Abstract
Previous research examining information processing in subclinical depression has typically not sought to differentiate between depressive information processing structures. To examine this issue, an incidental recall paradigm was used to assess whether subclinically depressed individuals have self-schemas that facilitate the diffuse processing of any depressive information, or whether such structures are specific to state-relevant versus trait-relevant depressive information. In addition to the automatic information processing that is usually assessed in depression, effortful information processing was examined to determine if depressive cognitive dysfunctions were limited to automatic processing mechanisms. Results for subclinically depressed subjects showed a sensitivity to state depressive information processed automatically, and to trait depressive information processed effortfully. These data are consistent with the presence of a relatively specific, state self-referent depressive schema in subclinical depression, and suggest that, when presented with unfavorable information, subclinically depressed individuals will focus more attention on information that is qualitatively more negative.
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Ingram, R.E., Partridge, S., Scott, W. et al. Schema specificity in subclinical syndrome depression: Distinctions between automatically versus effortfully encoded state and trait depressive information. Cogn Ther Res 18, 195–209 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02357775
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02357775