The Temple—Wisconsin Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression Project: Conceptual Background, Design, and Methods

Abstract

The Temple-Wisconsin Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression (CVD) project is a two-site, prospective longitudinal study designed to test the etiological hypotheses of two cognitive theories of depression: Hopelessness theory (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989; Alloy, Kelly, Mineka, & Clements, 1990) and Beck’s theory (Beck, 1967, 1987). In this article, we provide an overview of the CVD project, including the conceptual background, goals, rationale, and design of the project, as well as a description of the project sample and assessment methods. Separate articles will present empirical findings from the project.