title: Executive functioning moderates the relationship between motivation and adolescent depressive symptoms.
abstract: We investigated the association between adolescent depressive symptoms and components of executive functioning (EF), including planning (Tower of London), set-shifting (Wisconsin Card Sorting Task), and inhibition (Stop Signal Task) in a community sample of 12-14 year olds. Further, EF was tested as a moderator of motivation (as operationalized by revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory) effects on depressive symptoms. Results suggested that planning ability was associated with depressive symptoms. Furthermore, planning ability moderated the relationship between motivation (fight-flight- freeze system; FFFS) and depressive symptoms, such that among adolescents with poor planning ability the FFFS positively predicted depressive symptoms, but among adolescents with strong planning ability the FFFS negatively predicts depressive symptoms. Neither set-shifting nor inhibition was associated with depressive symptoms. Findings highlight the need to consider multiple components of EF and to integrate motivational and executive dysfunction models to the study of depression.
authors.affiliation: University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Department of Psychology, 242 Park Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260 USA.
authors.forename: Chrystal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vergara-Lopez
authors.forename: Hector I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Lopez-Vergara
authors.forename: Craig R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Colder