The relationship between basic information processing and social cognitive problem solving (SCPS) was studied in 31 schizophrenic, 16 depressive, and 31 control subjects. The clinical subjects were assessed twice, during symptom exacerbation and 3 months later, after partial remission. Control subjects were tested during the same time period. Subjects completed a means-ends problem-solving test, an alternative solution generation task, and an information-processing test battery. Results showed that schizophrenic subjects demonstrated significant improvement in a number of information-processing indices over time. No significant changes on the social cognitive problem-solving variables were found. Furthermore, all three groups demonstrated different patterns of relationships between information processing and social cognitive problem solving. Implications for treatment are discussed.