Depressed and non-depressed samples were compared on a sentence completion task concerning anticipated outcomes of social approval or success. This task was designed so that the schematic mental models view predicted more positive completions from depressed participants, the construct accessibility view predicting the opposite. Depressed participants made more positive completions in the Sentence Completion Task. Sub-analyses suggested that the depressed group's increased positive completions were accounted for largely by those currently in psychiatric treatment. Results replicate previous findings, supporting the view that negative depressive thinking reflects a change in schematic mental models through which the world is interpreted.
Results are inconsistent with predictions from the construct accessibility view.