ASSESSMENT OF COGNITIVE BIAS IN DEPRESSION

Describes a procedure for the assessment of depressive distortion, a construct hypothesized by A. T. Beck (1967, 1976) to be a central mechanism in the cause and maintenance of dysphoria and other symptoms of depression. The questionnaire assesses Ss' interpretations of events depicted in brief stories and measures presence of a tendency to select the most negative, pessimistic, or self-deprecating response options. The psychometric properties of the procedure are reported, and validity issues are addressed. There was a consistent relation between scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and depressive-distortion scores across samples of 590 college students, 29 outpatients in therapy for depression, and 20 inpatients. From test-retest data, it appears that Ss with high scores on both depression and distortion had the highest levels of depression 8 wks after initial testing. Although the results confirm Beck's hypothesis of a characteristic cognitive bias in depression, research is needed to analyze the role of bias in maintaining depressed mood and to clarify the nature of the bias. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1979 American Psychological Association.