This study examined competing hypotheses predicted by state and trait views of the social skill deficits of depressed persons. Depressed and nondepressed subjects were pretreated with the Velten mood-induction and neutral-control procedures resulting in five groups of target persons--depressed-neutral treatment, depressed-elation induction treatment, nondepressed-neutral treatment, nondepressed-elation induction treatment, and nondepressed-depression induction treatment. Following the mood induction procedure, target persons conversed with conversation partners during fifteen minute dyadic interactions. Conversation partners responded to post-conversation questionnaires assessing their reactions to and perceptions of the target persons. Initial analyses showed no effects of naturally occurring depression or induced mood states on target persons' social skills as measured by conversation partners' responses. However, a post mood-induction manipulation check indicated that the elation induction procedure was not successful in elevating the mood level of several of the depressed target persons. When target persons who were unable or unwilling to respond to instructions to "talk themselves into the mood suggest" were eliminated from the analyses, the results suggested that induced elation improved the social impact of depressives but adversely affected nondepressed target persons' social skills relative to their respective control groups. Induced depression did not affect the social skills of nondepressed target persons. The results provide tentative support for the state view of social skill deficits of depressives and suggest that the social skill deficits noted by previous researchers represent a consequence of depression rather than an antecedent or causal factor. Limitations on the generalizability of results due to statistical weakness and partial ineffectiveness of the mood induction procedures are discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: B, page: 2541. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74547 |
| Contributors | MILANA, SUZETTE ADELE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 96 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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