Abstract
This study examined the self-report and facial expressions of emotional response to pictorial stimuli and the incidental learning of pleasant and unpleasant words by depressed (n = 20) and nondepressed (n = 20) women. Depression was associated with reports of diminished emotional response and reduced frequency and intensity of facial expressions only to pleasant stimuli. The 2 groups did not differ in response to hedonically unpleasant stimuli, even those specifically relevant to the emotion of sadness. In a similar vein, depressed and nondepressed participants showed differences in incidental recall for only pleasant self-referential terms. There was no difference in recall of unpleasant words. These findings suggest the importance of hedonic deficits on psychological processes in clinical depression.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 488-493 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of abnormal psychology |
Volume | 110 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2001 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Biological Psychiatry