B737 FLT CREW TURNS TOWARDS FINAL APCH HDG WHEN GIVEN A VECTOR FOR BASE FOR A SHORT APCH TO DEN; CO.

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THIS EVENT IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE EFFECTS OF MENTAL DISTRACTIONS WITHIN THE COCKPIT. (TENSIONS WERE HIGH AND WE (I) WERE WORRIED ABOUT LOSING MY JOB TO FURLOUGHS.) WE WERE ON VECTORS DOWNWIND FOR A VISUAL APPROACH TO RWY 35R AT DEN. I WAS THE PF AND THE CAPT HAD THE RADIOS. WE WERE EXPECTING A TURN TO BASE IN ABOUT 3 MI. AT THIS TIME ATC ASKED IF WE COULD ACCEPT A 'SHORT APCH.' I TOLD THE CAPT. WE COULD (I WAS FLYING) AND HE RELAYED IT TO ATC. ATC IMMEDIATELY TURNED US TO BASE AND THE CAPT; WHILE ON THE RADIO; REACHED OVER AND PUT THE GEAR DOWN (UNCOMMANDED AND AGAINST SOP). A LITTLE SHOCKED OVER THIS RAPID BREAKDOWN IN CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT; I CONTINUED TO CONFIGURE AND FLY THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 35R. ON AN INTERCEPT HEADING TO FINAL; ATC TOLD US WE HAD OVERSHOT THE ASSIGNED HEADING BUT TO CONTINUE AS HE NOW SAID 'CLEARED VISUAL.' THE CAPT AND I HAD BOTH ASSUMED WE WERE CLEARED ALREADY. THE APCH WAS CONTINUED UNEVENTFULLY. THIS WAS AN ASSUMPTION OF CLEARANCE! WE WERE EXPECTING IT FROM ATC AFTER HE HAD ASKED US TO ACCEPT THE 'SHORT APPROACH.' THE MAIN DISTRACTION FOR ME AND PROBABLY WHY I DIDN'T CATCH THE CLEARANCE WAS THE CAPT DEVIATING FROM SOP. BY HIM PUTTING THE GEAR DOWN (UNCOMMANDED) WHILE REPEATING OUR CLEARANCE; DISTRACTED HIM. THE UNCOMMANDED CHANGE IN ACFT CONFIGURATION; DISTRACTED ME. IT PUT BOTH OF US IN THE 'CLEARED FOR VISUAL APPROACH' MODE MENTALLY.