Using Prediction Error to Account for the Pervasiveness of Mood Congruent Thoughts

Abstract

Depression represents one of the most common psychological difficulties across the globe, with 21.2% of people receiving a diagnosis of major depressive disorder at some point in their lives (Auerbach et al., 2018). One of the core symptoms of depression, and psychological difficulties more generally, concerns the possession of negatively valanced thoughts (Frewen et al., 2008; Hjemdal et al., 2013; Johnstone & Dallos, 2013; Myles et al., 2020; Westbrook et al., 2011). In a recent paper in the Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology , Myles (2021) highlighted the critical importance of explicating the cognitive mechanisms underpinning psychological difficulties. This paper will discuss how the principles of associative learning can be used to account for the pervasiveness of negative thoughts in individuals with psychological difficulties.