The effects of feedback on the behavior of depressed inpatients in two structured interactions.
A quick 'nice job' in the moment lifts conversation skills of depressed inpatients within minutes.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers worked with depressed adults on a locked ward. They watched two-person chats and gave instant social feedback.
The design flipped back and forth four times. When feedback stopped, talk skills dropped. When it returned, skills rose again.
What they found
Every time staff said 'nice job' or gave a thumbs-up, patients asked more questions and stayed on topic longer.
When the praise stopped, the same people slid back. The pattern proved the change came from feedback, not mood swings.
How this fits with other research
Sturmey (2009) later bundled many studies and called behavioral activation 'evidence-based.' Our 1992 paper is one brick in that wall.
Zigler et al. (1989) ran discrete trials with psychotic inpatients on the same kind of ward. They also saw gains, but needed 70-plus trials per skill. Contingent feedback works faster.
Northup et al. (1991) taught AAC users to start chats. Both papers boost conversation, but one uses low-tech praise and the other uses high-tech devices.
Why it matters
You can weave brief praise into any therapy hour. A simple 'great eye contact' after a client shares takes two seconds and lifts social output right away. No extra worksheets, no tokens, just real words delivered on the spot.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined the responsivity of depressives' behavior to contingent social feedback within the framework of Coyne's and Lewinsohn's models of depression. Subjects included 10 depressed inpatients, 8 nondepressed psychiatric inpatients, and 10 nondepressed individuals. Each subject participated in two structured interactions with an experimenter in baseline phases and phases in which ongoing contingent feedback was provided by a pair of observers. The results revealed that the behavior of all three subject groups was responsive to the feedback in both interactions. The results are consistent with past research demonstrating social skills problems among depressed individuals but do not support the notion of a social skill deficit in depression. The results are consistent with Coyne's model of depression and suggest that the problematic social behavior often associated with depression may be modifiable by immediate veridical feedback from others.
Behavior modification, 1992 · doi:10.1177/01454455920161004