COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT OF UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION - MEASURING PRODUCTS, PROCESSES AND STRUCTURES

In this article we survey current and emerging approaches to the cogni tive assessment of affective disorder. Our review begins with an evalu ation of the role of cognition in prevailing multidimensional models o f unipolar depression. Within this framework, we distinguish three cla sses of cognitive variables that are operative in depression, and revi ew strategies for assessing them. First, we consider methods of measur ing cognitive product variables in depression (e.g. automatic thoughts , attributions, negative self-evaluations). Next, we focus on the asse ssment of cognitive and social cognitive mechanisms (e.g. irrational t hought processes, social comparison processes) thought to play a proxi mal role in the development and maintenance of depressive phenomenolog y. Third, we review strategies for measuring the content and organizat ion of the knowledge structures (i.e. schemas) postulated to underlie both products and processes. We conclude with a discussion of general issues and future directions for research.