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 under priming conditions, such as dysphoric mood. For example, Miranda and Persons (1988; Miranda, Persons, & Byers, 1990) found that dysfunctional 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 constructs (dysfunctional attitudes, automatic positive and negative thoughts, self-esteem), as well as testing the roles of low positive affect (PA) and high negative affect (NA) as mood primes, separately and combined. Consistent with previous findings, results indicated that NA was more strongly associated with negativity on all measured cognitive constructs in remitted dysphorics, than in never dysphoric subjects. In contrast, low PA and the combination of high NA and low PA did not demonstrate this differential pattern of correlation.