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 Preprint Averting Repulsion? Body-Directed Self-Disgust and Autobiographical Memory Retrieval

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula von Spreckelsen ◽  
Ineke Wessel ◽  
Klaske A. Glashouwer ◽  
Peter J. de Jong
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Memory Test ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Schematic Representation ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Memory Specificity ◽  
Body Image Concerns ◽  
Cue Words

The repulsive body image (RBI) describes a schematic representation of the own body marked by body-directed self-disgust and other body image concerns. This RBI may bias autobiographical memory processing towards RBI-congruent memories, which would be expected to be overgeneral, because disgust may promote the avoidance of specific memories. In the current study, women with high (HRBI; n = 61) and low (LRBI; n = 64) RBI levels retrieved memories in response to abstract body-related cue words in a minimal instructions Autobiographical Memory Test. Compared to the LRBI group, the HRBI group recalled a higher number of autobiographical memories that involved appraisals of the own body as disgusting, and reported elevated habitual tendencies to prevent experiencing disgust towards the own body. Neither RBI scores nor tendencies to prevent experiencing body-related disgust were found to be statistically significant predictors of memory specificity. In light of the low memory specificity in the whole sample, more sensitive measures of autobiographical memory specificity may be needed to examine disgust-driven avoidance at the memory level. Nevertheless, the current results may indicate that disgust-related memories and the prevention of experiencing disgust towards the own body could play a role in the persistence of body image concerns.

Escaping from Revulsion - Disgust and Escape in Response to Body-Relevant Autobiographical Memories

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula von Spreckelsen ◽  
Ineke Wessel ◽  
Klaske A. Glashouwer ◽  
Peter J. de Jong
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Image Features ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Negative Body Image ◽  
Memory Specificity ◽  
Concrete Body ◽  
Body Image Concerns ◽  
Self Schema ◽  
Cue Words

The term Repulsive Body Image (RBI) refers to a schematic construct combining body-directed self-disgust and other negative body image features. As a self-schema, the RBI is assumed to bias information processing, including autobiographical memory retrieval. When specific memories about the own body are retrieved in a direct (automatic) fashion, intense self-disgust may arise. This may trigger attempts to escape from those memories which, in turn, might further strengthen the RBI. We asked 133 women with high (H-RBI; n = 63) and low (L-RBI; n = 70) levels of habitual body-directed self-disgust to recall autobiographical memories in response to 11 concrete body-related cue words in a minimal instructions Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT). Despite an overall low level of memory specificity, we found that RBI levels were associated with stronger disgust reactions and stronger tendencies to escape from body-related memories. In addition, increased disgust reactions to body-related memories accounted for the association between habitual levels of self-disgust and increased tendencies to escape from these memories. Thus, the findings indicated that women with body image concerns showed disgust-based escape from body-related memories. This disgust-based inclination to avert from body-related autobiographical memories might counteract the correction of an RBI, thereby contributing to the persistence of body image concerns and associated psychopathology.

Autobiographical Memory Impairments as a Transdiagnostic Feature of Mental Illness: A meta-analysis of autobiographical memory specificity and overgenerality amongst people with psychiatric diagnoses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Joseph Barry ◽  
David John Hallford ◽  
Keisuke Takano
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnoses ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Memory Impairments ◽  
Memory Specificity ◽  
Causal Mechanisms

Decades of research has examined the difficulty that people with psychiatric diagnoses, such as Major Depressive Disorder, Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, have in recalling specific autobiographical memories from events that lasted less than a day. Instead, they seem to retrieve general events that have occurred many times or which occurred over longer periods of time, termed overgeneral memory. We present the first transdiagnostic meta-analysis of memory specificity/overgenerality, and the first meta-regression of proposed causal mechanisms. A keyword search of Embase, PsycARTICLES and PsycINFO databases yielded 74 studies that compared people with and without psychiatric diagnoses on the retrieval of specific (k = 85) or general memories (k = 56). Multi-level meta-analysis confirmed that people with psychiatric diagnoses typically recall fewer specific (g = -0.864, 95% CI[-1.030, -0.698]) and more general (g = .712, 95% CI[0.524, 0.900]) memories than diagnoses-free people. The size of these effects did not differ between diagnostic groups. There were no consistent moderators; effect sizes were not explained by methodological factors such as cue valence, or demographic variables such as participants’ age. There was also no support for the contribution of underlying processes that are thought to be involved in specific/general memory retrieval (e.g., rumination). Our findings confirm that deficits in autobiographical memory retrieval are a transdiagnostic factor associated with a broad range of psychiatric problems, but future research should explore novel causal mechanisms such as encoding deficits and the social processes involved in memory sharing and rehearsal.

