Action control and recall bias in depression /
| Main Author: | |
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| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1990.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | ProQuest, Abstract Link to OAKTrust copy |
| Abstract: | The influence of information processing biases in depressed individuals have been conceptualized as both causal and maintenance factors. Depressed individuals have repeatedly been shown to bias their recall of information in a negative direction, both by enhanced recall of negative information and underrecall of positive information. The present study conceptualizes this recall bias as an information processing deficit whereby depressed individuals are theorized to focus disproportionately on negative information and exhibit deficits in their ability to switch attentional focus to positive information. This study examined depressed individuals' recall of positive and negative personal experiences. It also examined recall differences among individuals classified as less efficient in exerting voluntary control over attentional allocation. The results demonstrated that depressed individuals recall negative life experiences more efficiently than positive experiences. The inverse relationship was noted for nondepressed individuals. Individuals who were assessed to be less efficient at exerting control over attentional focus (State Oriented Individuals) were found to require longer response latencies overall, both for positive and negative experiences. This pattern of performance was found to remain significant when the effects of the level of depression were co-varied out. The implications of these findings for information processing in depression are discussed. The implications for etiology and treatment are also discussed. |
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| Item Description: | Typescript (photocopy). Vita. "Major subject: Psychology." |
| Physical Description: | vii, 108 leaves ; 29 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |