SenseCam, imagery and bias in memory for wellbeing (original) (raw)
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Journal of abnormal psychology, 2009
Two interpretation bias modification experiments found that mental imagery vs. verbal processing of positive material have differential emotional effects. In Experiment 1, participants were instructed to imagine positively resolved auditory descriptions or to listen to the same events while thinking about their verbal meaning. Increases in positive mood and bias were greater in the imagery than in the verbal condition, replicating E. A. Holmes, A. Mathews, T. Dalgleish, and B. Mackintosh (2006). An emotional vulnerability test showed that imagery (relative to the verbal condition) protected against a later negative mood induction. Experiment 2 created 2 new verbal conditions aimed to increase or reduce verbal comparisons. Results suggest making unfavorable comparisons with the highly positive material might be partially responsible for the inferiority of the verbal condition in Experiment 1. The findings demonstrate that imagery can play a key role in cognitive bias modification pro...
“I’ll believe it when I can see it”: Imagery rescripting of intrusive sensory memories in depression
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 2007
Intrusive sensory memories are a common feature of depression but these are not targeted in standard cognitive treatments. Imagery rescripting of distressing memories has so far been mainly used to treat trauma-related disorders and as a component of the treatment of personality disorders. We propose that this approach might also be effective in treating depression. This paper describes the initial application of imagery rescripting as a stand-alone treatment for two patients with a sole diagnosis of major depressive disorder. The two cases are described in detail and follow-up data are reported. Implications for the cognitive treatment of depression and for our theoretical understanding about the mechanisms of change in cognitive therapy are considered. r
Mental imagery in depression: Phenomenology, potential mechanisms, and treatment implications
Mental imagery is an experience like perception in the absence of a percept. It is a ubiquitous feature of human cognition, yet has been relatively neglected in the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of depression. Imagery abnormalities in depression include an excess of intrusive negative mental imagery; impoverished positive imagery; observer perspective imagery; and overgeneral memory, in which specific imagery is lacking. We consider the contribution of imagery dysfunctions to depressive psychopathology, and implications for cognitive-behavioural interventions. Treatment advances capitalising on the representational format of imagery (as opposed to its content) are reviewed, including imagery rescripting, positive imagery generation, and memory specificity training. Considering mental imagery can contribute to clinical assessment and imagery-focussed psychological therapeutic techniques, and promote investigation of underlying mechanisms for treatment innovation. Research into mental imagery in depression is at an early stage. Investigation of imagery-related mechanisms by bridging clinical psychology and neuroscience is recommended.
Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 2015
Depression is a global health problem requiring treatment innovation. Targeting neglected cognitive aspects may provide a useful route. We tested a cognitive-training paradigm using positive mental imagery (imagery cognitive bias modification, imagery CBM), developed via experimental psychopathology studies, in a randomized controlled trial. Training was delivered via the Internet to 150 individuals with current major depression. Unexpectedly, there was no significant advantage for imagery CBM compared with a closely matched control for depression symptoms as a whole in the full sample. In exploratory analyses, compared with the control, imagery CBM significantly improved anhedonia over the intervention and improved depression symptoms as a whole for those participants with fewer than five episodes of depression and those who engaged to a threshold level of imagery. Results suggest avenues for improving imagery CBM to inform low-intensity treatment tools for depression. Anhedonia ma...
Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2016
Depression is a highly prevalent condition worldwide, yet multiple barriers to treatments means that the development of low intensive and easily accessible psychological interventions is crucially needed. The current study sought to investigate the efficacy of a brief, self-administered imagery cognitive bias modification (imagery CBM) procedure delivered online to a sample of 101 individuals with depressive symptoms. Compared to a closely matched control condition or a waitlist condition, imagery CBM led to greater improvements in depressive symptoms (d ¼ 0.86, 95% CI ¼ [0.33, 1.3] and d ¼ 1.17, 95% CI ¼ [0.62, 1.65]) interpretation bias and anhedonia. Despite the limitation to a two week follow-up, the study findings highlight the potential of imagery CBM as a brief, easily accessible intervention for depression that can be delivered remotely in peoples' home.
Fishing for happiness: the effects of generating positive imagery on mood and behaviour
Behaviour research and therapy, 2011
Experimental evidence using picture–word cues has shown that generating mental imagery has a causal impact on emotion, at least for images prompted by negative or benign stimuli. It remains unclear whether this finding extends to overtly positive stimuli and whether generating positive imagery can increase positive affect in people with dysphoria. Dysphoric participants were assigned to one of three conditions, and given instructions to generate mental images in response to picture–word cues which were either positive, negative or mixed (control) in valence. Results showed that the positive picture–word condition increased positive affect more than the control and negative conditions. Participants in the positive condition also demonstrated enhanced performance on a behavioural task compared to the two other conditions. Compared to participants in the negative condition, participants in the positive condition provided more positive responses on a homophone task administered after 24 h to assess the durability of effects. These findings suggest that a positive picture–word task used to evoke mental imagery leads to improvements in positive mood, with transfer to later performance. Understanding the mechanisms underlying mood change in dysphoria may hold implications for both theory and treatment development.► A mental imagery generation task was tested on a sample of dysphoric participants. ► We examined changes in depressed mood, behaviour and cognitive bias. ► Positive, negative and mixed valence (control) imagery conditions were contrasted. ► Positive imagery led to an improvement in mood and behaviour.
Imagery rescripting as a brief stand-alone treatment for depressed patients with intrusive memories
Behaviour research and therapy, 2009
Many depressed patients report intrusive and distressing memories of specific events in their lives. Where present, these memories are believed to act as a maintaining factor. A series of ten patients with major depressive disorder and intrusive memories, many of them reporting severe, chronic, or recurrent episodes of depression, were given an average of 8.1 sessions of imagery rescripting as a stand-alone treatment. Hierarchical linear modelling demonstrated large treatment effects that were well maintained at one year follow-up. Seven patients showed reliable improvement, and six patients clinically significant improvement. These gains were achieved entirely by working through patients' visual imagination and without verbal challenging of negative beliefs. Spontaneous changes in beliefs, rumination, and behaviour were nevertheless observed.
Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2014
Cognitive bias modification paradigms training positive mental imagery and interpretation (imagery CBM-I) hold promise for treatment innovation in depression. However, depression is a global health problem and interventions need to translate across settings and cultures. The current pilot study investigated the impact of 1 week of daily imagery CBM-I in treatment-seeking individuals with major depression in outpatient psychiatry clinics in Iran. Further, it tested the importance of instructions to imagine the positive training materials. Finally, we examined the effects of this training on imagery vividness. Thirty-nine participants were randomly allocated to imagery CBM-I, a non-imagery control program, or a no treatment control group. Imagery CBM-I led to greater improvements in depressive symptoms, interpretive bias, and imagery vividness than either control condition at posttreatment (n = 13 per group), and improvements were maintained at 2-week follow-up (n = 8 per group). This pilot study provides first preliminary evidence that imagery CBM-I could provide positive clinical outcomes in an Iranian psychiatric setting, and further that the imagery component of the training may play a crucial role.
Anales de Psicología, 2018
This research explores the outcome of positive visual reframing (PVR), a single session intervention where drawn images of negative experiences and open memories were redrawn and visually reframed to form new positive narratives. The study hypothesised that PVR would lead to improvements to positive and negative affect, self-efficacy and the perceived intensity and perceived resolution of a selected negative experience. Healthy adults (N=62) were randomly assigned to the PVR or control condition. For the experimental group, statistical significance was identified for positive affect and the perceived intensity and resolution of the negative experience immediately following the PVR activity. Self-efficacy was marginally significant. The findings highlight the potential of positive visual reframing to enhance emotional regulation when negative emotions are triggered. At two weeks’ post-intervention, improvements were identified in both conditions. This suggests that over time, the visual and sensory exposure created by drawing a negative memory may also lead to positive gains. The study emphasises the potential of PVR to regulate emotions and defuse the intensity of negative or open memories by visually transforming a moment of peak perceptual intensity. Future studies exploring the effectiveness of positive visual reframing to shift negative emotions in clinical and non-clinical populations are recommended.