(London et al., 2007). In Study 3, we investigated whether lonely children showed attentional biases to social threat stimuli shown in dynamic social scenes. Using eye-tracking methodology, we obtained a continuous measurement of selective attention to determine the exact pattern of attention deployment characteristic of lonely children. We expected to find patterns of attention deployment that were consistent with hypervigilant for social threat. Based on empirical examination of response to threat stimuli, hypervigilence could be demonstrated by (1) an initial vigilance toward socially threatening stimuli that lasts a few seconds, followed by an avoidance of that same stimuli (In-Albon, Kossowsky, & Schneider, 2010; Lange et al., 2011) or (2) an inability to disengage from the socially threatening stimuli (Buckner, Maner, & Schmidt, 2010). Because this is the first study to investigate attentional biases to threatening stimuli amongst lonely people, we did not hypothesize the exact effect of the HSTH for loneliness on attention deployment. We simply asked (a) when viewing socially threatening stimuli, is the attention deployment strategy of lonely children different to that of non-lonely children?, and (b) does the attention deployment strategy used by lonely children what we would expect from people ‘fit’ hypervigilant to social threat? HSTH would suggest that biases in eye-gaze are likely as expectations for social threat are readily triggered and used to understand social interaction cues and potential dangers (Cacioppo & Hawkley, 2009), but the model does not specify the type of gaze deployment expected and no previous investigations have been published to our knowledge. Study 3 was the first attempt to examine motivated attention deployment strategies of the HSTH for loneliness using eye-tracker technology. Together, these studies investigated the HSTH for loneliness in three independent samples of children. In Studies 1 and 2, we examined threat-related cognitions. In Study 3, we examined the attention deployment strategies used by lonely children when viewing socially threatening stimuli. The studies determined whether there was a curvilinear, specifically quadratic, relation between loneliness and the measures of hypervigilance for social threat as an attempt to understand whether loneliness in childhood is discontinuous or not. Also, we
(London et al., 2007). In Study 3, we investigated whether lonely children showed attentional biases to social threat stimuli shown in dynamic social scenes. Using eye-tracking methodology, we obtained a continuous measurement of selective attention to determine the exact pattern of attention deployment characteristic of lonely children. We expected to find patterns of attention deployment that were consistent with hypervigilant for social threat. Based on empirical examination of response to threat stimuli, hypervigilence could be demonstrated by (1) an initial vigilance toward socially threatening stimuli that lasts a few seconds, followed by an avoidance of that same stimuli (In-Albon, Kossowsky, & Schneider, 2010; Lange et al., 2011) or (2) an inability to disengage from the socially threatening stimuli (Buckner, Maner, & Schmidt, 2010). Because this is the first study to investigate attentional biases to threatening stimuli amongst lonely people, we did not hypothesize the exact effect of the HSTH for loneliness on attention deployment. We simply asked (a) when viewing socially threatening stimuli, is the attention deployment strategy of lonely children different to that of non-lonely children?, and (b) does the attention deployment strategy used by lonely children ‘fit’ what we would expect from people hypervigilant to social threat? HSTH would suggest that biases in eye-gaze are likely as expectations for social threat are readily triggered and used to understand social interaction cues and potential dangers (Cacioppo & Hawkley, 2009), but the model does not specify the type of gaze deployment expected and no previous investigations have been published to our knowledge. Study 3 was the first attempt to examine motivated attention deployment strategies of the HSTH for loneliness using eye-tracker technology. Together, these studies investigated the HSTH for loneliness in three independent samples of children. In Studies 1 and 2, we examined threat-related cognitions. In Study 3, we examined the attention deployment strategies used by lonely children when viewing socially threatening stimuli. The studies determined whether there was a curvilinear, specifically quadratic, relation between loneliness and the measures of hypervigilance for social threat as an attempt to understand whether loneliness in childhood is discontinuous or not. Also, we
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