Memory Bias Research Articles

Cognitive Path Planning with Spatial Memory Distortion.

Human path-planning operates differently from deterministic AI-based path-planning algorithms due to the decay and distortion in a human's spatial memory and the lack of complete scene knowledge. Here, we present a cognitive model of path-planning that simulates human-like learning of unfamiliar environments, supports systematic degradation in spatial memory, and distorts spatial recall during path-planning. We propose a Dynamic Hierarchical Cognitive Graph (DHCG) representation to encode the environment structure by incorporating two critical spatial memory biases during exploration: categorical adjustment and \sequence order effect. We then extend the '`Fine-To-Coarse'' (FTC), the most prevalent path-planning heuristic, to incorporate spatial uncertainty during recall through the DHCG. We conducted a lab-based Virtual Reality (VR) experiment to validate the proposed cognitive path-planning model and made three observations: (1) a statistically significant impact of sequence order effect on participants' route-choices, (2) approximately three hierarchical levels in the DHCG according to participants' recall data, and (3) similar trajectories and significantly similar wayfinding performances between participants and simulated cognitive agents on identical path-planning tasks. Furthermore, we performed two detailed simulation experiments with different FTC variants on a Manhattan-style grid. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed cognitive path-planning model successfully produces human-like paths and can capture human wayfinding's complex and dynamic nature, which traditional AI-based path-planning algorithms cannot capture.

Working memory representations modulate the magnitude of the similarity-induced memory bias

Working memory representations modulate the magnitude of the similarity-induced memory bias

Lingering distractor representations bias memory reports

Lingering distractor representations bias memory reports

Collective memory and social representations of history in Americas, Europe and Palestine

This article reviews and synthesizes 10 free-recall studies on collective memory carried out in Latin America, Europe, and Palestine. Results show the high prevalence of the topics of politics, collective violence and warfare, but around 50% of recalled events were appraised as positives, disconfirming a negative bias in collective memory. However, in Palestine most of the events were entirely or partially negative, reflecting country’s conflictual situation. The analyzed studies confirm a partial socio-centrism: in Latin America and Palestine most events were national. A meta-analysis confirms a generational effect in 24/100 historical events. Negative historical events were related to low social wellbeing in Palestine. Results are discussed in the framework of collective memory processes and social representations of history.

Forecasting entrepreneurial motivations and actions: development and validation of the entrepreneurial trigger scale

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the insights of founding entrepreneurs to understand what they consider as motivating factors in their decision to act upon entrepreneurial intentions. Using this information, the entrepreneurial trigger event influence was conceptualized, and a scale developed for use in subsequent testable models.Design/methodology/approachQualitative and quantitative techniques were used to construct an instrument that measures the presence and influence of entrepreneurial behavior triggers. The concept of triggering events was explored with 14 founding entrepreneurs. Themes emerged from this enquiry process which informed the development of four primary entrepreneurial triggering events. Over 600 entrepreneurs participated in the study. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify dimensions of entrepreneurial triggers and was tested using confirmatory factor analysis.FindingsEntrepreneurs perceive that personal fulfillment and job dissatisfaction serve as two significant trigger events which will lead individuals to engage in entrepreneurial behaviors. This research supports theorizing that suggests entrepreneurial trigger events have influence in motivating individuals to act upon entrepreneurial intentions and some trigger events may have more influence toward behavior than others.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is subject to multiple limitations. Trigger events were limited to those identified in literature and the interviews. Most entrepreneurs participating in this study were from a limited geographic region. The entrepreneurs in this study reported their triggering event based on their memory which could have been affected by inaccurate recall or memory bias. No attempt has been made to model the comparative effects of the different variables on entrepreneurial outcomes. Finally, the entrepreneurial trigger event instrument did not measure the participant's demographics or psychographics which could have played a role in the influence of reported trigger event.Practical implicationsThis study extends previous research that trigger events serve as catalysts for entrepreneurial behavior. Findings support the premise that different types of triggers have different levels of influence as antecedents of entrepreneurial behavior. Specifically, positive, negative, internal and external entrepreneurial triggering events were explicated. The Entrepreneurial Trigger Event Scale created to facilitate this study enables researchers to explore the effects of types and perceived influences of precipitating trigger events on the intentions of the individual that result in entrepreneurial behavior. The optimized instrument further expanded Shapero's (1975) proposed theory of the origins of entrepreneurial behavior.Social implicationsThe development of a scale provides researchers with the opportunity to include the influence of entrepreneurial trigger events, as perceived by entrepreneurs, in future testable models. Entrepreneurial development organizations can use the knowledge to assist in understanding when potential entrepreneurs may act upon entrepreneurial intentions. Information gained can have significant implications for understanding the initiation of entrepreneurial behavior, entity establishment and business growth.Originality/valueThis research responds to a call for investigation into the influence of entrepreneurial trigger events on a person's decision to act upon entrepreneurial intentions. It is an early attempt to conceptualize a relevant construct of entrepreneurial trigger event influence and to develop a scale for use in empirical testing. It is distinguished by using planned behaviors, push and pull, motivation and drive reduction theories. These theories are applied to the perceptions of successful entrepreneurs to develop a construct and validate it.

