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Negativity Bias in Depressed Individuals
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Description: Depression is a global issue due to its prevalence and debilitative nature. Depression has been a long-standing mood disorder affecting many aspects in a person's life. This study focuses on the negativity bias theory displayed by individuals scoring high on depressive symptoms when viewing emotional stimuli. Based on previous research on negativity bias in depressed individuals, two hypotheses were tested: (1) The valence scores are lower for individuals scoring higher on depressive symptoms when rating high arousal, low valence images, and (2) a magnified LPP amplitude is observed for more depressed individuals when viewing high arousal images with low valence. Participants (N=131) were university students (Mage= 20.8). The International Affective Picture System (IAPS) images were used as stimuli, and scalp event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to determine levels of depressive symptoms and categorize participants into low, middle, and high levels of depressive symptoms groups. Each participant rated the subjective valence (pleasantness) and arousal experienced with each stimulus image. The late-positive potential (LPP) ERP component amplitude changes at the Pz scalp electrode (extended 10/20 system) were focused on in the low valence–high arousal condition. Two one-way ANOVA’s and Tukey post-hoc tests were conducted on the data. Results showed significantly lower LPP amplitudes and higher mean valence ratings for individuals scoring higher on depressive symptoms compared to the low and mid depressed groups. Based on the results, both hypotheses are rejected as more depressed individuals show flattened emotional responses to highly arousing, unpleasant stimuli.