Heightened ruminative disposition is associated with impaired attentional disengagement from negative relative to positive information: support for the "impaired disengagement" hypothesis. Issue 3 (3rd April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Southworth, Felicity; Grafton, Ben; MacLeod, Colin; Watkins, Ed
• Is Part Of: Cognition and emotion. Volume 31:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 422
• Page End: 434
• Publication Date: 2017-04-03
• Subjects: Rumination -- brooding -- attention -- disengagement bias -- engagement bias; Cognition -- Periodicals; Emotions and cognition -- Periodicals; 155.413
• DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2015.1124843
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-9931

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Information processing accounts of rumination propose that impaired attentional disengagement from negative information may underpin heightened disposition to experience ruminative brooding in response to negative mood. The present study examined the relationship between individual differences in ruminative disposition and selective attention, using a paradigm capable of distinguishing between biases in the engagement and disengagement of attention. Results showed that higher dispositional ruminative brooding, as measured by both the brooding subscale of the RRS and an in-vivo assessment of ruminative disposition, was associated with greater relative impairment disengaging attention from negative compared to positive stimuli. These findings thus provide support for the "impaired disengagement" account of ruminative brooding.