Attentional bias modification for reducing energy drink consumption.

Energy drink consumption is increasing worldwide, especially among young adults, and has been associated with negative health outcomes, ranging from headaches and anxiety, to fatal caffeine toxicity. Thus, the development of interventions to reduce energy drink consumption is of utmost practical importance. Using a dual-process framework, we tested the prediction that energy drink consumption is in part driven by automatic cognitive processes (attentional bias), with a view to modifying this bias to reduce consumption. Young adults (N=116; 18-25 years) who regularly consume energy drinks completed the dot probe task to measure attentional bias for energy drink cues. They then underwent an attentional bias modification protocol where they were trained to direct their attention away from pictures of energy drink cans. Following a post-training assessment of attentional bias, energy drink consumption was measured by an ostensible taste test. Regular energy drink consumers showed an attentional bias for energy drink cues. Attentional bias modification successfully reduced this bias; however, it did not reduce energy drink intake. The results lend some support to dual-process models which emphasize automatic processing as a key driver of consumption. At a practical level, more extensive training may be required beyond the single session used here to ascertain the potential scope of attentional bias modification as an intervention for reducing energy drink consumption.