Interpretation bias in emotional disorders: a selective review

Ambiguity and uncertainty are evident in much of our day-to-day lives. We will discuss how, driven by clinical insights, researchers in the field of cognition and emotion developed methods to assess how individuals process ambiguous information that can be interpreted in positive or negative ways. People with emotional disorders, and those with high levels of anxiety or depression, tend to process ambiguity in more negative ways than others with low levels of anxiety or depression, who tend to generate positive interpretations of ambiguity. We will also discuss how methods to assess interpretation bias have been adapted to modify interpretation bias, and reveal its causal role in maintaining emotional problems. We then consider how interpretation can influence and be influenced by other biases such as in memory and imagery. Finally, we will discuss how interpretation bias can be targeted in psychological interventions to reduce anxiety and depression.