VELTEN AND MUSICAL MOOD INDUCTION PROCEDURES - A COMPARISON WITH ACCESSIBILITY OF THOUGHT ASSOCIATIONS

This study aims at testing for the effectivity of Velten MIP and Musical MIP and comparing both in a direct way both at a group level and individually using (substantial) mood changes. Moreover, effects of mood changes on changes in thought association judgements are tested (accessibility of cognitions). One-hundred-and-eighty-four students of two departments of a College for Higher Vocational Education, at random assigned to two experiments (Velten MIP and Musical MIP, n = 92 for each experiment) participated in the study, held at the college. In each experiment four mood induction condition groups were employed: anxious, depressive, elated or neutral. In each condition mood induction (the independent variable) was preceded and followed by a thought association task, i.e. reactions of Ss in addition to allegedly neutral stimulus words of two word lists: List A and List B. Of each condition, approximately half of the Ss (11 or 12) received the word lists in the order A-B, the other half receiving the word lists in reverse order. Thought association tasks and MIP were interspersed by mood ratings, using Visual Analogue Scales (VASs: anxious, depressive, elated and hostile). At the end of the experiment, Ss judged their thought associations for feeling tone (anxious, depressive, elated and hostile) using VAS-like rating scales. The difference between feeling tone judgements of the second and first thought association tasks operated as the dependent variable. As for the effectivity of mood manipulation, results partially supported the hypothesized superiority of Musical MIP as against the Velten MIP, i.e. the former—both at the group and at an individual level—presenting stronger results; however, a direct comparison between two MIPs failed to substantiate this. Sex was shown to play a major role in inducing mood, namely more women than men were susceptible to mood influences. Impact of personality characteristics on mood changes, on the other hand, was generally absent. Personality factors were also shown hardly to have influenced changes of judgement of feeling tones in addition to thought associations. In this context presentation of word lists (A-B or B-A) were shown to be the pertinent factor, due to stimulus words' characteristics. Thus, contrary to what was presumed, mood changes filled a negligible part. Discussion of results leads one to conclude that one needs different stimulus words, i.e. words that lack fixed connotations that preclude any mood influence surviving. Suggestions are made for developing future research designed to shed some more light on the emotion-cognition issue, which topic is believed to be of outstanding relevance for grounding scientifically intervention procedures which are in use in clinical practice

DO INTERACTIONAL CAPACITIES BASED ON OBSERVED BEHAVIOR INTERFERE WITH IMPROVEMENT IN SEVERELY DEPRESSED-PATIENTS - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

This study examined whether the interaction of severely depressed patients and a psychiatrist was related to the course of depression during hospitalization. Interactional Processes were defined on the basis of directly observed behaviour displayed during an interview and by the use of ethological methods. The behavioural structure of the interaction could be described by five factors. The severity of depression and the level of the behaviour factors were assessed just after admission (at baseline) and 10 weeks later. Patients were divided a posteriori into non-improved patients (N = 13) and improved patients (N = 18). Patients who did not improve displayed more 'speaking-effort' (looking, gesticulating, head movements during speech) and less 'active-listening' (head movements and intensive body touching during listening to the psychiatrist) than those who did improve. These factors increased over time in the improved patients but not in the non-improved patients suggesting that they may play a role in the maintenance of depression. The study illustrates the possible value of an ethological approach in the study of interactional processes

SOME LIMITATIONS OF THE ATTRIBUTIONAL LEARNED HELPLESSNESS MODEL ON UNDERSTANDING EFFECTS OF (NON) CONTINGENCY - A CONTROLLED-STUDY IN DUTCH ADOLESCENTS

This study aims at testing for the various aspects central to the attributional learned helplessness model in an experiment designed to optimize ecological validity. Two-hundred and seventy eight Dutch secondary school pupils participated in a learned helplessness experiment, held in the classroom. At pretest an IQ test, the ASQ and some other materials were filled out. Corresponding to random assignment to a noncontingent negative, a noncontingent positive and a contingent group, subjects received at post-test, six days later, bogus feedback about their IQ test result. At post-test also, a parallel form of the first IQ test and several other tests were presented, interspersed by ratings of expectancy, certainty and momentary mood (repeated measures design). Relating to (non-)contingency, the validity of the learned helplessness model seems to be limited: effects of (non-)contingency on expectancy, achievement and mood on the whole cannot be fully understood without considering interactions between subjects' characteristics, schooltype, and the type of the dependent variables. In relation to the alleged mediating functions of attributions, it is revealed to be of little importance which attribution is made, but it is important whether any attribution is made at all. In respect of the intensity of learned helplessness, results do not show much support for the hypothesized relationships. Discussion of results lead us to conclude, that learned helplessness theory may gain by supplementing it with other theoretical notions, such as those relating to sex differences, fear of success and the relationship between emotion and cognitio

Enige ervaringen met de Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

Reviews the research outside the Netherlands concerning the reliability and validity of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and conducted an evaluation of the BDI based on responses from 106 heterogeneous psychiatric patients and 156 undergraduates. Results indicate that the BDI is a reliable instrument. The relation between depression and neuroticism is discussed. (38 ref

Some experiences with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

Reviews the research outside the Netherlands concerning the reliability and validity of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and conducted an evaluation of the BDI based on responses from 106 heterogeneous psychiatric patients and 156 undergraduates. Results indicate that the BDI is a reliable instrument. The relation between depression and neuroticism is discussed. (38 ref