Looking on the Dark Side: Rumination and Cognitive-Bias Modification. (November 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hertel, Paula; Mor, Nilly; Ferrari, Chiara; Hunt, Olivia; Agrawal, Nupur
• Is Part Of: Clinical psychological science. Volume 2:Number 6(2014:Nov.)
• Page Start: 714
• Page End: 726
• Publication Date: 2014-11
• Subjects: rumination -- interpretation bias -- cognitive-bias modification -- brooding; Clinical psychology -- Periodicals; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1177/2167702614529111
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2167-7026

Abstract

To understand cognitive bases of self-reported ruminative tendencies, we examined interpretations and subsequent memories of ambiguous situations depicting opportunities for rumination. In Experiment 1, we recruited students, randomly assigned them to a distracting or ruminative concentration task, and then measured their latencies to complete fragments that resolved situational ambiguity in either a ruminative or a benign direction. Students in the ruminative task condition who previously self-identified as brooders were quicker to complete ruminative fragments. In Experiment 2, we simulated this bias to investigate its possible contribution to rumination; nonbrooding students were trained to make ruminative or benign resolutions of ambiguous situations. Ruminative training led to more negative continuations of new, potentially ruminative situations in a subsequent transfer task. Next, ruminative training also caused more negatively valenced errors in recalling the ambiguous transfer situations. Finally, after reflection about a personal experience, state-rumination scores were higher in the ruminative condition. These results establish the causal role of interpretation biases in ruminative patterns of thought.