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Cited by 916Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesIdentity, Memory, and TherapyNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Understanding depressive rumination from a cognitive science perspective: The impaired disengagement hypothesis

Open access
Koster, Ernst H.W., De Lissnyder, Evi, Derakshan, Nazanin, De Raedt, Rudi·2011·Clinical Psychology Review
DOI 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.08.005
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Abstract

Persisting negative thoughts are considered a hallmark of depression. Recent information-processing approaches have begun to uncover underlying mechanisms of depressive rumination. Despite marked advances in this area, there is a lack of integration between psychopathology and cognitive (neuro) science research. We propose the 'impaired disengagement' hypothesis as a unifying framework between both approaches. The core tenet of our model is that prolonged processing of self-referent material is due to impaired attentional disengagement from negative self-referent information. We discuss empirical evidence for this framework and outline future ways in which the causal predictions of this model can be tested. The proposed framework can account for effectiveness of various treatments for depression and may aid in devising new interventions to target depressive cognition.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This theoretical review proposes that depressive rumination persists because attention is not effectively disengaged from negative self-focused material. It integrates cognitive and affective neuroscience evidence to argue that attentional control deficits, especially inhibition and set-shifting problems, contribute to brooding and may be treatment targets.

Key findings

  • The model’s central claim is that prolonged processing of self-referent negative information arises from impaired attentional disengagement; normal cued rumination becomes pathological when conflict signaling or attentional control fails.
  • Rumination is not unitary: factor analyses of the 22-item Ruminative Response Scale distinguish reflective pondering, a more adaptive problem-solving form, from depressive brooding, a more maladaptive and self-critical form; depression is specifically linked to high brooding.
  • Reviewed evidence indicates that higher rumination correlates with poorer attentional control, including more perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task in ruminators versus nonruminators, brooding-related inhibition deficits in antisaccade and task-switching paradigms, valence-specific biases for negative words, and difficulty removing negative material from working memory; these associations often remain after controlling for depression scores.
  • Neuroscience clues include sustained amygdala responses to negative words related to rumination, reduced connectivity between conflict-monitoring and prefrontal control regions, and altered default-mode-network connectivity, suggesting rumination may become habitual and deplete attentional resources rather than reflect top-down sense-making.

Methods

  • Theoretical and integrative review, not an empirical study; it proposes the impaired disengagement framework and reviews existing cognitive, psychopathological, and affective neuroscience literature.
  • Draws on questionnaire measures such as the 22-item Ruminative Response Scale and its brooding/reflection factors, experimental tasks including the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, antisaccade, dot probe, negative priming, Sternberg, and task-switching paradigms, and neuroimaging, ERP, and rTMS findings.
  • No new sample or primary data are reported; causal claims are framed as hypotheses to be tested prospectively and experimentally.

Limitations

  • The paper states that most empirical evidence is correlational, so the causal direction between rumination and information-processing cannot be firmly established; rumination could impair attentional control rather than the reverse.
  • The paper states that prospective studies and experimental manipulation of attentional control are needed; many cited studies used undergraduates with elevated depressive symptoms, and some used non-selected samples that may reduce group differences.
  • Evident from the text: as a theoretical review, it does not directly test the model’s causal predictions, and some cited findings are mixed, such as no rumination–inhibition association for negative faces in a depressed sample, possibly due to verbal versus pictorial material.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.08.005

Cites

105 of 105 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

0 of 81 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Findingown data

    A larger switch cost for emotional material was linked to increased depressive brooding in response to stress.

    “Interestingly, a larger switch cost when processing emotional material was associated with increased depressive brooding in response to stress.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites De Lissnyder, Koster, Goubert, Onraedt, & De Raedt, submitted

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Findingcitation

    In a prospective study, impaired cognitive control at time one, shown by larger switch costs, moderated the link between stress and increased rumination later.

    “Results revealed that impaired cognitive control measured at time one, reflected in larger switch costs, moderated the association between stress and increased rumination during a stressful period later in time.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites De Lissnyder, Koster, Goubert, Onraedt, & De Raedt, submitted

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Interpretationnone given

    Information-processing factors are central to rumination.

