title: Depressive symptoms and use of perspective taking within a communicative context.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The ability to take the perspective of one's conversational partner is essential for successful communication. We assessed whether individuals who report high levels of depressive symptoms have more difficulty with navigating this interpersonal task.
  
  
  METHODS
  Undergraduate students participated in a computerised communication task that, on some trials, required perspective taking (N=125).
  
  
  RESULTS
  When participants were grouped according to their self-reported depressive symptoms, the "dysphoric group" (BDI ≥ 16, n=37) showed more errors than a "non-dysphoric group" (BDI ≤ 10, n=56) on trials requiring participants to use the perspective of the speaker, but not on control trials where perspective taking was not required. The dysphoric group demonstrated slower response times overall.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals with moderate to high levels of depressive symptoms are more challenged by using a speaker's perspective to interpret statements.
authors: Psychology Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. enilsen@uwaterloo.ca
authors: Elizabeth S
authors: ES
authors: Nilsen
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Duong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003142:Communication; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011930:Reaction Time