Perspective taking and memory for self- and town-related information in male adolescents and young adults

Adolescence is a sensitive period for categorical self-concept development, which affects the ability to take others’ perspectives, which might differ from one’s own, and how self-related information is memorized. Little is known about whether these two processes are related in adolescence. The current study recruited 97 male participants aged 11–35 years. Using a self-referential memory task, we found that younger participants were less prone to recognize previously seen town-related adjectives, compared to self-related adjectives. However, this age-related reduction in recognition bias was unrelated to accurate memory performance. Using the Director task to assess perspective taking, we found an age-related decrease in egocentric biases in perspective taking from adolescence to early adulthood (i.e., perspective taking abilities improved with age). However, there was no evidence that these two processes were related. Overall, our findings suggest that male adolescents display parallel but independent age-related changes in self-referential biases in memory and perspective taking.

Metacognition in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders-Current Methods and Approaches.

Metacognition essentially represents "thinking about thinking", or the individual's capacity to control and monitor their own cognitive processes. Metacognition impairment in schizophrenia represents a core feature of the disease, and, in the last fifteen years, the subject has evolved into a growing study area concentrating on a wide variety of processes, such as clinical insight, autobiographical memory, cognitive beliefs, reasoning, and memory biases. Since metacognition is a complex subject, we wanted to focus on the different nuances of metacognition transposed into the lives of patients diagnosed with either schizophrenia or a schizoaffective disorder. Therefore, this narrative review aims to analyze the literature in order to provide an insight regarding the current methods and approaches in the study of metacognition in schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders, as well as the results provided. Results from the reviewed studies showed that patients with schizophrenia have a lower metacognitive ability, which is strongly reflected in their lives. Studies to date have highlighted the interaction between schizophrenia symptoms and metacognition, which shows how metacognition impacts work performance, autobiographical memory, motivation, the severity of symptoms, and social cognition.

The Influence of Children’s Pain-Related Attention Shifting Ability and Pain Catastrophizing Upon Negatively Biased Pain Memories in Healthy School Children

The current study investigated the influence of children’s ability to flexibly shift attention toward and away from pain information on the development of negatively biased pain memories, thereby employing a direct measure of attention control reliant on behavioral responses in the context of pain (ie, an attention switching task). The direct influence of children’s attention-shifting ability and pain catastrophizing as well as the moderating role of this shifting ability in the relationship between pain catastrophizing and the development of negatively biased pain memories was examined. Healthy school children (N = 41; 9–15 years old) received painful heat stimuli and completed measures of state and trait pain catastrophizing. They then performed an attention-switching task wherein they had to shift attention between personally relevant pain-related and neutral cues. Two weeks after the painful task, children’s pain-related memories were elicited via telephone. Findings indicated that children’s reduced ability to disengage attention away from pain information predicted more fear memory bias 2 weeks later. Children’s pain-related attention-shifting ability did not moderate the relationship between children’s pain catastrophizing and negatively biased pain memories. Findings highlight the contribution of children’s attention control skills in the development of negatively biased pain memories. PerspectiveResults of the current study indicate that children with a reduced ability to shift attention away from pain information are at risk for developing negatively biased pain memories. Findings can inform interventions to minimize the development of these maladaptive negatively biased pain memories by targeting pain-relevant attention control skills in children.

