Negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions in major depression: the role of depressive rumination.

Depressed individuals display a negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions. The extent of this selective processing, moreover, has proven predictive of a poor outcome in depression. However, to date, little is known about the possible mechanisms that may account for...

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Main Authors: Raes, F, Hermans, D, Williams, J
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2006
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author Raes, F
Hermans, D
Williams, J
author_facet Raes, F
Hermans, D
Williams, J
author_sort Raes, F
collection OXFORD
description Depressed individuals display a negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions. The extent of this selective processing, moreover, has proven predictive of a poor outcome in depression. However, to date, little is known about the possible mechanisms that may account for this bias. This study examined the hypothesis that rumination--an analytical type of self-focused attention--would be associated with higher levels of perception of negative facial emotions in major depression. Twenty-six depressed patients (17 women) completed the Perception of Facial Expressions Questionnaire, the Ruminative Response Scale, and other measures assessing depression-related constructs. Consistent with prediction, rumination was positively related to a negative bias in the judgment of facial expressions, even when controlling for other depression-related variables. Although the correlational design of the present study limits the extent to which conclusions can be drawn on the directionality of the observed relationship, the present study reveals self-focused rumination as a possibly important causal mechanism in explaining depressed persons' negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotions.
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spelling oxford-uuid:7812522f-c65f-4854-a5ea-6ee03c10ed752022-03-26T20:28:17ZNegative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions in major depression: the role of depressive rumination.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:7812522f-c65f-4854-a5ea-6ee03c10ed75EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2006Raes, FHermans, DWilliams, JDepressed individuals display a negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions. The extent of this selective processing, moreover, has proven predictive of a poor outcome in depression. However, to date, little is known about the possible mechanisms that may account for this bias. This study examined the hypothesis that rumination--an analytical type of self-focused attention--would be associated with higher levels of perception of negative facial emotions in major depression. Twenty-six depressed patients (17 women) completed the Perception of Facial Expressions Questionnaire, the Ruminative Response Scale, and other measures assessing depression-related constructs. Consistent with prediction, rumination was positively related to a negative bias in the judgment of facial expressions, even when controlling for other depression-related variables. Although the correlational design of the present study limits the extent to which conclusions can be drawn on the directionality of the observed relationship, the present study reveals self-focused rumination as a possibly important causal mechanism in explaining depressed persons' negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotions.
spellingShingle Raes, F
Hermans, D
Williams, J
Negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions in major depression: the role of depressive rumination.
title Negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions in major depression: the role of depressive rumination.
title_full Negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions in major depression: the role of depressive rumination.
title_fullStr Negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions in major depression: the role of depressive rumination.
title_full_unstemmed Negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions in major depression: the role of depressive rumination.
title_short Negative bias in the perception of others' facial emotional expressions in major depression: the role of depressive rumination.
title_sort negative bias in the perception of others facial emotional expressions in major depression the role of depressive rumination
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AT hermansd negativebiasintheperceptionofothersfacialemotionalexpressionsinmajordepressiontheroleofdepressiverumination
AT williamsj negativebiasintheperceptionofothersfacialemotionalexpressionsinmajordepressiontheroleofdepressiverumination