Performance satisfaction of depressives under high and low success conditions

Evaluated two competing predictions about the effects of high and low success experiences on depressives' satisfaction with performance. No support was found for the prediction derived from Beck's cognitive theory, which posits distorted, negative cognitions about the self as the central dynamic of depression. However, results did tend to support the learned helplessness model's contention that depression is characterized by the perception that reinforcements occur independent of the individual's responses.