SPACE EVIDENCE: AN ORAL INTERVIEW INTERVIEW CORROBORATION METHOD RESEARCH BASED ON GENERATIVE SPACE ANALYSIS

Abstract. The oral interview is an essential component of heritage study fieldwork. However, due to the individual memory bias, quick verification of the content's validity about the built environment is required. This paper aims to provide an efficient method for verifying the authenticity of oral interviews by combining architectural heritage data with digital analysis techniques and using spatial analysis as evidence. The method is based on the image pre-processing of existing architectural drawings, the creation of multiple planes and models through parametric variation factors matrix, and the generation of analysis images using daylight analysis algorithms. The Pix2Pix model is also introduced as a basis for tagging the planes and the images of the analysis results according to its principles. Learning by pairing the labeled images enables the computer to generate image analysis based on a given plane figure for fast analysis in the built environment. Following this, the authenticity of the oral interview’s content can be quickly determined. This paper examines the industrial heritage of the Puqi Textile General Factory, which was formed under the idea of rapid construction during the Third Front construction, using the factory ’s built environment and related oral content as the basis for analysis and verification. The findings did not satisfy the poor working conditions described in the oral interviews. Therefore, the authenticity of the oral content is doubtful and requires further verification.

P-161 Impact of physical activity (PA) on oocyte quality: a prospective study among IVF/ICSI patients

Abstract Study question To determine if various levels of PA have an influence on oocyte quality, ovarian response to controlled stimulation and IVF/ICSI success rate. Summary answer Globally, PA has no influence on ovarian response in IVF cycles. However, in certain subgroups (endometriosis, disovulation, normal-BMI) high PA is associated with higher response. What is known already Lifestyle is considered a key factor concerning health. According to WHO, moderate PA is an effective way to lower the risk of many pathologic conditions, although the impact of PA on female fertility is still unknown. There is scientific evidence that vigorous exercise can be detrimental for female fertility Studies evaluating the effect of PA on oocyte quality are lacking. However, murine models show that PA may have a positive impact on it. Study design, size, duration Prospective observational study. PA was evaluated before the IVF cycle, using the International PA Questionnaire (IPAQ) (n = 617), assessing frequency and duration of PA in the previous week, and using accelerometer (n = 102). Mean age of women was 35. Patients were classified into three levels of PA: low, moderate, high. The following outcome measures were analysed: number of collected oocytes, mature oocytes, ovarian response, biochemical pregnancy rate. Size: 617 infertile women undergoing IVF/ICSI cycles January 2019 - October 2020 Participants/materials, setting, methods 617 participants voluntarily fulfilled the IPAQ prior to IVF/ICSI cycle. Ethical approval was obtained from the Clinical Research Ethics Committee (CEIC E19/06). IPAQ’s results were measured in metabolic equivalent of task (METs-min/week) (Walking = 3.3 METs; Moderate PA = 4 METs; Vigorous PA = 8 METs). 1 MET = resting metabolic rate. In 102 participants PA was objectively measured for 7 consecutive days, prior to IVF cycle, using triaxial accelerometry. Setting: Human Reproduction Unit of a Universitary Hospital (Spain) Main results and the role of chance The number of collected oocytes was similar in all three groups according IPAQ (9.23 ± 7.72; 8.35 ± 5.57; 8.82 ± 6.38). Something similar happened with the number of mature oocytes (MII) (6.97 ± 5.99; 6.84 ± 4.85; 7.05 ± 5.61) and fertilized oocytes (3.72 ± 3.84; 4.16 ± 3.35; 3.98 ± 3.88). Biochemical pregnancy rate was slightly superior in high PA vs moderate vs low (38% vs 34.8% vs 29%), but without statistical significance. In the subgroup of patients having endometriosis the number of MII oocytes was significantly superior in high and moderate vs low PA (p = 0.024). In the group of disovulating women there were also more MII oocytes in high vs moderate vs low PA (p = 0.038). When performing the analysis according to accelerometer, even though the number of total collected oocytes (9.93 ± 9.1; 7.93 ± 5.38), MII oocytes (8.36 ± 7.64; 6.79 ± 4.63) and fertilized oocytes (5.25 ± 6.41; 3.91 ± 2.82), tended to be slightly superior in high vs moderate PA, there were no significant differences. In women with normal BMI, high PA was associated with a greater number of collected oocytes (p = 0.005), MII oocytes (p = 0.004) and fertilized oocytes (p = 0.007). Limitations, reasons for caution This study was performed in infertile women undergoing IVF/ICSI cycles. Hence, it is not possible to determine if PA has an impact on natural fertility. The self-administration of IPAQ has some disadvantages as subjectivity, memory bias or overestimation of PA. Subgroups’ sample size was small. Wider implications of the findings In general it does not seem that modifying short-term PA in women undergoing IVF could improve oocyte quality. However in some subgroups of patients (endometriosis, disovulation, normal-weight women), perhaps changes in PA could improve oocyte quality and ART success rates. More prospective clinical studies are needed. Trial registration number Not applicable

