No Evidence for the Involvement of Cognitive Immunisation in Updating Beliefs About the Self in Three Non-Clinical Samples

Abstract

Background: Cognitive immunisation against disconfirmatory evidence (i.e., devaluing expectation-disconfirming information through cognitive mechanisms) has recently been discussed as an obstacle to the revision of dysfunctional beliefs in mental disorders such as depression. Yet, it is unclear whether cognitive immunisation is also involved in belief updating in non-clinical samples.

Methods: Using a three-group modulation protocol (promotion vs. inhibition of cognitive immunisation vs. control group), we examined how cognitive immunisation influences belief updating in response to performance feedback in three non-clinical samples. In Experiments 1 (N = 99) and 2 (N = 93), participants received unexpectedly negative feedback, whereas participants from Experiment 3 (N = 118) received unexpectedly positive feedback. Depressive symptoms and dispositional optimism were examined as additional predictors of belief updating.

Results: In all experiments, participants adjusted their expectations in line with the feedback received, but this effect was not influenced by the cognitive immunisation manipulation. In Experiment 3, expectation change remained stable over 2 weeks. Depressive symptoms were associated with a reduced integration of positive feedback, but not with an increased sensitivity to negative feedback.

Conclusions: Whereas previous research has shown that cognitive immunisation contributes to persistent beliefs in clinical populations, the present findings suggest that it does not affect belief updating in non-clinical samples.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10608-021-10256-y.

Keywords: Belief updating; Cognitive immunisation; Depression; Expectation; Reappraisal.

Fig. 1

Design of “Experiment 1”

Fig. 2

Results for the main analyses from Experiment 1. There were no significant differences between the groups in updating their expectations from pre to post. Error bars reflect the standard error or the mean

Fig. 3

Results from Experiment 1 for expectation change when considering only the negatively worded expectation items (e.g., “Solving the tasks from the test will be difficult for me”). For generalised expectations, participants from the cognitive immunisation inhibition group updated their expectations in a negative direction, whereas participants from the cognitive immunisation promotion group did not. For task-specific expectations, it was found that participants from the cognitive immunisation promotion group updated their expectations to a lesser extent than participants from the cognitive immunisation inhibition group and the control group. Error bars reflect the standard error or the mean

Fig. 4

Results for the main analyses from Experiment 3. There were no significant differences between the groups in updating their expectations from pre to post to follow-up. Error bars reflect the standard error or the mean