Positive Reinforcement Effect on Choice Reaction Time in Egyptian Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

This study investigated the efficacy of positive reinforcement (PR) as a behavioral intervention for ameliorating psychomotor retardation, specifically choice reaction time, in patients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Fifteen Egyptian participants clinically diagnosed with MDD (N=15) were recruited, with depression severity assessed using the Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI). A crossover, within-subjects repeated-measures design was utilized, wherein participants completed the Arabic version of the Trail Making Test (TMT), Parts A and B, both before and after an 8-week period of positive reinforcement, with counterbalancing used for condition order. Paired-samples t-tests comparing TMT completion times demonstrated statistically significant improvement in performance following the reinforcement condition. Mean completion time for TMT Part A decreased from 61.83 seconds (s) to 58.63 s, and TMT Part B decreased from 98.59 s to 93.64 s. These results led to the rejection of the null hypothesis, confirming that the intervention reliably improved choice reaction times (p < .05) for both comparisons. These findings support the use of positive reinforcement strategies as an effective approach for mitigating psychomotor slowing and enhancing cognitive processing speed in individuals with MDD. Key words: Major depressive disorder, choice reaction time, positive reinforcement