title: Twice the negativity bias and half the positivity offset: Evaluative responses to emotional information in depression.
abstract: Humans have the dual capacity to assign a slightly pleasant valence to neutral stimuli (the positivity offset) to encourage approach behaviors, as well as to assign a higher negative valence to unpleasant images relative to the positive valence to equally arousing and extreme pleasant images (the negativity bias) to facilitate defensive strategies. We conducted an experimental psychopathology study to examine the extent to which the negativity bias and the positivity offset differ in participants with and without major depression..
  
  
  
  Forty-one depressed and thirty-six healthy participants were evaluated using a structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders, questionnaires, and a computerized task designed to measure implicit affective responses to unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant stimuli.
  
  
  
  The negativity bias was significantly higher and the positivity offset was significantly lower in depressed relative to healthy participants..
  
  
  
  Entry criteria enrolling medication-free participants with minimal DSM-IV comorbidity may limit generalizability of the findings.
  
  
  
  This study advances our understanding of the positive and negative valence systems in depression, highlighting the irregularities in the positive valence system..
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: j-gollan@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Jackie K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Gollan
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: dhoxha@luc.edu.
authors.forename: Denada
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoxha
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: kalliohf@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kallio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hunnicutt-Ferguson
authors.affiliation: Swarthmore College, PA, USA. Electronic address: cnorris2@swarthmore.edu.
authors.forename: Catherine J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: lainaerosebrock@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Laina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosebrock
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: lsankin@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lindsey
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sankin
authors.affiliation: University of Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: cacioppo@uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cacioppo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: IAPS; Major depression; Negative valence; Negativity bias; Positive valence; Positivity offset