Underlying mental schemas or internal models have been frequently used to describe the cognitive basis for depression (e.g., Beck, 1979) and for parent–child relationships (e.g., Bowlby, 1969/1999). A mental schema generally refers to a cognitive framework that organizes new information into an already-identified pattern or system of thoughts with relative stability over time, although it is also open for revision (Mandler, 1984/2014). According to Beck's cognitive theory of depression (1979), the symptoms of depression are driven by mental schemas, with core beliefs and perceptions that are dysfunctional supporting the negatively biased processing of information. Similarly, mothers’ cognition and behavior are believed to be guided by internal working models about the self and others, which are foundational to parent–child relationships (Bowlby, 1969/1999; Bretherton & Munholland, 1999).