Stop Rules: Mood & Perseverative Thinking

Stop Rules: Mood &

Perseverative Thinking

Graham DaveyUniversity of Sussex, UK

www.papersfromsidcup.comhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/why-we-worry/

Follow me on Twitter at:http://twitter.com/GrahamCLDavey

Collaborators

Frances MeetenSuzanne DashFergal Jones

Benie MacDonaldHelen StartupGary Britton

Jack HawksleyJason Chan

Chris Brewin

Introduction• Perseveration is a defining element of many

psychopathologies• Examples include worrying (GAD), checking

(OCD), rumination (in major depression)• Perseverative activities are usually ‘neutralizing’

activities• Linked to meta-cognitive and global beliefs about

how to deal with distressing emotions

What is mood-as-input?

• Stop Rules• The Role of Mood as Information• Vulnerability of Clinical populations to

using Mood as Information

What are ‘stop rules’?

• Relate to Task Motivation• Performance Focused OR

Task Focused• Decision Rules• ‘As Many as Can’ (AMA) OR

‘Feel Like Continuing’ (FL)

AMA FL

Worry Stop Rule Check List

• I must find a solution to this problem, so keep thinking about it.

• I must try and think about the worst possible outcome, just in case it happens

• I must think everything through properly

• What’s done is done, so what’s the point in worrying?

• I don’t have time to think about this now

• Stop worrying, things always work out for the best.

The Catastrophizing Interview

1. I’m worried about not being able to move2. That I would be attacked in some way3. That I would not be able to fight back4. That I would not be able to control what other people did to me5. That I would feel inadequate6. That other people would begin to think I was inadequate7. That in my relationship with those people I would not be respected8. That I would not have any influence over others9. That other people would not listen to me10. That it would cause a loss of self-esteem11. That this loss of self-esteem would have a negative effect on my relationships with others12. That I would lose friends13. That I would be alone14. That I would have no-one to talk to15. Because it would mean that I would not be able to share any thoughts/problems with other people16. That I would not get advice from others17. That none of my problems would be adequately sorted out18. That they would remain and get worse19. That eventually I would not be able to cope with them20. That eventually my problems would have more control over me than I had over them21. That they would prevent me from doing other things22. That I would be unable to meet new people and make friends23. That I would be lonely

What do we know about stop rules?

• Often not easily verbalizable• Can often be derived from dispositional

characteristics or meta-beliefs about emotional control strategies

• Stop Rules represent the way that metacognitive beliefs are operationalized

• Stop rule type is linked to mood• Stop rules interact with mood to determine

perseveration at a task (the ‘Mood-as-Input Hypothesis’, Davey, 2006, Meeten & Davey, 2011).

Stop Rules & Psychopathology

• High Worriers more likely to endorse AMA Stop Rules (Davey et al., 2005)

• Deployment of AMA stop rules is increased with Negative or Distressed Mood (Dash & Davey, 2012)

• Clinically Depressed individuals report preferential use of AMA stop rules for Rumination (Chan, Davey & Brewin, 2013)

• BDI Scores are significantly associated with AMA use for Rumination (Vappling et al., unpub)

Dash & Davey (2012)Mood & Worrying Stop

Rules

AMA0

10

20

30

40

50

Negative Mood Neutral MoodCognitive Priming

Britton & Davey (2011)Mood & Checking Stop

Rules

AMA FL0

10203040506070

Negative MoodPositive Mood

Stop Rules & Depressive Rumination

Chan, Davey & Brewin, 2013

Stop Rules & Metacognitive Beliefs

• Positive Beliefs about Rumination predict AMA stop rule use (Chan, Davey & Brewin, 2013)

• Positive Beliefs (but not Negative Beliefs) about Rumination predict Rumination length (Meeten et al., submitted)

• Positive Beliefs (but not Negative Beliefs) about Worry are predicted by Negative Mood (Adams et al., unpublished)

Stop Rule interaction with Mood

Hawksley & Davey, 2010

Mood-as-input & Clinical Populations

• Negative moods and ‘perfectionist’ styles are common – so why don’t most people acquire perseverative psychopathologies?

• What is special about clinical populations that puts them at risk of developing perseverative psychopathologies?

Factors affecting the informational value of

mood• The discounting hypothesis (Schwarz & Clore,

1983)• Knowledge & Expertise• Cognitive Load (Siemer & Reisenzein (1998)

Knowledge & Expertise: The

Example of Worry• Clinical Populations possess characteristics that

potentially impair an objective assessment of solutions for worries:o Poor problem-solving confidence (Davey, 1994)o Feelings of Personal Inadequacy (Davey & Levy, 1998)o Possess an Intolerance of Uncertainty (Dugas et al., 2004)o Have a Narrow Negative Focus (Gasper & Clore, 2002)o Possess an Avoidance Coping Style (Davey, 1993)

Low Problem-Solving Confidence & Worry

• Individuals low on Problem-Solving Confidence are more likely to deploy AMA Stop Rules

• Individuals low on Problem-Solving Confidence are more likely to show a strong correlation between mood and ratings of goal attainment in a social problem-solving task

Implications for Interventions

• Socialization to the Mood-as-Input Model: Explain the Dynamics of how Stop Rules interact with Mood

• Identify any AMA Stop Rules and help the Client to change those Rules

• Help the Client to become aware of Negative Moods and find ways to Manage those Moods

A brief 4-session intervention for high

worriers MAI 1 MAI 2 MAI+Bf Bf

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

2

4

Outcome4-week follow-up

Cha

nge

in P

SWQ

scor

es (a

neg

ativ

e nu

mbe

r ind

icat

es a

de

crea

se fr

om b

asel

ine)

Dash et al., submitted

Conclusions• Goal-Guided Stop Rules can be Identified in Many

Types of Perseverative Psychopathology• Stop Rules are linked to Positive Metacognitive

Beliefs• Stop Rules interact with Concurrent Mood to

generate perseveration• Clinical Populations possess characteristics that

will tend them towards using Mood as Information• Interventions that target Stop Rules and Negative

Mood can successfully reduce Symptoms