Positive Illusory Bias

• Role of positive illusory bias as a resiliency factor against depression in children and adolescents with learning disabilities
  This research project examines depression, positive illusions and the self-protective hypothesis in children and adolescents with learning disabilities. The focus of the research is to further examine specific risk and protective factors associated with depression in children and adolescents with learning disabilities (LD). Objectives are as follows: a) To examine the prevalence, severity and experience of depressive symptomatology in children and adolescents with LD; b) To determine the influence of depression, gender, age and achievement on positive illusions in self-evaluations of students with LD; c) To test the hypothesis that these positive illusions are self-protective and maintain mood in both children and adolescents with LD.

  Students with LDs frequently experience frustration, stress and failure in our schools. Research demonstrates that elementary school children with LD are at greater risk for depression, but the risk for depression in adolescence is unsubstantiated (Heath, 2001; Heath & Ross, 2000; Mercer, 2004). Furthermore, in both age groups there are many students with LD who do not report depressive symptoms (Heath, 1995; Heath & Wiener, 1996). It has been suggested that students with LD who avoid depressive symptoms in the face of failure may do so through a self-protective process in which they positively distorting their self-evaluations in the area of difficulty (Heath, 1995, 1996 2001; Heath & Wiener, 1996). The self-protective nature of this 'positive illusory bias" has been found to have some early support in elementary aged children with ADHD (e.g., Diener & Milich, 1997; Hoza et al., 2000; Ohan & Johnston, 2002). Heath and Glen (2004) provided the first indication that these positive illusions concerning academic performance in children with LD appear to be self-protective in nature, in that they disappear following reassuring feedback concerning academic performance. The current research is the first to examine: a) children and adolescents' own views concerning their mood and contributory factors to their mood; b) positive illusions and the self-protective hypothesis in elementary aged children with depressive symptoms; c) possible gender differences in positive illusory bias in adolescents; d) the existence of the self-protective hypothesis in adolescents; and e) possible achievement domain specificity in the self-protective effect for both children and adolescents.

  
  

 

 

Dr. Nancy Heath - Research Team - McGill University
Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology
3700 McTavish Street
Montréal, Québec
Canada H3A 1Y2
Tel. (514) 398-1232 - Fax (514) 398-6968
e-mail: heathreasearchteam@hotmail.com

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