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"Sticky" thinking disrupts decision making for individuals with a tendency toward worry and depression

  • 0Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen.
Emotion +

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May 22, 2025

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May 22, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Sticky thinking, characterized by persistent thoughts, impairs decision-making in individuals with depression. This study links repetitive negative thinking and depressive symptoms to reduced accuracy and slower evidence accumulation during cognitive tasks.

Area Of Science

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Clinical Psychology

Background

  • Depression is associated with impaired decision-making, including indecisiveness and biased judgments.
  • Existing theories focus on reward sensitivity or biased information processing.
  • The role of 'sticky thinking' (intrusive thoughts) in decision-making deficits remains underexplored.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To investigate whether sticky thinking contributes to decision-making impairments in individuals vulnerable to depression.
  • To examine the relationship between sticky thinking, cognitive task performance, and neural activity.

Main Methods

  • Utilized the drift-diffusion model to analyze evidence accumulation during the Sustained Attention to Response Task.
  • Assessed repetitive negative thinking, depressive symptoms, and rumination levels.
  • Measured neural activity, specifically alpha-band power, using electroencephalography (EEG).

Main Results

  • Individuals with higher repetitive negative thinking and depressive symptoms (more vulnerable group) performed less accurately.
  • The more vulnerable group exhibited slower evidence accumulation (lower drift rate) and prolonged non-decision time.
  • Increased alpha-band power correlated with more sticky thinking and was linked to reduced drift rate.

Conclusions

  • Sticky thinking is a significant factor contributing to decision-making impairments in individuals vulnerable to depression and worry.
  • Findings suggest that interventions targeting sticky thinking may improve decision-making in depressed populations.
  • Neural markers, like alpha-band power, may indicate the presence and impact of sticky thinking on cognitive processes.

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