Autobiographical memory and hierarchical search strategies in depressed and non-depressed participants.

Shamsul Haque,Penelope Hasking,Eka Juliana,Rahmattullah Khan

doi:10.1186/s12888-014-0310-z

Abstract

BackgroundThere is a growing body of literature showing individuals with depression and other trauma-related disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder) recall more overgeneral and less specific autobiographical memories compared to normal participants. Although the mechanisms underlying overgeneral memory are quite clear, the search strategy operated within the autobiographical knowledge base, at time of recollection, requires further exploration. The current study aimed to examine the hierarchical search sequence used to recall autobiographical memories in depressed and non-depressed participants, with a view to determining whether depressed participants exhibited truncated search strategies.MethodsThirteen depressed and an equal number of non-depressed participants retrieved 15 memories each, in response to 15 commonly used cue words. Participants reported the first memory that entered in their mind. All memory descriptions were recorded and later transcribed verbatim for content analysis.ResultsDepressed participants retrieved autobiographical memories faster, produced shorter memory descriptions and were less likely to recall positive memories than non-depressed participants. Non-depressed participants were more likely to commence retrieval by accessing lifetime period knowledge followed by general event and event specific knowledge, whereas depressed participants showed a tendency to terminate retrieval at the general event level.ConclusionsIt is concluded that depressed participants do adhere to the same hierarchical search strategy as non-depressed participants when retrieving specific autobiographical memories, but that they terminate their search early, resulting in overgeneral memories.

Highlights

IntroductionThere is a growing body of literature showing individuals with depression and other trauma-related disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder) recall more overgeneral and less specific autobiographical memories compared to normal participants
There is a growing body of literature showing individuals with depression and other trauma-related disorders recall more overgeneral and less specific autobiographical memories compared to normal participants
When an individual is requested to retrieve an autobiographical memory in response to a cue word, a retrieval model is first created against which knowledge is accessed, evaluated and elaborated for further search

Summary

Introduction

There is a growing body of literature showing individuals with depression and other trauma-related disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder) recall more overgeneral and less specific autobiographical memories compared to normal participants. Conway and Pleydell-Pearce’s model, which they called Self-Memory System (SMS), expanded on earlier proposals that the retrieval of autobiographical memory is a relatively lengthy process (usually 5s-10s) which repeats through cycles of knowledge elaboration, access, and evaluation [19,20]. When an individual is requested to retrieve an autobiographical memory in response to a cue word, a retrieval model is first created against which knowledge is accessed, evaluated and elaborated for further search. The SMS is conceptualized as an emergent memory system as it occurs only when the working self interacts with the hierarchically organized knowledge base while in retrieval mode [21,22]

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