Cognitive Control and Ruminative Responses to Stress: Understanding the Different Facets of Cognitive Control

Abstract

Rumination has been linked to the onset and course of depression. Theoretical models and empirical evidence suggest that deficits controlling negative material in working memory underlie rumination. However, we do not know which component of cognitive control (inhibition, shifting, or updating) contributes most to rumination, and whether different components predict the more maladaptive (brooding) versus the more adaptive (reflection) forms of rumination. We aimed to advance theory and research by examining the contribution of different facets of cognitive control to the level and trajectory of brooding and reflection. At baseline, participants completed three cognitive tasks that assessed their inhibition, shifting, and updating biases, respectively. Next, using experience sampling methodology, participants rated their level of rumination and negative affect nine times during the 48 h after their most stressful exam. At each time point, higher levels of brooding, but not reflection, predicted higher levels of negative affect at the next time point. Furthermore, several facets of shifting and inhibition, but not updating, predicted brooding immediately after the exam and its trajectory of change over 48 h. Additionally, difficulty inhibiting neutral words predicted both brooding and reflection. These findings inform theoretical models describing the role of cognitive control in brooding and reflection.

The inter-relationships of the neural basis of rumination and inhibitory control: neuroimaging-based meta-analyses

“…Moreover, using the emotional Stroop task measuring inhibitory control and the affective version of the two-back task for assessing updating, Zareian et al . ( 2021 ) reported that inhibition difficulties can predict brooding and reflection (two components of rumination), while updating cannot. In recent years, a comprehensive meta-analysis of 34 studies including 3066 participants put forward that research on the relationship between rumination and two other subcomponents of EF (i.e., shifting and updating) have not yet yielded consistent results, while there is an obvious negative correlation between rumination and inhibitory control (Yang et al ., 2016 ).…”

The Scarring Effects of Depression Symptoms on Sadness Rumination and Peer Victimization in Greek Early Adolescents: Evidence for an Integrated Symptoms-Driven Model

“…One such cognitive style is rumination, defined as the individual’s passive tendency to dwell repetitively on the meaning and causes of one’s mood symptoms (Watkins & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2014). Ruminative thinking, usually displayed more frequently by adolescent girls than boys (e.g., Johnson & Whisman, 2013) has been constantly linked to depression (e.g., Zareian et al, 2021).…”

Executive functions predict the trajectories of rumination in middle-aged and older adults: A latent growth curve analysis.

“…Third, since the MIDUS Refresher Daily Diary Project was a large-scale study conducted over the telephone rather than in the laboratory, we were unable to control for a singular initial negative event that triggered rumination across all participants. While some studies have focused on specific forms of state rumination, such as following an interpersonal offense (McCullough et al, 2007) or a stressor (Grant & Beck, 2010; LeMoult et al, 2013; Zareian et al, 2021), state rumination has been shown to occur across a range of other contexts of daily life in which its antecedent may not be so readily identifiable. For instance, state rumination may arise in response to a spontaneous thought that focuses on unattained goals (Marchetti et al, 2016).…”