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Information processing in depression and anxiety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Nico Brand*
Affiliation:
Psychiatric University Clinic, Utrecht, Department of Clinical Psychiatry, State University of Limburg, The Netherlands
Jellemer Jolles
Affiliation:
Psychiatric University Clinic, Utrecht, Department of Clinical Psychiatry, State University of Limburg, The Netherlands
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr N. Brand, Psychiatric University Clinic, Nicolaas Beetsstraat 24, 3511 HG Utrecht, The Netherlands

Synopsis

The memory scanning performance of both unipolar and bipolar depressives and patients with anxiety states was compared with that of control subjects. Four versions of Sternberg's memory comparison task were used. Unipolar depressives showed impaired memory scanning in 3 of the tasks compared with controls, and in one task compared with patients with anxiety states. They were also slower than the other patients and controls in the non-scanning processing stages. They seemed to adopt a less efficient search strategy, and showed more controlled processing as opposed to automatic detection in a paper-and-pencil version of the task.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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