Self-Discrepancies and Depression: Abstract Reasoning Skills as a Moderator Erin N. Stevens, Christine Keeports, Nicole J. Holmberg, M. C. Lovejoy, Laura Pittman, & Allison Behm Northern Illinois University Introduction:  Self-discrepancy theory (SDT; Higgins, 1987) provides a framework for understanding how discrepant beliefs about the self induce different types of negative affect. Self-discrepancies have been found to differ between depressed and nondepressed adults (e.g., Fairbrother & Moretti, 1998; Higgins, Klein, & Strauman, 1985; Scott & O’Hara, 1993; Strauman, 1992),  Some studies have found inconsistent, conflicting data when it comes to supporting the main tenets of SDT(Higgins, 1987). However, the relationship between self-discrepancies and emotional outcomes is hypothesized to be moderated by theoretical factors that influence the significance of the relationship (Boldero, Moretti, Bell, & Francis, 2005; Higgins, 1999).  One potential moderator is cognitive development. SDT uses a neo- piagetian theory to attempt to understand processes that underlie the development of self-evaluative and self-regulatory processes. In sum, abstract reasoning abilities, which develop during Piaget’s formal operational stage, appear to be the cognitive-developmental antecedents of distress that is often associated with self-discrepancies.  The purpose of the study was to examine the moderating effect of abstract reasoning abilities in the relation between actual:ideal (A:I) discrepancies and depression in a college student sample.  After controlling for gender, we expected that there would be a significant interaction between A:I discrepancies and abstract reasoning abilities in predicting depressive symptoms.  Preliminary Analyses: Means, standard deviations, and bivariate correlations for variables of interest were calculated (see Table 1).  Hierarchical Multiple Regression: After adding the control variable (gender), A:I discrepancies, abstract reasoning skills, and the interaction of the two were used to predict depressive symptoms (see Table 2). Correspondence concerning this poster should be addressed to: Erin N. Stevens, M.A., Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL  The results of this study demonstrated that college students’ self-discrepancies are related to depression, consistent with the prior research using adult samples (see step 1 of the regression). However, abstract reasoning skills, alone, are not associated with depressive symptoms.  In the second step of the model, there was a significant interaction between actual:ideal discrepancies and abstract reasoning abilities, providing tentative evidence of the importance of abstract reasoning abilities in the depression- cognition association that could be related to the heightened risk for depression among individuals with higher levels of cognitive development compared to those with lower levels of cognitive development.  Future examinations of the self-discrepancy model may benefit from examining other potential moderators in the self-discrepancy-mood relationship. Other potential moderators include age (e.g., developmental effects), regulatory strength and chronic accessibility of goals, as well as other measures of cognitive ability (e.g., executive functions).  Limitations include the use of a college student population. To generalize to the emergence of abstract reasoning skills (as per neo-piagetian theories), it will be important to examine these effects in emerging adolescents. Method: Participants, Procedure, & Measures Method: Measures  Self-discrepancies: Discrepancies between actual and ideal selves were measured using an adaptation of the Selves Questionnaire that is traditionally used to measure self-discrepancy in adult samples (e.g., Higgins, 1987).  To assess the ideal-self, the revised version of the measure instructed participants to generate five ‘ideal’ attributes and rate the degree to which they ideally would like to possess each attribute (7-point scale). To assess the actual-self, participants were provided with a list of the five ideal-self attributes they had previously reported. They were instructed to rate the degree to which they currently possessed each attribute (7-point scale).  A:I discrepancies were calculated by subtracting the score for each actual attribute from the corresponding ideal attribute. An A:I discrepancy score was calculated by averaging the five individual discrepancies. Results: Results: Conclusions: Table 2 Summary of Hierarchical Regression Analysis for Variables Predicting BDI-II Scores VariableBSE B βR2R2 ΔR 2 Step 1.07 Gender Actual:Ideal Discrepancies 1.77*.81.25* Similarities Step 2.15*.08* Gender Actual:Ideal Discrepancies Similarities Discrepancies x Similarities.46*.18.29* Note: *p <.05. **p <.01. ***p <.001.  Undergraduate college students (N = 109; 48 males and 61 females) were recruited from a mass testing pool at a mid-sized Midwestern U.S. public university. Participants were excluded from analyses due to incomplete data sets (i.e., not present for Time 2; n = 28) or more than one excluded attributes (n = 3).The final sample included 78 college students; there were 37 men and 41 women included in the analyses.  Ethnicity: 56% percent of the college students were Caucasian, 21% were Black or African American, 12% were Hispanic or Latino, 5% percent were Asian, 4% were biracial, and 1% identified as “other.”  Average age = 19.8 years (SD = 1.7 years)  Participants took part in a two-part study. At Time 1, participants completed the discrepancy measure. Two to ten days later, at Time 2, participants completed:  The Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996). to measure depressive symptoms. We did not include the suicide item, so our participants completed a 20-item BDI-II (α =.91).  The Similarities (SI) subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV; Wechsler, 2008) as an indicator of abstract reasoning. The SI subtest measures verbal concept formation and verbal reasoning, and involves crystallized intelligence, abstract reasoning, and categorical thinking.  The final model was significant, F(4, 77) = 3.17, p =.02, to the prediction of participants’ reports of depressive symptoms. After probing the interaction, it was revealed that for individuals with low abstract reasoning skills, the relation between actual:ideal discrepancies and depression was not significantly different from zero. For individuals with high abstract reasoning skills, as discrepancies increased, the level of depressive symptoms increased. Table 1 Bivariate Correlations Among Variables of Interest Variable NameMSD Actual:Ideal Discrepancy Similarities Raw Score Total BDI-II Score *.06-- *p <.05. **p <.01. ***p <.001.