#3498 LONG-COVID IN PATIENTS ON HEMODIALYSIS: A SINGLE CENTER ANALYSIS

Abstract Background and Aims It is known that maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients have a high risk of initial mortality from COVID-19. Concurrently, the Post-COVID-19 Syndrome also appears to be highly prevalent between them. However, in the general population, it looks like the probability of having long covid symptoms has been decreasing after covid-19 vaccination. As the number of vaccinated MHD patients against SARS-CoV-2 is currently extremely high in Portugal, with this study we aimed to investigate the current prevalence of long-COVID in our MHD patients and to identify if their baseline characteristics served as a predictor to this syndrome. Method In this retrospective single center study, we questioned 71 MHD patients regarding the history of COVID-19, its symptoms when it first appeared, and the symptoms that persisted at least 12 weeks after the onset of the disease. All patients were in our MHD program for at least 3 months before SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients with COVID-19 were divided between those with and without long-COVID (long-COVID was defined as the existence of symptoms that persisted for more than 12 weeks). Baseline characteristics (sex, age, Chalson Comorbidity Index (CCI), time since the beginning of dialysis, diabetes, hypertension, hospitalization, the use of corticosteroids and the number of vaccines taken) and analytical values (hemoglobin, ferritin, phosphorus and albumin) were statistically evaluated. Results From the 71 analyzed MHD patients of the program of Centro Hospitalar do Médio Tejo - Portugal, 27 had a positive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19. Of those, the mean age was 73,81 years old (±11,08), 63% (n=17) were male and they were on a MHD program for an average of 36,48 (±32,1) months. 25,0% (n=7) of the COVID-19 patients suffered from long-COVID and 48,1% (n=13) had three doses of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 at the time of diagnosis. The mean follow up time was 12,59 (±7,11). The most common symptoms were asthenia, cough and sicca syndrome (all present in 14,8% of long-COVID patients), followed by arthralgias and anxiety (both present in 11,1% of the patients). A Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was generated plotting sensitivity (y- axis) as a function of 1-specificity (x-axis), which allowed us to conclude that patients didn't have any analytic change that was predictor of long covid when compared to patients without long covid (p values all > 0,05). Regarding to the baseline characteristics of the patients, there was no correlation between sex, age, CCI, time since the beginning of dialysis, diabetes, hypertension, hospitalization, the use of corticosteroids, the number of vaccines taken and the manifestation of long COVID (according to Fisher's Exact test). There was a statistically significant association with the presence of long covid and the initial symptoms of COVID-19 disease (with a p value of 0,01 and with a moderate strength - Cramer's V of 0,57). Conclusion Our study showed a moderate prevalence of COVID-19 infection and a low prevalence of long COVID in MHD patients. Besides there was no correlation between the number of vaccine doses and the presence of long COVID, one can only assume that the low incidence of post-COVID-19 syndrome is due to the vaccination. Even so, more studies with a higher number of patients and without memory bias are needed to prove a lower incidence of this syndrome after the massive vaccination. The fact that the higher number of initial symptoms correlate with long-COVID also leads to state that very symptomatic patients must remain under close monitoring.

