An Electrophysiological Investigation of Emotional Attention and Memory Biases in Depression: The Role of Working Memory Inhibitory Control Deficits
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Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Cutmore, Tim
Other Supervisors
Shum, David
Year published
2015
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The high recurrence rate in depression suggests specific cognitive factors increase an individual’s risk for developing repeated episodes of the disorder. A factor implicated in the literature is biased cognitive processing of negative information. This includes sustained attention, elaboration and autobiographical memory for negative versus positive events. Empirical evidence and contemporary models suggest impaired ability to utilise inhibitory control over the entry and removal of extraneous negative information in working memory mediates these emotional processing biases (see Beck, 2008; Joormann, Yoon, & Zetsche, 2007). ...
View more >The high recurrence rate in depression suggests specific cognitive factors increase an individual’s risk for developing repeated episodes of the disorder. A factor implicated in the literature is biased cognitive processing of negative information. This includes sustained attention, elaboration and autobiographical memory for negative versus positive events. Empirical evidence and contemporary models suggest impaired ability to utilise inhibitory control over the entry and removal of extraneous negative information in working memory mediates these emotional processing biases (see Beck, 2008; Joormann, Yoon, & Zetsche, 2007). In depression, inhibitory control deficits are linked to poor emotional regulation (Joormann & Vanderlind, 2014) and increased tendency to rumination (Joormann & Gotlib, 2008), which serve to perpetuate and exacerbate depressed affect (Beck, 2008; Joormann, Yoon, & Zetsche, 2007). Previous research has primarily focused on examining the relationship between depression and biased cognitive processes and cognitive control deficits in different studies. However, the predicted interrelations between these processes in depressed and remitted-depressed samples have received limited investigation. To advance insight into the functional relations among these emotional information processing biases and cognitive deficits, the aim of the dissertation was to investigate these processes in a single investigation.
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View more >The high recurrence rate in depression suggests specific cognitive factors increase an individual’s risk for developing repeated episodes of the disorder. A factor implicated in the literature is biased cognitive processing of negative information. This includes sustained attention, elaboration and autobiographical memory for negative versus positive events. Empirical evidence and contemporary models suggest impaired ability to utilise inhibitory control over the entry and removal of extraneous negative information in working memory mediates these emotional processing biases (see Beck, 2008; Joormann, Yoon, & Zetsche, 2007). In depression, inhibitory control deficits are linked to poor emotional regulation (Joormann & Vanderlind, 2014) and increased tendency to rumination (Joormann & Gotlib, 2008), which serve to perpetuate and exacerbate depressed affect (Beck, 2008; Joormann, Yoon, & Zetsche, 2007). Previous research has primarily focused on examining the relationship between depression and biased cognitive processes and cognitive control deficits in different studies. However, the predicted interrelations between these processes in depressed and remitted-depressed samples have received limited investigation. To advance insight into the functional relations among these emotional information processing biases and cognitive deficits, the aim of the dissertation was to investigate these processes in a single investigation.
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Thesis Type
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Degree Program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
School of Applied Psychology
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Item Access Status
Public
Subject
Emotions and cognition.
Depression, Mental
Cognitive therapy.