Abstract
Reduced specificity of memory retrieval has been explained by self-ruminative thinking. However, the relationship between autobiographical memory and other psychological variables has been less frequently assessed. The relationship between personality variables and memory retrieval could also vary in function of task requirements. The main aim of this work was to explore personality traits related to self-perceptions that could explain a specific trend of retrieval: Locus of Control, Self-Valoration, Life Satisfaction and Rumination. Furthermore, these relationships were explored under directed and free recall conditions. From the analysed variables, an Internal Locus of Control explained significantly specificity of recall in both conditions (free and directed recall). Rumination was explained by Life Satisfaction and specific memories obtained under free-recall conditions. These results suggest that probable effects of Locus of Control and self-perceptions on specificity of memories should be considered for its inclusion on memory search explicative models.
Highlights
Autobiographical memory mediates our identity construction process, provides resources to face future uncertainty situations and can play an enormous role in our present and future emotional status
Rumination (VARS scores) showed a negative non-significant correlation with specific memories obtained by direct recall (r = -0.12, p = .286) but a positive and almost significant relationship with specific memories obtained by means of free recall (r = 0.21, p = .063)
Of the pool of subjective variables assessed in this study, the Internal Locus of Control was the only one related to specificity maintaining a similar relationship under both conditions (r = 0.25, p = .028, directed recall; r = 0.23, p = .039, free recall)
Summary
Autobiographical memory mediates our identity construction process, provides resources to face future uncertainty situations and can play an enormous role in our present and future emotional status. It is agreed that individuals with emotional disorders experience difficulties in generating specific memories of events to lists of word cues or an enhanced tendency to retrieve overgeneral autobiographical memories (OGM) when asked to retrieve specific memories of events in response to cue words (Williams & Broadbent, 1986). This overgenerality in autobiographical memory has been found to correlate with the prediction of persistence of depression (Brittlebank, Scott, Williams, & Ferrier, 1993; Dalgleish, Spinks, Yiend, & Kuyken, 2001). These results suggest that OGM constitutes a vulnerability factor for prolonged depression or depressive relapse, and likely represents a marker of depressed reactivity and, possibly, a vulnerability factor for a first onset of depression in never-depressed individuals (Raes, Hermans, Williams, & Eelen, 2007; Serrano, Latorre, & Gatz, 2007)
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