Age differences in neural response to reward and loss in children.

The goal of this study was to examine age-related differences in children's reward processing. Focusing on reward outcome processing, we used event-related potentials to examine substages of neural response to gain versus loss feedback in a sample of 7-11-year-old children (M = 9.67, SD = 1.

Maternal criticism and children's neural responses to reward and loss.

Parental criticism is linked to a number of detrimental child outcomes. One mechanism by which parental criticism may increase risk for negative outcomes in children is through children's neural responses to valenced information in the environment. The goal of the current study, therefore, was to examine the relation between maternal criticism and children's neural responses to monetary gains and losses.

Time of day differences in neural reward responsiveness in children.

The Reward Positivity (∆RewP) event-related potential (ERP), generally quantified as the difference between neural responsiveness to monetary gains (RewP-Gain) and losses (RewP-Loss) is commonly used as an index of neural reward responsiveness. Despite the popularity of this ERP component in studies of reward processing, knowledge about the role of state-related influences on the ∆RewP is limited. The present study examined whether ∆RewP amplitudes may differ based on when during the day they are assessed and whether age or sex would moderate this link.

Development of Overgeneral Autobiographical Memory in Offspring of Depressed Mothers.

Maternal depression increases the risk for offspring cognitive vulnerabilities, which may be a mechanism underlying the intergenerational transmission of depression. Little is known about how cognitive vulnerabilities, particularly memory biases, develop in the offspring of depressed mothers. Understanding the etiology of memory biases may lead to novel intervention targets.

Episodic Life Stress and the Development of Overgeneral Autobiographical Memory to Positive Cues in Youth.

Overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) has been established as a risk factor for depression in both youth and adults, but questions remain as to how OGM develops. Although theorists have proposed that the experience of stressful life events may contribute to the development of OGM, no studies have examined the impact of negative life events on prospective changes in OGM. The goal of the current study was to address this gap in the literature.

Perceived discrimination, ruminative subtypes, and risk for depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood.

Perceived discrimination has been found to increase risk for depression in emerging adulthood, but explanatory cognitive mechanisms have not been well studied. We examined whether the brooding and reflective subtypes of rumination would mediate the relation between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms among racial/ethnic minority, versus White, emerging adults, and whether a strong ethnic identity would buffer against this effect. Emerging adults (N = 709; 70% female; 68% racial/ethnic minority), ages 18-25, completed measures of perceived discrimination, rumination, depressive symptoms, and ethnic identity.