TY - JOUR
T1 - Dwell or Decenter? Rumination and Decentering Predict Working Memory Updating After Interpersonal Criticism
AU - Kaiser, Roselinde H.
AU - Andrews-Hanna, Jessica R.
AU - Metcalf, Christina A.
AU - Dimidjian, Sona
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by the departmental funds and gift donations to Sona Dimidjian.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
PY - 2015/6/7
Y1 - 2015/6/7
N2 - Rumination and mindful decentering are cognitive responses to emotional experiences. Rumination involves dwelling on negative thoughts, whereas decentering involves observing negative thoughts as temporary mental events. However, the question of how rumination or decentering shape the effects of emotional experiences on cognitive or behavioral functioning remains ambiguous. The present study investigated the relationships between trait rumination, trait decentering, and working memory following exposure to interpersonal criticism. Results showed that rumination and decentering were negatively correlated, and predicted opposing patterns of working memory updating. Individuals high in rumination were slower to update working memory after criticism, but individuals high in decentering were faster to respond to the same trials. Increases in decentering predicted better task performance even at high levels of rumination. These findings suggest that a ruminative response style may impede the ability to clear irrelevant information from working memory under negative emotional conditions, but mindful decentering protects this ability.
AB - Rumination and mindful decentering are cognitive responses to emotional experiences. Rumination involves dwelling on negative thoughts, whereas decentering involves observing negative thoughts as temporary mental events. However, the question of how rumination or decentering shape the effects of emotional experiences on cognitive or behavioral functioning remains ambiguous. The present study investigated the relationships between trait rumination, trait decentering, and working memory following exposure to interpersonal criticism. Results showed that rumination and decentering were negatively correlated, and predicted opposing patterns of working memory updating. Individuals high in rumination were slower to update working memory after criticism, but individuals high in decentering were faster to respond to the same trials. Increases in decentering predicted better task performance even at high levels of rumination. These findings suggest that a ruminative response style may impede the ability to clear irrelevant information from working memory under negative emotional conditions, but mindful decentering protects this ability.
KW - Decentering
KW - Emotion
KW - Mindfulness
KW - Rumination
KW - Working memory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84946476092&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1007/s10608-015-9697-1
DO - 10.1007/s10608-015-9697-1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84946476092
SN - 0147-5916
VL - 39
SP - 744
EP - 753
JO - Cognitive Therapy and Research
JF - Cognitive Therapy and Research
IS - 6
ER -