An initial but receding altercentric bias in preverbal infants' memory.

Young learners would seem to face a daunting challenge in selecting to what they should attend, a problem that may have been exacerbated in human infants by changes in carrying practices during human evolution. A novel theory proposes that human infant cognition has an altercentric bias whereby early in life, infants prioritize encoding events that are the targets of others' attention. We tested for this bias by asking whether, when the infant and an observing agent have a conflicting perspective on an object's location, the co-witnessed location is better remembered. We found that 8- but not 12-month-olds expected the object to be at the location where the agent had seen it. These findings suggest that in the first year of life, infants may prioritize the encoding of events to which others attend, even though it may sometimes result in memory errors. However, the disappearance of this bias by 12 months suggests that altercentricism is a feature of very early cognition. We propose that it facilitates learning at a unique stage in the life history when motoric immaturity limits infants' interaction with the environment; at this stage, observing others could maximally leverage the information selection process.

The illusion of moral decline

Anecdotal evidence indicates that people believe that morality is declining1,2. In a series of studies using both archival and original data (n = 12,492,983), we show that people in at least 60 nations around the world believe that morality is declining, that they have believed this for at least 70 years and that they attribute this decline both to the decreasing morality of individuals as they age and to the decreasing morality of successive generations. Next, we show that people’s reports of the morality of their contemporaries have not declined over time, suggesting that the perception of moral decline is an illusion. Finally, we show how a simple mechanism based on two well-established psychological phenomena (biased exposure to information and biased memory for information) can produce an illusion of moral decline, and we report studies that confirm two of its predictions about the circumstances under which the perception of moral decline is attenuated, eliminated or reversed (that is, when respondents are asked about the morality of people they know well or people who lived before the respondent was born). Together, our studies show that the perception of moral decline is pervasive, perdurable, unfounded and easily produced. This illusion has implications for research on the misallocation of scarce resources3, the underuse of social support4 and social influence5.

Importance of Clinical Judgment Skill Competencies Across Practice Settings: Certified Rehabilitation Counselors’ Perceptions

Accurate clinical judgments are critically important for counselors in their work with clients. To date, there are no studies that have assessed rehabilitation counselors’ knowledge of clinical judgment and its importance to implement in practice. In this internet-based study, a random sample of certified rehabilitation counselors (CRCs;n= 579) were surveyed using the clinical judgment skill inventory (CJSI). The CJSI measures clinical judgment skills across seven clinical judgment skill areas (scientific attitude, cognitive complexity, cultural bias, confirmatory bias, memory bias, negative bias, and evidence-based practice). CRC participants overall rated clinical judgment skills to be important. Significant multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test indicated significant mean differences between practice settings (Wilks’ LambdaF= 3.31,pvalue <.01) in “scientific attitude” (F-statistic = 3.91,pvalue <.01), “cultural bias” (F-statistic = 3.71,pvalue <.01), “confirmatory bias” (F-statistic = 3.02,pvalue = .01), and “evidence-based practice” (F-statistic = 5.62,pvalue <.01). Specifically, CRCs working for a college or university perceived clinical judgment skill areas to be more important than CRCs working in other practice settings. Implications for rehabilitation counseling practice are discussed.

