PREDICTORS OF THOUGHT REBOUND

Individual differences in the paradoxical thought rebound effect (incr eased thought expression following attempted thought suppression) were examined in two studies. In these two studies, the majority of Ss did not evidence thought rebound and, in both studies, it war found that a measure of thought rebound was correlated with other variables. In S tudy 1, a four-factor regression model predicted thought rebound (R(2) = 0.1477). The significant predictors were: (1) ACT Composite (higher ACT predicted more rebound); (2) gender; (3) thought intrusion freque ncy during suppression; and (4) the interaction of gender and thought intrusion frequency (for male Ss only, more thought intrusions during suppression predicted more rebound). In Study 2, a replication regress ion model (R(2) = 0.1408) cross-validated the ACT effect observed in S tudy 1. A Study 2 extension model (R(2) = 0.2154) found the following significant predictors of thought rebound: (1) obsessionality (less ob sessionality predicted more rebound); (2) trait anxiety (less anxiety predicted more rebound); (3) race (whites rebounded more than blacks); (4) gender; (5) 16 PF independence; and (6) the interaction of gender and 16 PF independence (for male Ss only, more independence predicted more rebound). The implications of these results for thought rebound theory are discussed. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.