Self-Punishment and Depression
The relationship between depression and the behavior of self-administered reward and punishment was examined among college students. Students scoring high and low on the Beck Depression Inventory were compared on a memory task on which they were to self-reward or self-punish their responses. There were no differences in actual accuracy of memory or in frequency of self-reward, but depressed subjects gave themselves more self-punishment. The results were discussed in light of previous research on self-control behavior of depressed persons.