A Study of Autobiographical Memories in Depressed and Nondepressed Elderly Individuals

1993 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Anderson Yang ◽  
Lynn P. Rehm
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Positive Change ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Elderly Individuals ◽  
Affective Tone ◽  
Mood Congruence ◽  
Current Mood ◽  
Positive Memories ◽  
Looking Back

An autobiographical memory task was used to study memory processes and depression in elderly individuals. Twenty-seven nondepressed and twenty-seven depressed elderly participants recalled thirty memories. Each memory was self-rated for happiness versus sadness and the degree of importance of the event at the time the event occurred (i.e., “then”) and looking back on the event (“now”). Nondepressed participants perceived greater positive change in affective tone between “then” and “now” ratings. Depressed participants recalled more memories rated as sad “now” than nondepressed, and perceived negative and positive memories to become more neutral than nondepressed participants. These results are consistent with a mood congruence hypothesis, in that participants recalled more memories affectively consistent with current mood, and a self-enhancement view of reminiscing, such that recalling memories evaluated as happier was associated with less depression.

scholarly journals When your face describes your memories: facial expressions during retrieval of autobiographical memories

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 861-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamad El Haj ◽  
Mohamed Daoudi ◽  
Karim Gallouj ◽  
Ahmed A. Moustafa ◽  
Jean-Louis Nandrino
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Emotional Facial Expressions ◽  
Affective Characteristics ◽  
Software Analysis ◽  
Emotional Memories ◽  
Future Direction ◽  
Positive Memories

Abstract Thanks to the current advances in the software analysis of facial expressions, there is a burgeoning interest in understanding emotional facial expressions observed during the retrieval of autobiographical memories. This review describes the research on facial expressions during autobiographical retrieval showing distinct emotional facial expressions according to the characteristics of retrieved memoires. More specifically, this research demonstrates that the retrieval of emotional memories can trigger corresponding emotional facial expressions (e.g. positive memories may trigger positive facial expressions). Also, this study demonstrates the variations of facial expressions according to specificity, self-relevance, or past versus future direction of memory construction. Besides linking research on facial expressions during autobiographical retrieval to cognitive and affective characteristics of autobiographical memory in general, this review positions this research within the broader context research on the physiologic characteristics of autobiographical retrieval. We also provide several perspectives for clinical studies to investigate facial expressions in populations with deficits in autobiographical memory (e.g. whether autobiographical overgenerality in neurologic and psychiatric populations may trigger few emotional facial expressions). In sum, this review paper demonstrates how the evaluation of facial expressions during autobiographical retrieval may help understand the functioning and dysfunctioning of autobiographical memory.

scholarly journals Finding a positive me: Affective and neural insights into the challenges of positive autobiographical memory reliving in borderline personality disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte C van Schie ◽  
Chui-De Chiu ◽  
Serge Rombouts ◽  
Willem J. Heiser ◽  
Bernet M. Elzinga
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Lingual Gyrus ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Autonoetic Consciousness ◽  
Positive Memories

Background:This study aimed to investigate whether people with BPD can benefit from reliving positive autobiographical memories in terms of mood and state self-esteem and elucidate the neural processes supporting optimal memory reliving. Particularly the role of vividness and brain areas involved in autonoetic consciousness were studied, as key factors involved in improving mood and state self-esteem by positive memory reliving. Methods:People with BPD (BPD, N = 25), Healthy Controls (HC, N = 33) and controls with Low Self-Esteem (LSE, N = 22) relived four neutral and four positive autobiographical memories in an MRI scanner. After reliving each memory mood and vividness was rated. State self-esteem was assessed before and after the Reliving Autobiographical Memories (RAM) task. Results:Overall, mood and state self-esteem were lower in BPD compared to HC and LSE, but improved significantly after positive memory reliving. Moreover, participants with BPD indicated that they relived their memories with less vividness than HC, regardless of valence. When reliving (vs reading) memories, participants with BPD showed increased precuneus and lingual gyrus activation compared to HC, which was inversely related to vividness. Discussion:People with BPD seem less immersed in reliving neutral and positive autobiographical memories with increased precuneus activation potentially indicating more distant autonoetic consciousness. Nevertheless, participants with BPD do benefit in mood and self-esteem from reliving positive memories. These findings underline the potential of positive autobiographical memory reliving and suggest that interventions may be further shaped to improvet mood and strengthen self-views in BPD.

scholarly journals Emotional and Phenomenological Properties of Odor-Evoked Autobiographical Memories in Alzheimer’s Disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ophélie Glachet ◽  
Mohamad El Haj
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Alzheimer Disease ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Positive Events ◽  
Free Condition ◽  
Odor Exposure ◽  
Positive Memories ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Arousal And Valence

Autobiographical memory, which contains all personal memories relative to our identity, has been found to be impaired in Alzheimer’ Disease (AD). Recent research has demonstrated that odor may serve as a powerful cue for the recovery of autobiographical memories in AD. Building on this research, we investigated emotional characteristics (arousal and valence) and subjective reliving of odor-evoked autobiographical memories in AD. We also investigated the relationship between these characteristics and depression. To this end, we invited participants with mild AD and controls to retrieve autobiographical memories after odor exposure or without odor. Results showed higher arousal, subjective reliving and more positive memories after odor exposure compared with the odor-free condition, these differences being observed only in AD participants. We also found that emotion (arousal and valence) and subjective reliving triggered by odor were associated with depressive symptoms in AD. These findings demonstrate that odor may be a useful cue to trigger more detailed, vivid and positive events in AD.

