Age-related changes in cognitive biases during adolescence. (July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Slavny, Rachel J.M.; Sebastian, Catherine L.; Pote, Helen
• Is Part Of: Journal of adolescence. Volume 74(2019)
• Page Start: 63
• Page End: 70
• Publication Date: 2019-07
• Subjects: Cognitive bias -- Threat interpretation -- Attributional bias -- Overgeneralizing -- Adolescence; Adolescent psychiatry -- Periodicals; Adolescent psychology -- Periodicals; Adolescence -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 305.23505
• DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.04.007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0140-1971

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Age has been found to moderate the relation between cognitive biases and psychopathology, yet little is known about normative age-related change in these biases during adolescence. Adolescence might be a key developmental period for changes in negatively biased information-processing, and understanding the trajectories of these processes in a typically developing population is a pre-requisite for further comprehending their association with psychopathology. Methods: This study explores the effect of age on seven cognitive biases in a diverse community sample from the United Kingdom ( N = 540) aged 10–17 years (309 were female) using self-report measures. Results: Age demonstrated a positive linear association with three biases: threat interpretation, negative attributions and overgeneralizing scores. Conclusions: Important changes take place during adolescence that may increase young people's negative cognitive biases. Empirical data on normative age-related changes in cognitive biases should be integrated into theoretical models of biased information-processing and psychopathology. Highlights: We investigated the effect of age on seven cognitive biases in adolescents. Age showed a positive linear association with three biases. Changes during adolescence may increase young people's negative cognitive biases.