Self-reference, ambiguity, and dysphoria

The present study examined two aspects of a dysphoric attentional bias: (1) the role of the emotional tone of the stimuli; and (2) the role of self-referential processing. A total of 40 nondepressed participants were divided into groups of high and low dysphoria and then primed using a series of formal and self-referent tasks. Word fragments were presented, using a computer. Each word fragment could be completed with either of two solutions: (i) a word primed through a formal learning process: or (ii) a word primed through a self-referential process. Results indicated that dysphoric participants; (1) showed a bias towards negative information in general; and (2) showed a bias towards using self-referent words to complete ambiguous word fragments, independent of the emotional tone of the stimuli. The implications of these findings for both the dysphoric self-concept and cognitive therapy are discussed.