    “We argue that information-processing factors play a crucial role in rumination.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Interpretationreasoning

    Rumination is affected by factors beyond information processing.

    “Important to note here, rumination is influenced by factors other than informationprocessing.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Interpretationnone given

    In depression, prolonged processing of self-referent material is caused by a reduced ability to disengage attention from negative self-referent information.

    “The core tenet of our model is that prolonged processing of self-referent material is due to impaired attentional disengagement from negative self-referent information.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • The authors state this as an assumption: Internal or external stressors that conflict with a person's goals cue ruminative thoughts.
    • Rests on an assumption: In most people, self-critical negative thoughts are not consistent with existing positive self-views.
    • Rests on an assumption: In most people, conflict signaling is followed by disengagement of attention from negative thoughts.
    • Rests on an assumption: After some time, self-critical thoughts or negative mood cause signaling of cognitive conflict.
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 13
  • May combine two claims. 26

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning

    People who have trouble exerting attentional control when faced with negative thoughts are likely to ruminate persistently.

    “That is, individuals who are characterized by a difficulty to exercise attentional control in response to negative thoughts are likely to experience persistent rumination.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • The authors state this as an assumption: Internal or external stressors that conflict with a person's goals cue ruminative thoughts.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    More negative affect and more frequent stressful events are linked to greater attempts to understand those feelings and events.

    “Clearly, heightened levels of negative affect and/or the frequent encounter of stressful events are associated with enhanced attempts to understand these feelings and events (see also Martin & Tesser, 1996).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Martin & Tesser, 1996

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    Difficulty disengaging attention is the main mechanism increasing risk for high rumination, especially brooding.

    “We postulate difficulty to disengage attention as the central engine that puts individuals at risk for heightened levels of rumination and brooding in particular.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • The authors state this as an assumption: Internal or external stressors that conflict with a person's goals cue ruminative thoughts.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Narrowed attention raises the importance of emotional information in focus, intensifies the emotional state, and further reduces goal space.

    “That is, the narrowing of attention is associated with heightened importance of the emotional information that is within the focus of attention, which in turns intensifies the emotional state causing a further reduction of goal space.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Impaired inhibition of negative information may increase how much negative information enters working memory.

    “Thus, it could be that the impaired inhibition of negative information enhances the amount of negative information that enters working memory.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Conflict signaling can happen automatically or strategically.

    “In line with emerging literature on emotion regulation, this signaling of conflict can occur at the automatic as well as at the strategic level (see Mauss, Bunge, & Gross, 2007).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Mauss, Bunge, & Gross, 2007 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Initially rumination may be goal-directed and use attentional resources, but persistent rumination involves poorer thinking quality and less constructive attention to negative thoughts.

    “Where initially rumination may be goaldirected and engage attentional resources, persistent rumination is characterized by reduced quality of thinking with attention being deployed to negative thoughts in a less constructive way (Nolen-Hoeksema et al., 2008).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Nolen-Hoeksema et al., 2008 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Persistent rumination corresponds to depressive rumination or brooding.

    “This persistent rumination is related to depressive rumination or brooding.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Disruption can arise from impaired conflict signaling or from intact conflict signaling with reduced attentional control.

    “This may be due to either impaired conflict signaling or intact conflict signaling but reduced attentional control.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    This general attentional-control reduction in depression is not very large and is mostly seen in severely depressed people.

    “It is noteworthy though that this reduced attentional control is not of very large magnitude and mostly found in severely depressed individuals (see for a review, Joormann et al., 2007).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Joormann et al., 2007

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Rumination in response to major life events, negative mood, or minor stressors is a normal, non-pathological process.

    “Engaging in rumination, be it pondering or brooding, in response to major life events, negative mood states, or relatively minor stressors (such as an awkward social encounter) is considered a normal, non-pathological process.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Carver & Scheier, 1998

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Persistent rumination is linked to poorer problem solving, worse performance on other tasks, and negative affect.

