Abstract: The research on the cognitive bias in depressive disorders highlights depression as a major human mental disorder. Researches on cognitive bias have revealed that the social cognitive process plays an important role in depression; therefore, this article aims to investigate the effects of the social cognitive process on cognitive bias.
This study explores the recalling, recognition, and priming processing of middle school students with depressive symptoms by using Tversky’s experiment model and material called “Roommate’s story,” which included three kinds of items (positive, neutral, and negative items). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used to select participants; a total of 49 depressive students and 49 healthy ones (control group) were selected.
In the recalling task, the depressed students recalled more negative items than those in the control group under the negative condition. In addition, there was situational congruence in the recalling of self-related events in the information processing of the depressed students. In the recognition task, the depressed students recognized more negative items than positive ones; they recognized more old and new negative items and less positive items than did the control group. The recognition of self-related events in the information processing of the depressed students was related to the level of processing. In the priming task, the depressed students primed more negative items than did the control group; the negative priming of the self-related events in the information processing of the depressed students was primarily caused by the negative bias of processing the negative and neutral items.
The findings suggest that there are negative biases in the recalling, recognition, and priming processing in middle school students with depressive symptoms

Key words: middle school students, depressive symptoms, processing bias