively difficult levels of training blocks, each containing 72 trials. Participants will be required to tap or swipe the probe in the correct direction during the first and second levels of training. The inhibitory control components will be included in the third and fourth levels, where participants should not respond to the probe under certain conditions. Each training will take 10-15 minutes, and participants will complete the sessions three times a week for three weeks. |
| Placebo Training (PLT) | Placebo comparator | Other: General Attention Control TrainingThe PLT has four training blocks that follow the same basic design as the I-ABM training. However, the PLT will not aim to change social anxiety-related attention bias. Participants will simply swipe or tap the probe regardless of the stimuli condition, which is expected to exert a minimum level of effect on changing the attention bias linked to social anxiety. Participants will complete the training three times per week for three weeks. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (based on the DIAMOND interview - Social anxiety module)
- Moderate or severe symptoms of social anxiety as revealed by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS score of ≥ 40) or MINI-SPIN (Score of ≥ 6)
- Ages 18-60
- English as a primary language
- Possession of a mobile device for access to the app (Inquisit 6)
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Self-reported visual impairment that cannot be adjusted and will prevent them from clearly recognizing words and pictures on mobile screen
- Self-reported history of a bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT)The ABMT is aimed to modify attentional bias for negative stimuli in social anxiety by deliberately inducing the participant's attention to positive or neutral stimuli. In the training, after a pair of facial stimuli (e.g., threatening-neutral, neutral-neutral) are presented, a left or right arrow appears in one of the location. Participants are instructed to press the button in the correct direction as quickly and accurately as possible. | Other | Integrated ABM (I-ABM) |
| General Attention Control TrainingThe general attention control training aimed to improve participants' general attention control ability by asking them to press a left or right arrow in the correct direction. The basic design of attention control training is the same as the ABMT, but the attention control training does not aim to alter the direction of attention toward or away from certain stimuli. | Other | Placebo Training (PLT) |
Primary outcome
Change in Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN) across Pre-training, Post-training, and 2-week follow up
Time frame: Pre-training (before the first mobile training), Post-training (after three weeks of training), 2-Week follow-up (two weeks after the post training assessment)
The Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN; Connor et al., 2001) is a 3-item measure which assesses the degree to which an individual experiences fear or avoidance in social situations. The measure uses a 5-point-Likert rating scale ranges from 0="not at all" to 4="extremely", with a total score range of 0-12. At a cutoff score of 6, the Mini-SPIN showed sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 90% for detecting generalized social anxiety disorder (Connor et al., 2001). The higher the scores, the more severe the symptoms of social anxiety.
2 secondary outcomes
Change in Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) across Pre-training, Post-training, and 2-week follow-up
Time frame: Pre-training (before the first mobile training), Post-training (after three weeks of training), 2-Week follow-up (two weeks after the post training assessment)
Change in Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS-SR) across Pre-training, Post-training, and 2-week follow-up
Time frame: Pre-training (before the first mobile training), Post-training (after three weeks of training), 2-Week follow-up (two weeks after the post training assessment)
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 Jul 2026.
- Background: PubMed 19926442Amir N, Bomyea J, Beard C. The effect of single-session interpretation modification on attention bias in socially anxious individuals. J Anxiety Disord. 2010 Mar;24(2):178-82. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.10.005. Epub 2009 Oct 27.
- Background: PubMed 11668666Connor KM, Kobak KA, Churchill LE, Katzelnick D, Davidson JR. Mini-SPIN: A brief screening assessment for generalized social anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety. 2001;14(2):137-40. doi: 10.1002/da.1055.
- Background: PubMed 26080314Heeren A, Mogoase C, Philippot P, McNally RJ. Attention bias modification for social anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev. 2015 Aug;40:76-90. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.06.001. Epub 2015 Jun 6.
- Background: PubMed 7726811Lovibond PF, Lovibond SH. The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behav Res Ther. 1995 Mar;33(3):335-43. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-u.
- Background: PubMed 12457635Mogg K, Bradley BP. Selective orienting of attention to masked threat faces in social anxiety. Behav Res Ther. 2002 Dec;40(12):1403-14. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(02)00017-7.
- Background: PubMed 21970428Schofield CA, Johnson AL, Inhoff AW, Coles ME. Social anxiety and difficulty disengaging threat: evidence from eye-tracking. Cogn Emot. 2012;26(2):300-11. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2011.602050. Epub 2011 Oct 5.
- Background: PubMed 2885745Liebowitz MR. Social phobia. Mod Probl Pharmacopsychiatry. 1987;22:141-73. doi: 10.1159/000414022. No abstract available.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Han-Joo Lee, PhD principal investigator
414-229-5858
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Attentional Bias Modification Training (ABMT) in people with Social Anxiety Disorder, run by University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN) across Pre-training, Post-training, and 2-week follow up (time frame: Pre-training (before the first mobile training), Post-training (after three weeks of training), 2-Week follow-up (two weeks after the post training assessment)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06054386, which also lists 7 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 20 Jul 2026.