    “Importantly, previous research has shown that such persistent rumination is associated with impaired problem solving (Watkins & Moulds, 2005), reduced performance on other tasks (e.g., Lyubomirsky, Kasri, & Zehm, 2003), and with negative affect (Thomsen, Jorgensen, Mehlsen, & Zachariae, 2004).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Watkins & Moulds, 2005

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Lyubomirsky, Kasri, & Zehm, 2003

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Thomsen, Jorgensen, Mehlsen, & Zachariae, 2004

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    In people with negative self-schemas, negative self-thoughts produce less cognitive conflict, so attentional resources are not reallocated.

    “In the first option (i.e., impaired conflict signaling), in individuals with negative self schemas (cf.Clark et al., 1999), negative thoughts about oneself will elicit less cognitive conflict and therefore attentional resources will not be reallocated.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Clark et al., 1999

      Not checked in the free run.

    • Rests on an assumption: In most people, self-critical negative thoughts are not consistent with existing positive self-views.
    • Rests on an assumption: After some time, self-critical thoughts or negative mood cause signaling of cognitive conflict.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Sad mood, compared with positive mood, is linked to more focused attention and less creative thinking.

    “Indeed, there is evidence that sad compared with positive mood is associated with a more focused attention and less creative thinking (Rowe, Hirsh, & Anderson, 2007).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Rowe, Hirsh, & Anderson, 2007 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Brooding was linked to valence-specific inhibitory problems and set-shifting impairments.

    “it was shown that brooding was related to valence-specific inhibitory problems as well as set-shifting impairments”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites De Lissnyder, Koster, Derakhshan, & De Raedt, 2010

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    This critical contextual and self-evaluation helps people make sense of events in their social environment or personal history.

    “This process of critical contextual and selfevaluation helps us make sense of events in our social environment or personal history (see Carver & Scheier, 1998).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Carver & Scheier, 1998

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Recent methodological advances in cognitive science make it possible to improve either attentional control or valence-specific processing biases.

    “Recently, important advances have been made in the area of cognitive methodology that allows to improve either attentional control functioning (see Siegle, Ghinassi, & Thase, 2007) or valence-specific processing biases (see MacLeod, Koster, & Fox, 2009).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Siegle et al., 2007 source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites MacLeod et al., 2009 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The ACC serves as a link between subcortical emotion processing and cognitive control, combining inputs from its ventral and dorsal parts.

    “The ACC can be seen as a bridge between subcortical emotion processing and cognitive control, integrating signals from the ventral ACC and the dorsal ACC (Bush, Luu & Posner, 2000)”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Bush et al., 2000 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The amygdala is activated by emotional stimuli and then sends signals to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

    “First, emotional stimuli activate the amygdala (Zald, 2003), which in turn signals to the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Zald, 2003 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Affective neuroscience evidence suggests a strong link between rumination and attentional control impairments, and that depressive rumination is tied to depleted attentional resources rather than top-down attempts to understand negative events and mood.

    “Moreover, there are also clues from affective neuroscience pointing towards a strong association between rumination and attentional control impairments, and that depressive rumination is not linked to top-down attempts to understand negative life events and mood but to the depletion of attentional resources.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    Overall, the evidence indicates that rumination, and brooding especially, is linked to impairments and valence-specific biases in attentional control.

    “Taken together, the evidence discussed above (see also Burwell & Shirk, 2007;Joormann, 2006) indicates that rumination and brooding in particular are associated with impairments and valence-specific biases in attentional control functions.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Burwell & Shirk, 2007

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Joormann, 2006

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Because depressed patients tend to focus on ruminative, self-referential material, researchers have predicted that their DMN connectivity differs from that of controls.

    “The ruminative, self-referential focus of depressed patients has led to predictions of differences between this clinical group and controls in terms of DMN connectivity (Greicius, Flores, Menon, Glover, Solvason, Kenna, et al., 2007).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Greicius et al., 2007 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Many studies indicate that depressed individuals show heightened amygdala responses to stress, and the amygdala is chiefly involved in processing negative emotions.

    “There is a wealth of research showing an enhanced amygdala activity upon the encounter of stress in depression, with the amygdala being primarily implicated in processing of negative emotions.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Siegle et al., 2002 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Depression involves reduced activation in cortical areas that support attentional control, and this reduction may relate to impaired emotion regulation.

    “Depression is associated with hypoactivation in cortical structures involved in attentional control which can be related to impaired emotion regulation.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Davidson et al., 2002 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Heightened amygdala activity has been associated with deficient prefrontal cognitive control over limbic emotion processing, evidenced by diminished frontal regulatory activity and weaker amygdala-frontal connectivity during emotion processing in depression.

    “This increased amygdala activity has been linked to impaired cognitive control exerted by specific regions of the prefrontal cortex (Davidson, Pizzagalli, Nitschke, Putnam, 2002;Holmes & Pizzagalli, 2008) onto limbic emotion processing”
    • Also stated in: § 3. Rumination and Attentional Control: Clues from Affective Neuroscience · plain
      “as reflected by lower regulatory activity in the frontal cortices as well as a reduced connectivity between the amygdala and these frontal cortex regions during emotion processing in depression.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Davidson et al., 2002 source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Holmes & Pizzagalli, 2008 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    These data suggest that effortful control over depressive cognition is absent or impaired because rumination drains attentional resources.

    “Instead these data provide some indication for the inability to or absence of effortful control over depressive cognition as rumination depletes attentional resources.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Rumination drains attentional resources.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    These factors may leave attention focused inward, accompanied by persistent rumination.

    “Due to these reasons there may remain an inward focused attention, with persistent rumination.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    The DMN comprises the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and medial, lateral, and inferior parietal cortex.

    “The brain structures involved in the default mode network (DMN) include precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex and medial, lateral and inferior parietal cortex (Raichle, 2001).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Raichle, 2001 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Cognitive control deficits may be causally related to the persistence of depressive cognition.

    “This could mean that such cognitive control deficits may be causally related to the persistence of depressive cognition.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The dorsal portion of the ACC participates in monitoring conflict and helping select responses suited to the task.

    “the latter being involved in conflict monitoring and the facilitation of task-appropriate response selection (Macdonald, Cohen, Stenger & Carter, 2000).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Macdonald et al., 2000 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Shifts in cognitive processing of emotional information occur before and predict the mood-related effects of antidepressant medication.

    “with some of these studies showing that changes in cognitive processing of emotional information precede and predict the affective effects of antidepressant medication (see Browning, Holmes, & Harmer, 2010).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Browning et al., 2010 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Rumination in depressed individuals may be a habitual thinking pattern in which they repeatedly revisit past negative events, with little difficulty controlling this thinking or engaging in active reappraisal of those events.

    “Taken together, the finding that self-reflective thoughts are associated with the DMN which is anti-correlated with areas involved in attentional control suggests that ruminative thought may be a habitual mode of thinking in depressed individuals, going over negative events past repeatedly, without marked difficulties to control this type of thinking, or to engage in the active reappraisal of”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    A habitual thinking style is unlikely to change easily unless attentional control is improved first, which may explain the significant problem of relapse.

    “can readily change a habitual thinking style if attentional control is not improved first, and this could be the reason for the important problem of relapse.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The DMN is suppressed during tasks but remains active at rest, with strong functional connectivity among its regions.

    “Although deactivated during task performance, this network is active in the resting brain with a high degree of functional connectivity between regions.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Raichle et al., 2001 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Traditional cognitive therapy is regarded as one of the most effective treatments for depression.

    “With regard to psychological treatments, traditional cognitive therapy for depression which is considered one of the most efficacious treatments for depression(Hollon & Dimidjian, 2009) would use verbal interventions that target negative thinking through challenging some of the core beliefs that are reported by the depressed individual.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Hollon & Dimidjian, 2009

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    A greater number of prior depressive episodes is linked to reduced stress reactivity and a higher likelihood of future episodes.

    “As an increasing number of depressive episodes is associated with lower stress reactivity (Monroe & Hakness, 2005) and increasing risk of developing new depressive episodes (Keller, 2003), it could be useful to target attentional control as a proximal risk factors for the development of first or recurrent depressive episodes.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Monroe & Hakness, 2005

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Keller, 2003 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Sleep problems are a well-established risk factor for depression, occurring both during and before depressive episodes.

    “For instance, sleep disturbances are a well-established risk factor for depression, that are not only present during depressive episodes but also precede these episodes (Fichter, Kohlboeck, Quadflieg, Wyschkon, & Esser, 2009).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Fichter et al., 2009 source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    New cognitive and biological findings highlight the importance of attentional factors in depression.

