Lack of attentional bias for emotional information in clinically depressed children and adolescents on the dot probe task

Abstract

The present study utilised a cognitive paradigm to investigate attentional biases in clinically depressed children and adolescents. Two groups of children and adolescents - clinically depressed (N = 19) and normal controls (N = 26) - were asked to complete a computerised version of the attentional dot probe paradigm similar to that used by MacLeod, Mathews, and Tata (1986). Results provided no support for an attentional bias, either toward depression-related words or threat words, in the depressed group. This findings is discussed in the context of cognitive theories of anxiety and depression.