Practicing Emotionally Biased Retrieval Affects Mood and Establishes Biased Recall a Week Later

Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) can yield clinically relevant results. Only few studies have directly manipulated memory bias, which is prominent in depression. In a new approach to CBM, we sought to simulate or oppose ruminative processes by training the retrieval of negative or positive words. Participants studied positive and negative word pairs (Swahili cues with Dutch translations). In the positive and negative conditions, each of the three study trials was followed by a cued-recall test of training-congruent translations; a no-practice condition merely studied the pairs. Recall of the translations was tested after the training and after 1 week. Both recall tests revealed evidence of training-congruent bias and bias was associated with emotional autobiographical memory. Positive retrieval practice yielded stable positive mood, in contrast to the other conditions. The results indicate that memory bias can be established through retrieval practice and that the bias transfers to mood and autobiographical memory

The longitudinal link between popularity, likeability, fear of negative evaluation and social avoidance across adolescence

This study investigated the longitudinal bidirectional associations between likeability, popularity, fear of negative evaluation, and social avoidance, to aid in preventing the negative consequences and persistent trajectories of low social status and heightened social anxiety. In total, 1741 adolescents in grades 7–9 participated at 3 yearly waves. A self-report questionnaire measured fear of negative evaluation. Peer nominations assessed likeability, popularity, and social avoidance. Lower popularity predicted more avoidance, and vice versa. More avoidance was related to lower likeability over time. Being less popular and/or more liked by peers, increased fear of negative evaluation. Support for a transactional model between social anxiety and social status was found, but distinguishing different social status and social anxiety components is necessary

Effect of Cognitive Bias Modification-Memory on Depressive Symptoms and Autobiographical Memory Bias: Two Independent Studies in High-Ruminating and Dysphoric Samples

Memory bias is a risk factor for depression. In two independent studies, the efficacy of one CBM-Memory session on negative memory bias and depressive symptoms was tested in vulnerable samples. We compared positive to neutral (control) CBM-Memory trainings in highly-ruminating individuals (N = 101) and individuals with elevated depressive symptoms (N = 100). In both studies, participants studied positive, neutral, and negative Swahili words paired with their translations. In five study–test blocks, they were then prompted to retrieve either only the positive or neutral translations. Immediately following the training and one week later, we tested cued recall of all translations and autobiographical memory bias; and also measured mood, depressive symptoms, and rumination. Retrieval practice resulted in training-congruent recall both immediately after and one week after the training. Overall, there was no differential decrease in symptoms or difference in autobiographical memory bias between the training conditions. In the dysphoric but not in the high-ruminating sample, the positive training resulted in positive autobiographical bias only in dysphoric individuals with positive pre-existing bias. We conclude that one session of positive retrieval-based CBM-Memory may not be enough to yield symptom change and affect autobiographical memory bias in vulnerable individuals

The Longitudinal Interplay Between Attention Bias and Interpretation Bias in Social Anxiety in Adolescents

Background: Cognitive biases are found to play a role in the onset and maintenance of social anxiety. However, particularly in adolescence, the link between different biases and their role in predicting social anxiety is far from clear. This study therefore investigated the interplay between attention bias and interpretation bias in relation to social anxiety in adolescence across three years. Methods: 816 adolescents in grade 7 to 9 participated at three yearly waves (52.8% boys, Mage grade7 = 12.60). Social anxiety was measured with a self-report questionnaire. Attention bias was measured with a visual search task with emotional faces. Textual vignettes assessed interpretation bias. Results: Cross-lagged models showed that negative interpretation bias at grade 7 predicted an increase in social anxiety at grade 8. This effect was not found from grade 8 to 9. Attention bias did not predict social anxiety. Attention bias and interpretation bias were not longitudinally related to each other, nor did they interact with each other in predicting social anxiety. Conclusions: Thus, no evidence was found for the Combined Cognitive Bias Hypothesis in social anxiety in adolescents. Instead, our results suggest that interpretation bias rather than attention bias contributes to the increase of social anxiety over time

Cogito ergo timeo? Cognitive processes in the origin, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety disorders

Contains fulltext : 27399.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Inaugural address RU, 24 februari 200626 p

You Never Get a Chance to Undo a Negative First Impression: Social Anxiety is Associated with Impaired Positive Updating of Social Information

In an ever-changing social world, learning and updating beliefs about others are essential for smooth interpersonal functioning. Social anxiety is a common and burdensome condition involving difficulties in interpersonal functioning. However, the processes governing the learning and updating of beliefs regarding others, processes crucial for these interactions, are poorly understood. To address this gap, we used a novel modification of a reversal-learning task. The task consisted of two phases. Participants first learned that interactions with some individuals were associated with negative outcomes and other individuals with positive outcomes. Later, these associations were updated. Hence, negative individuals became positive and vice-versa. Study 1 (n=87; undergraduate students) revealed that social anxiety was not associated with biased learning of positive or negative information about others. However, social anxiety was associated with a deficit in the positive updating of existing negative beliefs. Study 2 (n=248; Mturk) replicated these findings in a representative and demographically diverse sample, controlling for depression severity and age. This research suggests that social anxiety-related difficulty in positive updating of social information may contribute to the impairment in interpersonal functioning