The proposed project will examine the impact of depression on the cognitive functioning of adolescents and young adults. Two studies will be conducted examining the following hypotheses: 1) Depressed adolescents will reveal significant impairment in effortful memory task as compared to non depressed peers; 2) Depressed adolescents will have longer latency times on complex problem solving tasks than non depressed peers; 3) Depressed adolescents will demonstrate deficits in language tasks requiring short term memory; 4) Depressed females will reveal greater depression levels than depressed males; 5) Subjects initially identified as depressed will reveal high levels of depression during subsequent years. 6) A similar pattern of depression will be found in a second sample of Young adult college students as the high school peers. The first study will examine the hypotheses in the adolescent sample, while the second will examine the hypotheses in the young adult sample. The analysis will use a 2 x 2 x 2 independent group design. Independent variables are 1) emotional state (depressed, nondepressed) and 2) gender (male, female) and race (African American, White). Subjects will be tested on a battery of cognitive tests including comprehensive memory scale, complex problem solving tasks, the multilingual aphasia evaluation (language processing task) and academic achievement scale. One hundred and sixty subjects will be selected based on performance on screening scales and demographic stratification for each sample. All subjects selected for the study will be asked to participate in the study over a three year period. Results will assist in the understanding of depressive illness in adolescents and people of color.