    “At a broader level there is emerging cognitive as well as biological research pointing to the relevance of attentional factors in depression (De Raedt & Koster, 2010).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites De Raedt & Koster, 2010 source

      Not checked in the free run.

38 of 38

  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Internal or external stressors that conflict with a person's goals cue ruminative thoughts.

    “We assume that certain internal (e.g., negative affect or memories) or external stressors that conflict with an individuals”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In most people, self-critical negative thoughts are not consistent with existing positive self-views.

    “In most individuals self-critical negative thoughts typically are not in line with existing positive self views.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In most people, conflict signaling is followed by disengagement of attention from negative thoughts.

    “In most individuals this conflict signaling is followed by the disengagement of attention from negative thoughts.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Critical thinking ends when a solution is found or, without a solution, when the person uses automatic or deliberate emotion regulation.

    “This critical thinking is terminated when a solution to the problem is reached or, in the absence of a solution, when the individual engages in either automatic or deliberate emotion regulation.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    After some time, self-critical thoughts or negative mood cause signaling of cognitive conflict.

    “Therefore after some time these thoughts (or the affiliated negative mood) will cause the signaling of cognitive conflict.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Rumination is a verbal process with a stronger link to verbal than pictorial material.

    “this may be explained by the fact that rumination is a verbal processes with a stronger linkage to verbal compared with pictorial material.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Substantial correlational evidence supports an association between attentional control and rumination.

    “Despite the wealth of correlational data indicating the link between attentional control and rumination, an important area of investigation will be to test the directional hypothesis that attentional factors contribute to the persistence of rumination.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Interpersonal therapy, like other well-studied psychotherapies, mainly employs verbal methods to improve depressive cognition.

    “Other well-investigated forms of psychotherapy, such as interpersonal therapy also mainly use verbal techniques to improve depressive cognition.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Rumination drains attentional resources.

    “Instead these data provide some indication for the inability to or absence of effortful control over depressive cognition as rumination depletes attentional resources.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Computerized attentional-control training programs can be distributed with relative ease.

    “Computerized programs to improve attentional control are relatively easy to disseminate and may have protective effects in at-risk individuals (see Baert, De Raedt, & Koster, 2001;Siegle et al., 2007).”
10 of 10

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Conclusion reverses the paper's claim about control of rumination

    Minor

    The conclusion says depressed individuals have no marked difficulty controlling repetitive negative thoughts. The next sentence instead describes an inability to exert control over depressive cognition, consistent with the paper's central hypothesis.

1 of 1

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 106 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. De Lissnyder, E., Derakshan, N., De Raedt, R., & Koster, E. H. W. (in press). Depressive symptoms and attentional control: an antisaccade study. Cognition & Emotion.
  2. Martin, 1996, Some ruminative thoughts, Vol. 9

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Koster, E. H. W., De Lissnyder, E., Derakshan, N., & De Raedt, R.
Affiliations
  • Ghent University (BE)
  • Birkbeck, University of London (GB)
Corresponding author
Koster, Ernst H.W.
ORCID
Koster, Ernst H.W.
Venue
Clinical Psychology Review
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-02
Volume
31
Issue
1
Pages
138-145
ISSN
0272-7358 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.cpr.2010.08.005
OpenAlex
W2004506384
Semantic Scholar
7ce6513d4b864a431a865140a494be9a6c95cef2
Cited by
916
References
106
Citations by year
2026: 76 · 2025: 75 · 2024: 74 · 2023: 63 · 2022: 71 · 2021: 76 · 2020: 74 · 2019: 71 · 2018: 71 · 2017: 45 · 2016: 47 · 2015: 47 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 38 · 2012: 23
FWCI
3.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Clinical Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • BIROn (Birkbeck, University of London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (BOF10/GOA/014)
  • Universiteit Gent (BOF10/GOA/014)
  • Vlaamse regering
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
depressive rumination, attentional disengagement, depression, cognitive models of depression, depression treatment, cognitive intervention
MeSH terms
Attention, Cognition, Depression, Emotions, Humans

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