Biases in object location estimation: The role of rotations and translation

Spatial memory studies often employ static images depicting a scene, an array of objects, or environmental features from one perspective and then following a perspective-shift-prompt memory either of the scene or objects within the scene. The current study investigated a previously reported systematic bias in spatial memory where, following a perspective shift from encoding to recall, participants indicated the location of an object farther to the direction of the shift. In Experiment 1, we aimed to replicate this bias by asking participants to encode the location of an object in a virtual room and then indicate it from memory following a perspective shift induced by camera translation and rotation. In Experiment 2, we decoupled the influence of camera translations and rotations and examined whether adding additional objects to the virtual room would reduce the bias. Overall, our results indicate that camera translations result in greater systematic bias than camera rotations. We propose that the accurate representation of camera translations requires more demanding mental computations than camera rotations, leading to greater uncertainty regarding the location of an object in memory. This uncertainty causes people to rely on an egocentric anchor, thereby giving rise to the systematic bias in the direction of camera translation.

0069 Effects of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms on Sleep-Dependent Consolidation of Emotional Memory in College Students

Abstract Introduction Depression and anxiety have been associated with emotional memory biases, disturbed sleep, and cognitive deficits. The goal of the present study is to investigate the effects of elevated levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms on sleep physiology and sleep-dependent consolidation of emotional memory and reactivity over a mid-day nap in young college students. Methods Data collection is ongoing, preliminary analyses are based on 34 participants (26F, 7M, 1 non-binary, 18-27 yrs). Based on well-validated depression and anxiety scales, participants were classified into high (n=10) vs low (n=24) symptom groups. Participants studied negative and neutral picture stimuli and rated them on the dimensions of valence and arousal. Recognition memory was tested after a 5 hr interval which included a high-density EEG monitored 90 min nap. Results We do not observe any group differences in memory accuracy (d’) or in selectivity for emotional stimuli. In the entire sample, depressive symptoms correlate with decision criterion (C) for negative stimuli (r = -0.357, p=.04), such that individuals with higher depressive symptoms have a more liberal responding bias for negative stimuli. Napping is associated with a decrease in arousal ratings across all participants (F(1,32)=5.43, p=.03), and the high mood symptom group rate stimuli as more arousing (F(1,32)=13.96, p<.001). Further, high levels of trait anxiety is associated with more negative valence ratings post-nap (r = -0.350, p=.03). Conclusion The effects of a mid-day nap on memory consolidation and reactivity for emotional stimuli are similar between individuals with high vs low levels of mood symptoms, but heightened levels of depression and anxiety are associated with altered response bias and higher emotional reactivity. Future plans involve comparisons of NREM oscillations between groups and investigation of their relations with task performance. Support (if any) Iowa Neuroscience Institute “2021 Ideas Lab” Award (Baran)

Investigating False Memory and Illusory Pattern Perception Bias in Schizophrenia Patients with and without Delusions.

Whether the false memory dysfunction in schizophrenia is at the early (encoding, perceptual) or later (retrieval) stages and how delusions affect it remains unclear. In this study, we examined the perception and memory biases in schizophrenia patients with (Sch/D; n = 31) and without delusions (Sch/Nd; n = 32) and compared them with healthy controls (HCs; n = 35). We used the Deese Roediger McDermott (DRM) Paradigm and the Noise Task to measure the false memory and illusory pattern perception (IPP) biases, respectively. We found that the patient groups performed lower in both the recall and recognition phases for the DRM and the Noise tasks and made more errors compared to the HC group. Additionally, the performance of the Sch/D group was remarkably lower than the Sch/Nd and HC groups. Our results indicated that the information-processing problem in schizophrenia exists in both the encoding and retrieval stages. Also found significant relationship between the presence of delusions and the increase in cognitive deficits. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10608-023-10393-6.

