University of Twente Student Theses

Understanding the Personalisation Process of a Cognitive Bias Modification Training Targeting Fatigue and Improving its Effectiveness : The Personalised IVY Intervention

Holtkamp, Insa Katharina (2024) Understanding the Personalisation Process of a Cognitive Bias Modification Training Targeting Fatigue and Improving its Effectiveness : The Personalised IVY Intervention.

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Abstract:	Background: Cognitive Bias Modification is a treatment technique that targets implicit cognitive processes underlying (mental) health issues by engaging in simple repetitive association tasks. The present study focused on fatigue, aiming at a shift from a self-concept associated with fatigue to a self-concept related to vitality. Participants were asked to use a personalised version of the IVY intervention, which is a CBM training incorporated in a phone application, for three consecutive days. The CBM training included the repeated pairing of vitality-related stimulus words with “self” and fatigue-related stimulus words with “others”. Two different personalisation methods were used, namely choosing three stimulus words for fatigue and vitality freely and ranking ten existing stimulus words according to preference. Objective: The present study included two sub-studies. The aim of the first sub-study was to establish the effectiveness of the personalised IVY intervention, whereas the aim of the second sub-study was to explore the participants’ perception of the personalisation process as well as their acceptability of the intervention. Methods: In total, 42 participants aged between 19 and 29 completed all required steps, including the pre-test, the three-day-long training (i.e., six sessions) and the post-test. Next to the implicit association task as an implicit measure, participants filled in the VITA-16 and the CIS as explicit measures of vitality and fatigue in both measurement occasions. A linear mixed effect model was used to compare the scores of pre- and post-test. Following the intervention, 20 participants were available for the semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed and coded, and eventually underwent the iterative steps of thematic analysis. Results: It was found that participants’ fatigue bias could be corrected into a vitality bias (d = 0.83). However, on the explicit level, fatigue symptoms did not decrease and feelings of vitality did not increase significantly. In terms of acceptability, previous findings could be confirmed. The CBM training was seen as easy and straightforward, yet its repetitive nature was considered a drawback. The personalisation led to increased personal relevance and higher feelings of self-efficacy among participants. Difficulties were experienced while finding appropriate and unambiguous stimulus words, clearly related to only one of the two categories. Conclusions: It was suggested to change the explanatory text in the pre-test and implement a demo version before the start of the training. Future research should consider to combine the findings from both sub-studies with the aim to gain a richer understanding of possible factors that strengthen the effectiveness of the intervention or barriers that hinder the intervention to be effective.
Item Type:	Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:	BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:	77 psychology
Programme:	Psychology BSc (56604)
Link to this item:	https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/100586
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