Examination of social media-related attentional biases in Instagram users using the Flicker Induced Change
Blindness Paradigm
• (1)The starting section should have the pervasiveness of social media and have some statistics to back that
up (sources in the last 10 yrs).
• (2)Section for the increasing discussion as to whether it can be considered addictive in the literature,
including the DSM’s position on this, there should be evidence for and against views in this section
• (3)Section on Incentive sensitization theory as a key theory in substance addiction literature and include
Franken (2003) position on this theory
o Talk about what the theory proposes, its thoughts on cravings, what Franken (2003) suggests about
substance-related attentional biases and subjective craving having a mutual excitatory relationship
o Also talk about Robinson & Berridge (1993) perspective on attentional bias and cravings within this theory
o How both perspectives conceptualize subjective craving and substance-related attentional biases as related
constructs which play a role in the maintenance and relapse of addictive behaviours.
• (4)Section on the evidence in substance literature for the relationship between consumption level and
attentional bias, paradigm by paradigm