Feasibility study of using mobile phone-based experience sampling to assess drug checking by opioid street drug users

BackgroundTo date, evaluations of take-home fentanyl (and/or benzodiazepine) test strip use — the most common form of drug checking services — and potential effects on overdose risk have relied on retrospective accounts for some preceding time period, usually a week to several months. Such accounts, however, are subject to recall and memory biases. This pilot study assessed the feasibility of using experiential sampling to collect daily information in situ on drug checking and associated overdose risk reduction — the primary outcomes — among a sample of street opioid users and compared the results to retrospective reports.MethodsWe recruited 12 participants from a Chicago-based syringe services program. Participants were 18 years of age or older, reported using opioids purchased on the street 3 + times per week in the past month, and had an available Android mobile phone. A phone-based app was programmed to collect daily drug checking information and provided to each participant along with a supply of fentanyl and benzodiazepine test strips and instructions for use over 21 days. Comparable retrospective data were collected via follow-up in-person surveys at the conclusion of daily report collection.ResultsWe found a reasonably high rate of daily reporting (63.5%) with participants submitting reports on 160 “person-days” out of 252 possible days. Participants submitted daily reports an average of 13 of 21 days. Reports of test strip use frequency varied between the retrospective and daily reports with a relatively higher percentage of days/time using test strips obtained from the daily reports. We also found higher proportions reporting overdose risk reduction behaviors on the daily reports compared with the retrospective reviews.ConclusionsWe believe the results support using daily experience sampling to collect information on drug checking behaviors among street drug users. Although resource intensive in comparison to retrospective reports, daily reporting potentially provides more detailed information on test strip use and its association with overdose risk reduction and, ultimately, fewer overdoses. Needed are larger trials and validation studies of daily experience sampling to identify the optimum protocol for collecting accurate information on drug checking and overdose risk reduction behavior.

Effectiveness of memory bias modification in reducing depression and rumination symptoms and autobiographical memory bias: a pilot study.

There is a strong interest in cognitive bias modification as a new intervention that targets key underlying vulnerability factors of depression. Memory bias is believed to be a risk factor for the onset and maintenance of depression. In this study, we aimed to examine the effectiveness of memory bias modification on depression symptoms, ruminative thoughts, and autobiographical memory bias. We recruited 40 participants with mild depression who were randomly assigned to two groups of positive (n = 20) and neutral (n = 20) training. The participants were instructed to read and learn French-paired words with their Farsi translations. Next, they were encouraged to recall positive or neutral Farsi translations of French words according to their groups in the first session. After training, and in the second session (follow-up), they were asked to recall all the Farsi translations of the French words. Data were collected using Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Rumination Response Scale (RRS), Self-Referent Encoding Task (SRET). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Repeated retrieval practices resulted in better recall of the target words of the training in both conditions. Still, none of the groups had significant changes in depression scores, ruminative thoughts, and emotional aspects of memory bias. Our results suggest that two sessions of modifying memory biases were not sufficient for reducing the symptoms of depression and rumination. Implications of the finding from this study for future works are further discussed.

Strategic regulation of memory in dsyphoria: a quantity-accuracy profile analysis

ABSTRACT The mechanisms underlying a tendency among individuals with depression to report personal episodic memories with low specificity remain to be understood. We assessed a sample of undergraduate students with dysphoria to determine whether depression relates to a broader dysregulation of balancing accuracy and informativeness during memory reports. Specifically, we investigated metamnemonic processes using a quantity-accuracy profile approach. Recall involved three phases with increasing allowance for more general, or coarse-grained, responses: (a) forced-precise responding, requiring high precision; (b) free-choice report with high and low penalty incentives on accuracy; (c) a lexical description phase. Individuals with and without dysphoria were largely indistinguishable across indices of retrieval, monitoring, and control aspects of metamemory. The results indicate intact metacognitive processing in young individuals with dysphoria and provide no support for the view that impaired metacognitive control underlies either memory deficits or bias in memory reports that accompany dysphoria.