title: Interpersonal evaluation bias in borderline personality disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The cognitive theory of personality disorders hypothesizes that the emotional dysregulation and interpersonal problems in individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are, at least partially, caused by dysfunctional cognitive schemas. These schemas lead to biased evaluation of environmental and interpersonal stimuli.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study examined the interpersonal evaluations of individuals with BPD, depressive and healthy control participants with the thin-slice judgments paradigm. Participants were asked to evaluate six persons in six film clips, which showed these persons for 10s, during which these persons entered a room and took a seat. Interpersonal style of the BPD group was investigated with the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-C) questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individuals with BPD judged the persons as being more negative and aggressive and less positive than the healthy participants, and more aggressive than the depressive individuals. In addition, individuals with BPD reported more extreme interpersonal behavior relative to the controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicate an aggressivistic evaluation bias and elevated levels of interpersonal problems in individuals with BPD as suggested in the cognitive theory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Heidelberg, Hauptstr. 47-51, Heidelberg 69117, Germany. sven.barnow@psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barnow
authors.forename: Malte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stopsack
authors.forename: Hans Joergen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Grabe
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meinke
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spitzer
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kronmüller
authors.forename: Simkje
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sieswerda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult