In two experimental studies, we tested the hypothesis that negative mood would hinder the revision of negative beliefs in response to unexpectedly positive information in depression, whereas positive mood was expected to enhance belief updating.

In study 1 (N = 101), we used a subclinical sample to compare the film-based induction of sad v. happy mood with a distraction control group. Subsequently, participants underwent a well-established paradigm to examine intra-individual changes in performance-related expectations after unexpectedly positive performance feedback. In study 2, we applied the belief-updating task from study 1 to an inpatient sample (N = 81) and induced sad v. happy mood via film-clips v. recall of autobiographic events.

The results of study 1 showed no significant group differences in belief updating; the severity of depressive symptoms was a negative predictor of belief revision, though, and there was a non-significant trend suggesting that the presence of sad mood hindered belief updating in the subgroup of participants with a diagnosed depressive episode. Study 2 revealed that participants updated their expectations significantly less in line with positive feedback when they underwent the induction of negative mood prior to feedback, relative to positive mood.

By indicating that the presence of negative mood can hinder the revision of negative beliefs in clinically depressed people, our findings suggest that learning from new experiences can be hampered if state negative mood is activated. Thus, interventions relying on learning from novel positive experiences should aim at reducing state negative mood in depression.

在两项实验研究中，我们检验了以下假设：消极情绪会阻碍消极信念的修正，以应对抑郁症中意想不到的积极信息，而积极情绪有望增强信念更新。

在研究 1 ( N = 101) 中，我们使用亚临床样本来比较基于电影的悲伤情绪和快乐情绪的诱导与分心对照组。随后，参与者接受了一个行之有效的范例，以检查在意外积极的绩效反馈后，与绩效相关的期望的个体内部变化。在研究 2 中，我们将研究 1 中的信念更新任务应用于住院患者样本 ( N = 81)，并通过电影剪辑与自传事件的回忆来诱发悲伤与快乐的情绪。

研究 1 的结果显示信念更新没有显着的组别差异；然而，抑郁症状的严重程度是信念修正的负面预测因素，并且有一个不显着的趋势表明，悲伤情绪的存在阻碍了被诊断为抑郁发作的参与者亚组的信念更新。研究 2 显示，与积极情绪相比，当参与者在反馈之前经历消极情绪的诱导时，他们更新他们的期望明显不符合积极反馈。

通过表明消极情绪的存在会阻碍临床抑郁症患者消极信念的修正，我们的研究结果表明，如果状态消极情绪被激活，则可能会阻碍从新经验中学习。因此，依赖于从新的积极经验中学习的干预措施应该旨在减少抑郁症的状态消极情绪。