Rumination-Related Learning Biases

• In Event: 29.083 - Poster Session 4
  In Poster Session: 29.083-4 - Poster Session 3: Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Depressed individuals who report rumination repeatedly think about negative events. This tendency could explain their negative memory-biases, because retrieval leads to better long-term retention. We examined the effects of retrieval practice on the later recall of 40 emotionally-valenced Swahili-English word pairs by dysphoric and non-dysphoric students. Participants, assigned to one of three conditions, completed a series of study-practice trials during the first session, as well as a final recall test over all word-pairs one week later. Although we found no evidence of mood-congruent recall on the final test, individuals prone to ruminate engaged in mood-congruent retrieval practice. This finding supports the assumption that ruminators repeatedly think about negative events.

Authors

• Amaris Maydon, Trinity University

• Sarah Lincoln

• Paula Hertel