MOOD STATE DEPENDENCE IN COGNITIVE VULNERABILITY TO DEPRESSION - THE ROLES OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT

Recent theory and research suggests that cognitive differences between depression-prone and nonvulnerable individuals are only apparent unde r priming conditions, such as dysphoric mood. For example, Miranda and Persons (1988; Miranda, Persons, & Byers, 1990) found that dysfunctio nal attitudes correlate with dysphoric affect in remitted depressives, but not in never depressed subjects. The current study replicated and extended this research by examining a wider variety of cognitive cons tructs (dysfunctional attitudes, automatic positive and negative thoug hts, self-esteem), as well as testing the roles of low positive affect (PA) and high negative affect (NA) as mood primes, separately and com bined. Consistent with previous findings, results indicated that NA wa s more strongly associated with negativity on all measured cognitive c onstructs in remitted dysphorics, than in never dysphoric subjects. li t contrast, low PA and the combination of high NA and low PA did not d emonstrate this differential pattern of correlation.