When mental inflexibility facilitates executive control: beneficial side effects of ruminative tendencies on goal maintenance.
Although previous research suggests that depressive ruminators tend to become stuck in a particular mind-set, this mental inflexibility may not always be disadvantageous; in some cases, it may facilitate active maintenance of a single task goal in the face of distraction. To evaluate this hypothesis, we tested 98 college students, who differed in ruminative tendencies and dysphoria levels, on two executive-control tasks. One task emphasized fast-paced shifting between goals (letter naming), and one emphasized active goal maintenance (modified Stroop). Higher ruminative tendencies predicted more errors on the goal-shifting task but fewer errors on the goal-maintenance task; these results demonstrated that ruminative tendencies have both detrimental and beneficial effects. Moreover, although ruminative tendencies and dysphoria levels were moderately correlated (r = .42), higher dysphoria levels predicted more errors on the goal-maintenance task; this finding indicates that rumination and dysphoria can have opposing effects on executive control. Overall, these results suggest that depressive rumination reflects a trait associated with more stability (goal maintenance) than flexibility (goal shifting).
Altamirano
Lee J
LJ
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0345, USA. lee.altamirano@colorado.edu
Miyake
Akira
A
Whitmer
Anson J
AJ
D001288:Attention; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D012193:Reversal Learning; D057190:Stroop Test; D013694:Temperament; D013850:Thinking
Trends Cogn Sci. 2003 Dec;7(12):547-52
14643371
Psychol Bull. 2008 Mar;134(2):163-206
18298268
Psychol Sci. 2007 Jun;18(6):546-53
17576269
Emotion. 2005 Jun;5(2):226-32
15982087
J Exp Psychol Gen. 2003 Mar;132(1):47-70
12656297
Perspect Psychol Sci. 2008 Sep;3(5):400-24
26158958
J Exp Psychol Gen. 2008 Feb;137(1):131-48
18248133
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2002 Mar;72(3):400-2
11861707
J Abnorm Psychol. 1991 Nov;100(4):569-82
1757671
Cogn Psychol. 1996 Jun;30(3):257-303
8660786