Autobiographical Memories in Dysphoric Mood : A

The frequency and characteristics of involuntary autobiographical memories were compared in 25 stable dysphoric and 28 non-dysphoric participants, using a new laboratory-based task (Schlagman & Kvavilashvili, 2008). Participants detected infrequent target stimuli (vertical lines) in a simple vigilance task and recorded any involuntary autobiographical memories that came to mind, mostly in response to irrelevant words presented on the screen. Dysphoric participants reported involuntary memories as frequently and as fast as non-dysphoric participants and their memories were not repetitive intrusive memories of negative or traumatic events. Additional content analysis showed that dysphoric participants did not recall more memories of objectively negative events (e.g., accidents, illnesses, deaths) than non-dysphoric participants. However, significant group differences emerged in terms of a mood congruency effect whereby dysphoric participants rated their memories as more negative than non-dysphoric participants. Moreover, the proportion of negatively rated involuntary memories was related to lower mood ratings at the end of the session in the dysphoric but not in the non-dysphoric group. Finally, groups did not differ on several memory characteristics such as vividness, specificity (high in both groups) and rates of rehearsal (low in both groups). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings for research on depression and autobiographical memory are discussed. mood congruency, over-general memory. 3 Involuntary autobiographical memories in dysphoria Involuntary Autobiographical Memories in Dysphoric Mood: A Laboratory Study Autobiographical memories involve remembering personal episodes from one's past and are important for maintaining self-identity and psychological well being across the lifespan research has often focused on autobiographical memories in depressed and dysphoric people. This work has primarily examined voluntary memories that are deliberately recalled in response to cue words provided by the researcher (the Autobiographical Memory Test, AMT; Wenzel, 2005; Williams & Broadbent, 1986), and has resulted in important findings concerning mood congruency and over-general memory effect (see below). However, in everyday life, memories can also come to mind spontaneously, without research on depression has concentrated on spontaneous intrusive memories of negative events, which repeatedly intrude on consciousness, and are accompanied by high levels of distress and avoidance (e.g., memory of a recent car crash may come to mind many times and be difficult to control/get rid of). In contrast, research with the non-clinical population has concentrated on involuntary memories that are neither repetitive nor necessarily negative (e.g., remembering a first driving lesson when seeing a TV advert). However, similar to intrusive memories, their emotional valence can be …