scholarly journals A review of autobiographical memory studies on patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujia Zhang ◽  
Sara K. Kuhn ◽  
Laura Jobson ◽  
Shamsul Haque
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Memory Specificity ◽  
Autobiographical Memory Specificity ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Patients suffering from schizophrenia spectrum disorders demonstrate various cognitive deficiencies, the most pertinent one being impairment in autobiographical memory. This paper reviews quantitative research investigating deficits in the content, and characteristics, of autobiographical memories in individuals with schizophrenia. It also examines if the method used to activate autobiographical memories influenced the results and which theoretical accounts were proposed to explain the defective recall of autobiographical memories in patients with schizophrenia. Methods PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed databases were searched for articles published between January 1998 and December 2018. Fifty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. All studies implemented the generative retrieval strategy by inducing memories through cue words or pictures, the life-stage method, or open-ended retrieval method. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement guidelines were followed for this review. Results Most studies reported that patients with schizophrenia retrieve less specific autobiographical memories when compared to a healthy control group, while only three studies indicated that both groups performed similarly on memory specificity. Patients with schizophrenia also exhibited earlier reminiscence bumps than those for healthy controls. The relationship between comorbid depression and autobiographical memory specificity appeared to be independent because patients’ memory specificity improved through intervention, but their level of depression remained unchanged. The U-shaped retrieval pattern for memory specificity was not consistent. Both the connection between the history of attempted suicide and autobiographical memory specificity, and the relationship between psychotic symptoms and autobiographical memory specificity, remain inconclusive. Patients’ memory specificity and coherence improved through cognitive training. Conclusions The overgeneral recall of autobiographical memory by patients with schizophrenia could be attributed to working memory, the disturbing concept of self, and the cuing method implemented. The earlier reminiscence bump for patients with schizophrenia may be explained by the premature closure of the identity formation process due to the emergence of psychotic symptoms during early adulthood. Protocol developed for this review was registered in PROSPERO (registration no: CRD42017062643).

scholarly journals Odors Associated With Autobiographical Memory Induce Visual Imagination of Emotional Scenes as Well as Orbitofrontal-Fusiform Activation

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Masaoka ◽  
Haruko Sugiyama ◽  
Masaki Yoshida ◽  
Akira Yoshikawa ◽  
Motoyasu Honma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Fusiform Gyrus ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Left Posterior

Specific odors can induce memories of the past, especially those associated with autobiographical and episodic memory. Odors associated with autobiographical memories have been found to elicit stronger activation in the orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus, and parahippocampus compared with odors not linked to personal memories. Here, we examined whether continuous odor stimuli associated with autobiographical memories could activate the above olfactory areas in older adults and speculated regarding whether this odor stimulation could have a protective effect against age-related cognitive decline. Specifically, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the relationship between blood oxygen levels in olfactory regions and odor-induced subjective memory retrieval and emotions associated with autobiographical memory in older adults. In our group of healthy older adults, the tested odors induced autobiographical memories that were accompanied by increasing levels of retrieval and the feeling of being “brought back in time.” The strength of the subjective feelings, including vividness of the memory and degree of comfort, impacted activation of the left fusiform gyrus and left posterior orbitofrontal cortex. Further, our path model suggested that the strength of memory retrieval and of the emotions induced by odor-evoked autobiographical memories directly influenced neural changes in the left fusiform gyrus, and impacted left posterior orbitofrontal cortex activation through the left fusiform response.

scholarly journals Autobiographical memory as a latent vulnerability mechanism following childhood maltreatment: Association with future depression symptoms and prosocial behavior

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Vanessa B. Puetz ◽  
Essi Viding ◽  
Ferdinand Hoffmann ◽  
Mattia I. Gerin ◽  
Molly Sharp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Neural Reactivity ◽  
Cue Words

Abstract Objectives Childhood maltreatment is associated with altered neural reactivity during autobiographical memory (ABM) recall and a pattern of overgeneral memory (OGM). Altered ABM and OGM have been linked with psychopathology and poorer social functioning. The present study investigated the association between altered ABM and subsequent socio-emotional functioning (measured two years later) in a sample of adolescents with (N = 20; maltreatment group, MT) and without (N = 17; non-MT group) documented childhood maltreatment histories. Method At baseline, adolescents (aged 12.6 ± 1.45 years) were administered the Autobiographical Memory Test to measure OGM. Participants also recalled specific ABMs in response to emotionally valenced cue words during functional MRI. Adolescents in both groups underwent assessments measuring depressive symptoms and prosocial behavior at both timepoints. Regression analyses were carried out to predict outcome measures at follow-up controlling for baseline levels. Results In the MT group, greater OGM at baseline significantly predicted reduced prosocial behavior at follow-up and showed a trend level association with elevated depressive symptoms. Patterns of altered ABM-related brain activity did not significantly predict future psycho-social functioning. Conclusions The current findings highlight the potential value of OGM as a cognitive mechanism that could be targeted to reduce risk of depression in adolescents with prior histories of maltreatment.