The Role of Perfectionism and Autobiographical Memory in a Sample of Parasuicide Patients

Crisis ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan A. Rasmussen ◽  
Rory C. O’Connor ◽  
Dallas Brodie
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Overgeneral Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Socially Prescribed Perfectionism ◽  
Hopelessness Depression ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
First Time

The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between social perfectionism, overgeneral autobiographical memory recall, and psychological distress (hopelessness, depression/anxiety, and suicidal ideation) in a sample of parasuicide patients. Forty patients who had been admitted to a Scottish hospital following an episode of deliberate self-harm participated in the study. The participants completed the autobiographical memory task and a battery of self-report measures (multidimensional perfectionism, hopelessness, depression/anxiety, and suicidal ideation). The results showed that repetitive self-harmers were more overgeneral in their recall of positive autobiographical memories than were first-time self-harmers. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that socially prescribed perfectionism interacted with overgeneral recall of both positive and negative memories to predict suicidal ideation/depression. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research.

Specificity and detail in autobiographical memory retrieval: A multi-site (re)investigation.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David John Hallford ◽  
Tom Joseph Barry ◽  
Eline Belmans ◽  
Filip Raes ◽  
Sam Dax ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Memory Specificity ◽  
Specific Event ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Cue Words

This investigation examined conflicting suggestions regarding the association between problems retrieving specific autobiographical memories and the tendency to retrieve the details of these memories. We also examined whether these tendencies are differentially related to depression symptoms. U.S., Belgian, Hong Kong and Japanese participants retrieved memories related to cue words. Responses were coded for if they referred to a specific event (i.e., an event lasting less than 24 hours) and their details (What? Where? Who?). Across sites, and in meta-analyses, the retrieval of more specific memories was associated with retrieval of more details. Memories that were specific included more detail than non-specific memories. Across sites, retrieval of more specific memories and more detail was associated with less severe depression symptoms. Episodic specificity and detailedness are related but separable constructs. Future investigations of autobiographical memory specificity, and methods for alleviating problematic specificity, should consider measures of episodic detailedness.

scholarly journals Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Autobiographical Memories in Everyday Life

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Schönfeld ◽  
Anke Ehlers
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Distinct Features ◽  
Ptsd Group

Evidence from self-reports and laboratory studies suggests that recall of nontrauma autobiographical memories may be disturbed in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but investigations in everyday life are sparse. This study investigated unintentional nontrauma and trauma memories in trauma survivors with and without PTSD ( N = 52), who kept an autobiographical memory diary for a week. We investigated whether unintentional nontrauma memories show an overgeneral memory bias and further memory abnormalities in people with PTSD, and whether unintentional trauma memories show distinct features. Compared to the no-PTSD group, the PTSD group recorded fewer nontrauma memories, which were more overgeneral, more often from before the trauma or related to the trauma, were perceived as distant, and led to greater dwelling. Trauma memories were more vivid, recurrent, and present and led to greater suppression and dwelling. Within the PTSD group, the same features distinguished trauma and nontrauma memories. Results are discussed regarding theories of autobiographical memory and PTSD.

Negative Autobiographical Memory Task

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Hitchcock ◽  
Ann-Marie J. Golden ◽  
Aliza Werner-Seidler ◽  
Willem Kuyken ◽  
Tim Dalgleish
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Task

ODor-evoked Autobiographical Memory in Alzheimer’s disease?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamad El Haj
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Disease Model ◽  
Olfactory Stimulation ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Stimulation Of

Abstract Objective Because memory decline is the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an important endeavor for both clinicians and researchers is to improve memory performances in AD. This can be pursued by olfactory stimulation of memory in patients with AD and by studying the effects of olfactory stimulation on autobiographical memory (i.e., memory for personal information). The effects of olfactory stimulation on autobiographical memory in patients with mild AD have been reported by recent research. We thus provide the first comprehensive overview of research on odor-evoked autobiographical memory in AD. We also establish the basis for solid theoretical analysis concerning the memory improvement reported by research on odor-evoked autobiographical memory in AD. Method We examined literature on odor-evoked autobiographical memories in AD and propose the “OdAMA” (Odor-evoked Autobiographical Memory in Alzheimer’s disease) model. Results and discussion According to OdAMA model, odor exposure activates involuntary access to specific autobiographical memories, which promotes enhanced experience subjective of retrieval in patients with AD and improves their ability to construct not only recent and remote events but also future ones. The OdAMA model could serve as a guide for researchers and clinicians interested in odor-evoked autobiographical memory in AD.

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