The study investigates whether threatening stimuli draw or hold visual attention in subclinical anxiety. In an attentional cueing paradigm, threat words and angry faces did not attract attention more than positive or neutral stimuli, even in highly state-anxious individuals. However, the presence of threatening cues significantly affected the disengagement of attention. High state-anxious individuals took longer to detect a target when it appeared in a location different from a threatening cue, compared to when a positive or neutral cue was presented. This suggests that threat-related stimuli influence attentional dwell time and disengagement, but not necessarily the shift component of attention. The relationship between cognition and emotion has long been studied, with theories suggesting that emotional responses are influenced by cognitive appraisals. Emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety, may stem from cognitive distortions. For example, Beck's cognitive theory of depression posits that negative schemas influence emotional responses. However, cognitive biases in anxiety are more specific than Beck's model predicts, with mood-congruent attentional biases in anxiety and mood-congruent memory biases in depression. The study of anxious individuals has implications for understanding basic attention mechanisms. Attention is thought to facilitate rapid perception of the environment and maintain processing resources on relevant stimuli. Fear-relevant stimuli, such as snakes or angry faces, may be prioritized by the attentional system due to their biological significance. Psychophysiological studies show that fear-relevant stimuli can easily condition autonomic responses, suggesting that the attentional system of anxious individuals may be particularly sensitive to such stimuli. The study of threat-related stimuli and visual attention is important for understanding cognitive mechanisms in anxiety and developing treatment strategies. The study used an exogenous cueing paradigm to investigate whether threat-related stimuli draw attention or affect disengagement. Results showed that threat-related cues did not automatically draw attention but may affect disengagement. This aligns with the notion that the disengage component of attention may be influenced by higher-level variables such as meaning or valence. In Experiment 1, threat words did not attract attention more than neutral or positive words, but RTs on invalid threat trials were slower than on invalid neutral or positive trials. This suggests that threat-related stimuli may affect disengagement rather than automatic attention. In Experiment 2, schematic faces with neutral, happy, and angry expressions were used. Results showed that angry faces, like threat words, affected disengagement but not automatic attention. These findings support the idea that threat-related stimuli influence the disengage component of attention, rather than the shift component. The study highlights the importance of understanding attentional mechanisms in anxiety and their implications for treatment strategies.The study investigates whether threatening stimuli draw or hold visual attention in subclinical anxiety. In an attentional cueing paradigm, threat words and angry faces did not attract attention more than positive or neutral stimuli, even in highly state-anxious individuals. However, the presence of threatening cues significantly affected the disengagement of attention. High state-anxious individuals took longer to detect a target when it appeared in a location different from a threatening cue, compared to when a positive or neutral cue was presented. This suggests that threat-related stimuli influence attentional dwell time and disengagement, but not necessarily the shift component of attention. The relationship between cognition and emotion has long been studied, with theories suggesting that emotional responses are influenced by cognitive appraisals. Emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety, may stem from cognitive distortions. For example, Beck's cognitive theory of depression posits that negative schemas influence emotional responses. However, cognitive biases in anxiety are more specific than Beck's model predicts, with mood-congruent attentional biases in anxiety and mood-congruent memory biases in depression. The study of anxious individuals has implications for understanding basic attention mechanisms. Attention is thought to facilitate rapid perception of the environment and maintain processing resources on relevant stimuli. Fear-relevant stimuli, such as snakes or angry faces, may be prioritized by the attentional system due to their biological significance. Psychophysiological studies show that fear-relevant stimuli can easily condition autonomic responses, suggesting that the attentional system of anxious individuals may be particularly sensitive to such stimuli. The study of threat-related stimuli and visual attention is important for understanding cognitive mechanisms in anxiety and developing treatment strategies. The study used an exogenous cueing paradigm to investigate whether threat-related stimuli draw attention or affect disengagement. Results showed that threat-related cues did not automatically draw attention but may affect disengagement. This aligns with the notion that the disengage component of attention may be influenced by higher-level variables such as meaning or valence. In Experiment 1, threat words did not attract attention more than neutral or positive words, but RTs on invalid threat trials were slower than on invalid neutral or positive trials. This suggests that threat-related stimuli may affect disengagement rather than automatic attention. In Experiment 2, schematic faces with neutral, happy, and angry expressions were used. Results showed that angry faces, like threat words, affected disengagement but not automatic attention. These findings support the idea that threat-related stimuli influence the disengage component of attention, rather than the shift component. The study highlights the importance of understanding attentional mechanisms in anxiety and their implications for treatment strategies.