“Look at Me” – Eye Movements During Autobiographical Retrieval in Face-to-Face Interactions

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Quentin Lenoble ◽  
Mohamad El Haj
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Eye Movements ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Screen Design ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Laboratory Design ◽  
Blank Screen

Abstract. There has been a surge in social cognition and social neurosciences research comparing laboratory and real eye movements. Eye movements during the retrieval of autobiographical memories (i.e., personal memories) in laboratory situations are also receiving more attention. We compared eye movements during the retrieval of autobiographical memories using a strict laboratory design versus a design mimicking social interactions. In the first design, eye movements were recorded during autobiographical memory retrieval while participants were looking at a blank screen; in the second design, participants wore eye-tracking glasses and communicated autobiographical memories to the experimenter. Compared with the “screen” design, the “glasses” design yielded more fixations ( p < .05), shorter duration of fixations ( p < .001), more saccades ( p < .01), and longer duration of saccades ( p < .001). These findings demonstrate how eye movements during autobiographical memory retrieval differ between strict laboratory design and face-to-face interactions.

scholarly journals Neural basis of autobiographical memory retrieval in schizophrenia

2012 ◽  
Vol 201 (6) ◽  
pp. 473-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Cuervo-Lombard ◽  
Cédric Lemogne ◽  
Fabien Gierski ◽  
Céline Béra-Potelle ◽  
Eric Tran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Dorsal Striatum ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Retrieval Performance ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Retrieval Task ◽  
Caudate Nuclei ◽  
Cue Words

BackgroundAutobiographical memory retrieval is impaired in schizophrenia.AimsTo determine the neural basis of this impairment.MethodThirteen patients with schizophrenia and 14 healthy controls performed an autobiographical memory retrieval task based on cue words during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Patients were selected on the basis of their ability to perform the task and all participants received training.ResultsAlthough patients and controls activated a similar brain network during autobiographical memory retrieval, patients displayed decreased activation in several of these regions, including the anterior cingulate cortex, left lateral prefrontal cortex, right cerebellum and ventral tegmental area (k ≥ 10, P < 0.001, uncorrected). In addition, activation of the caudate nuclei was negatively correlated with retrieval performance in controls but positively correlated with performance in patients.ConclusionsThe autobiographical memory retrieval brain network is impaired in schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia display decreased activation of the cognitive control network during retrieval, possibly due to aberrant functioning of the dorsal striatum.

scholarly journals Correlates of Overgeneral Memories in Normal Subjects

1996 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Merckelbach ◽  
Peter Muris ◽  
Robert Horselenberg
Keyword(s):  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
The Other ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Verbal Processing ◽  
Memory Specificity ◽  
The One ◽  
Cue Words

This study examined the correlates of overgeneral memories (i.e., non-specific memories) in normal subjects. Subjects were instructed to generate five personal memories in response to positive cue-words and five memories in response to negative cue-words. As predicted, no evidence was found for a positive association between overgeneral memories and level of depression. Neither was there an association between low memory specificity on the one hand and neuroticism and trait anxiety on the other hand. A significant though small correlation was found between hemisphere thinking style and specificity of personal memories. Surprisingly, the direction of this correlation was such that the more subjects relied on a left hemisphere mode of thinking (i.e., analytic and verbal processing), the more overgeneral their memories were. Taken together, the results indicate that in normal samples, depression symptoms, neuroticism or trait anxiety do not represent important correlates of overgeneral memories consistent with their status as trait markers uninfluenced by state factors.

The Cue-dependency of the “Reminiscence Bumps” in Autobiographical Memory and Memory for Public Events

2019 ◽  
pp. 160-182
Author(s):  
Jonathan Koppel ◽  
Dorthe Berntsen
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Large Role ◽  
Autobiographical Memories ◽  
Public Events ◽  
Reminiscence Bump ◽  
Retrieval Processes ◽  
Temporal Location ◽  
Disproportionate Number ◽  
Cue Words

The reminiscence bump most commonly refers to the disproportionate number of autobiographical memories, in adults aged ≥40 years, dating from youth and early adulthood. Whereas the bump in autobiographical memory has primarily been studied by psychologists, it has been paralleled in the sociology literature in a spike in recall for public events that occurred at a similar period of the lifespan. This chapter reviews findings illustrating that the temporal location of the bump (in autobiographical memory) and the frequency with which it is found (in memory for public events) vary according to the cueing method used to elicit the memories. For instance, in autobiographical memory, the bump is earlier when memories are elicited through cue words than when memories are elicited through requests for important memories. In memory for public events, the bump is more frequently attained when recall is tested through open-ended recall than when it is tested through knowledge tests. It is argued that these findings indicate that retrieval processes play a large role in the bump in each domain, and therefore challenge most existing theoretical accounts, which stress encoding processes. The relevant retrieval processes in each domain are then discussed. Finally, the implications of the reviewed findings, in particular those concerning autobiographical memory, are discussed as they relate to models of the organization of autobiographical memory.

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