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Abstract
On autobiographical memory tests (AMTs) using positive and negative cue words, research has consistently found that depressed individuals (relative to nondepressed controls) are more likely to recall overgeneral memories (OGMs) and are less likely to recall specific memories. A total of 56 undergraduates who scored high or low on a measure of depression were shown positive and negative word cues and event cues in a computerised AMT. Dysphoric college students made significantly fewer specific and more categoric (overgeneral) responses than controls, but did not differ from controls in terms of extended responses. Results suggest that the difference in memory specificity between low and high dysphoric students generalises across word and event cues and that a computerised version of the AMT can be used as an alternative to interviews as a form of administration.
Notes
Event cues were as follows: “making a new friend”, “making a mistake”, “being some place comfortable”, “having a fight with someone”, “starting a new hobby”, “breaking something”, “getting a good grade”, “being made fun of”, “learning some unexpected news”, “getting left out of something”, “completing a project”, “feeling misunderstood”, “getting a gift”, “ending of a relationship”, “doing a fun activity”, “getting a bad grade”, “celebrating a birthday”, “experiencing a failure”, “starting a new relationship”, “making a bad decision”.
Given that some participants (Ps) were not tested for as long as one month following pre‐testing, it is not surprising that some Ps no longer scored in the top or bottom 20% on the relevant MASQ scales. When these Ps were omitted from the analyses, 24 Ps remained in the dysphoric group and 16 in the non‐dysphoric group. All effects remained significant.
A preliminary ANOVA revealed that there were no significant main effects or interactions with Cue Order, ps > .05, thus this variable will not be discussed further.