title: Does affect induce self-focused attention?
abstract: Despite growing evidence that depression is linked with self-focused attention, little is known about how depressed individuals become self-focused or, more generally, about what arouses self-focus in everyday life. Two experiments examined the hypothesis that affect itself induces self-focused attention. In Experiment 1, moods were manipulated with an imagination mood-induction procedure. Sad-induction Ss became higher in self-focus than did neutral-induction Ss. Experiment 2 replicated this effect for sad moods by means of a musical mood-induction procedure and different measures of self-focus. However, Experiment 2 failed to support the hypothesis that happy moods induce self-focus. The results have implications for mood-induction research, self-focused attention, and recent models of depression.
authors.affiliation: State University of New York, Stony Brook.
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Saltzberg
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Goldsamt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D001288:Attention; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D010556:Personality Tests; D012649:Self Concept