Autobiographical memory and dysphoria: The effect of mood, gender, and cue type on generality and latency

This study investigated whether self-referential cognitive processes typically associated with depression also apply to dysphoria (mild depression). Specific focus was on bias in the autobiographical memories of dysphoric and non-dysphoric people associated with latency and generality. Possible gender differences and the impact of different cue types on responses were also explored. A sample of 25 men and 20 women completed an Autobiographical Memory Task that included positive, negative, and neutral cue words. Participants were allocated to dysphoric and non-dysphoric groups on the basis of scores on the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale Depression scale DASS-DS (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). As expected, dysphoric participants provided more general responses to positive cues than controls. However, the over-generality response in the dysphorics did not extend to negative cues. Gender differences were confined to neutral cues, with dysphoric women providing more over-general responses than non-dysphoric women and both groups of men. Unexpectedly, no latency bias was found in memory recall. Overall, results suggest over-generality is a feature of the cognitive processing of dysphoric individuals when they attempt to access positive personal memories. Research indicates that some people are more vulnerable to experiencing depressive symptoms than others. Gender, genetics, disruption to childhood bonding processes, difficult life experiences, poor problem solving and poor coping strategies have all been implicated as variables that may predispose individuals to depression (Ingram, 2003; Ingram & Ritter, 2000). In addition, cognitive influences such as pessimistic or negative self-referential thoughts appear to be directly linked to the onset and maintenance of depressive and dysphoric (mild depressive) symptoms (Williams, 1996). The current study built on research which has established that disruption in access to Autobiographical Memories (AMs) acts as a vulnerability factor in depression. Specific focus was on whether the AMs of dysphoric people could be differentiated from non-dysphoric people. AM is a specific kind of episodic memory that refers to the recollection of experiences from an individual's life that are presumed to be of importance or significance to them (Conway, Singer & Tangini, 2004, Ross, 1991). It is well established that depressed people display differences in cognitive processing strategies that impact on the accessibility of their autobiographical memories as well as the content of those memories (e.g., Kuyken & Dalgleish, 1995; Lloyd & Lishman, 1975; Moore, Watt & Williams, 1988; Williams & Broadbent, 1986; Williams & Scott, 1988). Findings from early studies suggest that depressed people experience a reversal of the normal tendency to access recollections of positive events from one's life, more readily then negative ones (Lloyd & Lishman, 1975). However, other studies indicate no such bias (e.g., Kuyken & Dalgleish, 1995; Moore, Watt, & Williams, 1988). A more consistent finding is a disruption of the quality of the memories accessed. In this instance, quality refers to the specificity of memory content. Depressed people have been found to access less specific AMs than non-depressed people or controls (Kuyken & Dalgleish, 1995; Moore et al, 1988; Puffet, Jehin-Marchot, Timsit-Berthier, & Timsit, 1991; Williams & Broadbent, 1986; Williams and Scott, 1988). This is especially apparent for positive cues (Williams & Broadbent, 1986). In light of past research findings on generality, it appears that a common feature of depression is the inability to progress beyond a general memory level to provide specific accounts of specific experiences. Therefore, depressed people appear to have difficulty with countering negative memories with positive ones, creating a recurring cycle of depression. This is especially the case for over-generalized memories identified as "categoric" memories (Williams, 1996). …