Alloy et al. (1999)

• Aim: 

  To investigate the role of cognitive style in the development of depression.
• Research Method: 

  Longitudinal natural experiment with method and data triangulation.
• Procedure:

  1. Selected non-depressed college freshmen, half with a history of clinical depression.
  2. Assessed cognitive style, categorizing participants as High Risk (HR) or Low Risk (LR).
  3. Conducted follow-ups every 6 weeks for 2.5 years, then every 4 months for 3 years.
  4. Used questionnaires and structured interviews to assess stressful life events, cognitive style, and depression symptoms.
  5. Administered an adjective recall test to measure information processing bias.
• Results:

  • No prior depression history group:
  • 17% of HR developed Major Depressive Disorder vs. 1% of LR
  • 29% of HR showed minor depression symptoms vs. 6% of LR
  • Prior depression history group:
  • 27% of HR relapsed vs. 6% of LR
  • 50% of HR showed depression symptoms vs. 26.5% of LR
  • Higher suicidality rate in HR (28%) vs. LR (12.6%)
  • HR groups showed faster processing and better recall of negative information, slower processing and worse recall of positive information
• Conclusion: 

  Those with cognitive style thinking are more likely to develop depression system, also those with history of depression are more likely to relapse
• Strengths:

  1. Method and data triangulation increased credibility.
  2. Use of standardized tests for cognitive style measurement enhanced reliability - Reliability is crucial in psychological research for consistent results.
  3. Pre-test/post-test design helped reduce bidirectional ambiguity - This design allows for better understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.
  4. Longitudinal nature of the study allowed for observation of depression development over time. LandMark study - Negtive thinking Pattern in depression.
• Limitations:

  1. Natural experiment design limits causal inferences - Since IV is not manipulated cause and effect cannot be established, the study is correlational in nature.
  2. Problem is Bidirectional Ambiguity - Dont know whether Negative pattern causes depression or the other way around
  3. Sample limited to college freshmen, potentially affecting generalizability.
  4. Possible confounding variables not accounted for (e.g., environmental factors, genetic predisposition).
• Overall Significance: 

  The study provides valuable insights into the cognitive vulnerability hypothesis and has practical applications in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression.