Experimental Modification of Appraisal Style: Benefits of Seeing the Big Picture

Abstract

Big picture appraisal (BPA) entails viewing difficult situations and one's reactions to them in terms of a larger context. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether big picture appraisal could be induced using cognitive bias modification (CBM); whether the trained appraisal style could be observed on other tasks; and whether emotional reactivity would be affected. Participants read vignettes that differed between conditions only by the final word or phrase, presented as a to-be-completed fragment. As predicted, participants showed generalization of training effects to the interpretations of new vignettes and showed effects of training on the Scrambled Sentences Test, a measure of cognitive bias that entailed unscrambling sentences under time pressure to form statements that were consistent or not with big picture thinking. In addition, participants in the big picture as compared to the control condition showed a trend toward less negative mood following failure feedback.