NCT03780881

EXperimental Paradigm to Investigate Expectation Change in Depression 4

Worse Than Expected - Differences Between Healthy and Depressed People in Processing Unexpectedly Negative Information

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 171 (actual)
• Sponsor: Philipps University Marburg · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Research has shown that people with depressive symptoms maintain negative expectations even if they have positive experiences that contradict their expectations. Healthy people, however, change their expectations after unexpected positive experiences. In this experimental study, it will now be examined whether there are also differences between healthy people and people with depressive symptoms in dealing with unexpected negative experiences.

Detailed description

Research has already shown that people with depressive symptoms continue to hold on to negative expectations even if they have positive experiences that contradict their expectations. By contrast, healthy people change their expectations after unexpectedly positive experiences. In this experimental study, the authors will now examine whether there are also differences between healthy people and people with depressive symptoms in processing unexpectedly negative experiences. It is hypothesized that people with depressive symptoms change their expectations in a negative direction after unexpectedly negative experiences, while healthy people continue to hold on to an optimistic view.

Conditions

• Major Depressive Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Expectation confirmation	Participants receive manipulated feedback indicating that their performance was above average in the test they had previously worked on. This feedback is intended to confirm the previously induced positive expectations of their own performance.
BEHAVIORAL	Expectation disconfirmation	Participants receive manipulated feedback indicating that their performance was below average in the test they had previously worked on. This feedback is intended to negatively disconfirm the previously induced positive expectations of their own performance.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-11-11
• Primary completion: 2019-03-30
• Completion: 2019-08-31
• First posted: 2018-12-19
• Last updated: 2023-12-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany