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The present study explored the relation between overgeneral autobiographical memory (AM) and other aspects of memory functioning in depression. A total of 26 patients with major depressive disorder completed a set of memory tasks measuring AM specificity (AMT; Williams & Broadbent, 1986), working memory, semantic memory, verbal learning, delayed verbal recall, recognition memory, and source memory. Reduced specificity of AM was related to poor working memory (central executive functioning) and poor source memory. The former finding conforms to the idea that the voluntary retrieval of specific autobiographical memories (AMs) involves central executive processes (e.g., Conway & Pleydell-Pearce, 2000). The latter finding replicates and extends recent findings suggesting that overgeneral AM is part of a broader memory deficit in retrieving the specific details of the context in which information was acquired (Ramponi, Barnard, & Nimmo-Smith, 2004). Furthermore, in line with Ramponi et al. (2004), rumination was found to be related to both overgeneral AM and poor source memory.

Original publication

DOI

10.1080/09658210600624614

Type

Journal article

Journal

Memory

Publication Date

07/2006

Volume

14

Pages

584 - 594

Keywords

Adult, Cognition, Depressive Disorder, Major, Female, Humans, Language Tests, Male, Memory Disorders, Memory, Short-Term, Mental Recall, Middle Aged, Models, Psychological, Psychological Tests, Recognition (Psychology), Verbal Learning