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Abstract :
[en] According to the incentive sensitization theory of addiction, repeated substance use heightens the brain’s sensitivity to drug-related cues, making them particularly salient. These cues can automatically capture attention, trigger approach behaviors, and activate implicit emotional associations, contributing to craving, continued use, and relapse. Despite the availability of several implicit measures, spontaneous, real-time assessments of cognitive responses to such cues remain limited.
This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel, ecologically valid method for capturing craving-related cognitions (CRCs) using a think-aloud procedure (TAP) within a 360° virtual environment (VE).
In a pilot phase, participants naive to the study's purpose were immersed in either an alcohol-related (bar terrace) or neutral (hair salon) VE and asked to verbalize their thoughts as they came to mind. Instructions made no mention of alcohol or craving. CRC frequency was compared across conditions. Further analyses focused on the alcohol condition (N = 42), examining correlations between CRC variables (frequency and median intensity, rated 1–7) and standard craving and consumption measures (VAS, OCDS, AUDIT).
Participants in the alcohol VE reported significantly more CRCs than those in the neutral setting (p < .001). CRC frequency and intensity were significantly correlated with craving and AUDIT scores (Kendall’s τ = .20–.63, p = .007–<.001).
These findings suggest that TAP in immersive VEs offers a promising, spontaneous method for assessing craving-related cognitions without relying on self-report or explicit prompting.
