Harkema, Niels (2025) A Replication of the White Bear Experiment: Investigating the Link Between Depression Scores and Mood Rebound in Suppressed Thought Expression. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
The “White Bear” effect refers to the paradoxical nature of the resurgence of suppressed thoughts. Furthermore, a connection is created between the suppressed thought and the associated mood, whereby the activation of the thought leads to the reinstatement of the associated mood (Wenzlaff et al., 1987,1991). Although, replication studies of these claims have shown inconsistent results. To examine whether the original findings from Wenzlaff et al., (1991) is replicable, a group study was conducted replicating the second experiment. In the experimental setting, 61 non-clinical, first-year students were studied in regard to thought suppression. The results find no support for the “White Bear” effect or the mood reinstatement. However, the results were impacted by methodological limitations. On the other hand, support was found for the moderating relation between depressive severity and thought suppression on mood change. Future research may examine the role of thought suppression as a maladaptive coping strategy for individuals with high scores on depressive severity. Keywords: Depression, Mood Reinstatement, Replication, Thought suppression, White Bear effect.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Wessel, J.P. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Mar 2025 14:59 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Mar 2025 14:59 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4783 |
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