Test-retest reliability of eye tracking during the visual probe task in cocaine-using adults

Background: Stimuli associated with cocaine use capture attention. Evidence suggests that fixation time measured on the visual probe task is a valid measure of cocaine cue attentional bias. The aim of this experiment was to demonstrate the test-retest reliability of cocaine cue attentional bias as measured by fixation time during the visual probe task. Methods: In a within-subject, repeated-measures design, thirty-six non-treatment seeking cocaine-using adults completed a visual probe task with eye tracking. Results: Participants displayed an attentional bias to cocaine-related images as measured by fixation time across two occasions (F (1, 35) = 56.5, p< 0.0001). A Pearson correlation indicated significant test-retest reliability for this effect (r= 0.51, p= 0.001). Response time failed to detect an attentional bias and test-retest reliability was low (r= 0.24, p= 0.16). Conclusion: Fixation time during the visual probe task is a reliable measure of cocaine cue attentional bias in cocaine-using adults across time.