Lack of attentional bias for emotional information in clinically depressed children and adolescents on the dot probe task.
The present study utilised a cognitive paradigm to investigate attentional biases in clinically depressed children and adolescents. Two groups of children and adolescents--clinically depressed (N = 19) and normal controls (N = 26)--were asked to complete a computerised version of the attentional dot probe paradigm similar to that used by MacLeod, Mathews, and Tata (1986). Results provided no support for an attentional bias, either toward depression-related words or threat words, in the depressed group. This finding is discussed in the context of cognitive theories of anxiety and depression.
Neshat-Doost
H T
HT
Dept of Psychology, Isfahan University, Hezarjerib, Iran.
Moradi
A R
AR
Taghavi
M R
MR
Yule
W
W
Dalgleish
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011930:Reaction Time; D014825:Vocabulary; D014888:Wechsler Scales