Mental state decoding in past major depression: effect of sad versus happy mood induction
Abstract
Individuals with mild depression show an enhanced ability to read or “decode” others' mental states. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether this pattern of performance is related specifically to the pathology of depression or whether it is simply a feature of the transient dysphoric state. Forty-one undergraduates with a previous episode of major depression and 52 undergraduates with no depression history participated in a mental state decoding task following a sad versus happy mood induction. Previously depressed participants were significantly more accurate in their mental state judgements than were the never-depressed participants, suggesting that enhanced mental state decoding may be a specific feature of depression in remission. Furthermore, previously depressed participants whose positive mood increased in response to the happy mood induction showed a poorer level of performance on the task, similar to that observed in the never-depressed group. Thus, a happy mood may have induced a somewhat less accurate, but perhaps more adaptive, approach to processing social information. These findings were robust after controlling for current level of depression and anxiety symptoms, intensity of response to the mood induction, response times, and performance on a control task.
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Based on published estimates, the Eyes Test typically has poor internal consistency.
“Based on published estimates, the Eyes Test typically has poor internal consistency (Voracek and Dressler, 2006; Harkness et al., 2010; Ragsdale and Foley, 2011; Vellante et al., 2012; Khorashad et al., 2015; cf. Dehning et al., 2012; Girli, 2014; Prevost et al., 2014, for an exception).”
From A psychometric analysis of the reading the mind in the eyes test: toward a brief form for research and applied settings (2015) · cites this paper as Harkness et al., 2010
The complete Eyes Test has poor internal consistency.
“We performed a psychometric test of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and found, as reported by others (e.g., Harkness et al., 2010), that the complete test is not homogenous and has poor internal consistency.”
From A psychometric analysis of the reading the mind in the eyes test: toward a brief form for research and applied settings (2015) · cites this paper as Harkness et al., 2010
The complete Eyes Test is not homogenous.
“We performed a psychometric test of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and found, as reported by others (e.g., Harkness et al., 2010), that the complete test is not homogenous and has poor internal consistency.”
From A psychometric analysis of the reading the mind in the eyes test: toward a brief form for research and applied settings (2015) · cites this paper as Harkness et al., 2010
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“The stimuli from the Eyes task have been used in over 40 published studies involving clinical samples (eg, Bora et al, 2005 ; Kerr et al, 2003 ; Kettle, O'Brien-Simpson, & Allen, 2008 ).”
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Vellante, M., Baron-Cohen, S., Melis, M., Marrone, M., Petretto, D. R., Masala, C., & Preti, A. (2013) · Cognitive Neuropsychiatry · doi:10.1080/13546805.2012.721728 · Cited by 406 · see citing works
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Understanding help-seeking among depressed men
Sierra Hernandez, C. A., Han, C., Oliffe, J. L., & Ogrodniczuk, J. S. (2014) · Psychology of Men & Masculinity · doi:10.1037/a0034052 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
- Authors
- Harkness, K. L., Jacobson, J. A., Duong, D., & Sabbagh, M. A.
- Affiliations
- Queen's University (CA)
- University of Waterloo (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Harkness, Kate L.
- Venue
- Cognition & Emotion
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2010-04
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 497-513
- ISSN
- 0269-9931 (ISSN-L)
- 1464-0600
- OpenAlex
- W2100925578
- Cited by
- 94
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 4.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cognition & Emotion (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Deception detection and forensic psychology
- Keywords
- mental state decoding, theory of mind, major depressive disorder, mood induction, sad mood, happy mood, depression remission, social cognition, emotion regulation, social information processing
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