Abstract
Previous studies have indicated that anxiety includes a cognitive theme associated with danger or threat, whereas depression includes a cognitive theme of valuelessness or incompetence. Recently, many studies have reported that because cognitive themes influence information processing, such as attention or memory, individuals in an anxious or depressed mood may process threat-related information more selectively than neutral information. The present paper reviews studies that investigated attentional biases or memory biases in people with anxiety or depression, and considers theoretical models for explaining these cognitive biases. The review revealed that individuals who are anxious tend to show attentional biases, whereas individuals who are depressed tend to show memory biases. These findings suggest that research on cognitive biases might contribute to the development of clinical techniques for treating people with anxiety and depression.
