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Barry TJ, Takano K, Hallford DJ, Roberts JE, Salmon K, Raes F. Autobiographical memory and psychopathology: Is memory specificity as important as we make it seem? WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2023; 14:e1624. [PMID: 36178082 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Several decades of research have established reduced autobiographical memory specificity, or overgeneral memory, as an important cognitive factor associated with the risk for and maintenance of a range of psychiatric diagnoses. In measuring this construct, experimenters code autobiographical memories for the presence or absence of a single temporal detail that indicates that the remembered event took place on a single, specific, day (Last Thursday when I rode bikes with my son), or multiple days (When I rode bikes with my son). Studies indicate that the specificity of memories and the amount of other episodic detail that they include (e.g., who, what, and where) are related and may rely on the same neural processes to elicit their retrieval. However, specificity and detailedness are nonetheless separable constructs: imperfectly correlated and differentially associated with current and future depressive symptoms and other associated intrapersonal (e.g., rumination) and interpersonal (e.g., social support) outcomes. The ways in which the details of our memories align with narrative themes (i.e., agency, communion, identity) and the coherence with which these details are presented, are also emerging as important factors associated with psychopathology. The temporal specificity of autobiographical memories may be important, but other memory constructs warrant further attention in research and theory, especially given the associations, and dependencies, between each of these constructs. Researchers in this area must consider carefully whether their research questions necessitate a focus on autobiographical memory specificity or whether a more inclusive analysis of other autobiographical memory features is necessary and more fruitful. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom J Barry
- Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
- Department of Psychology, The University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Keisuke Takano
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - John E Roberts
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Karen Salmon
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Filip Raes
- Centre for Learning Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Herold CJ, Lässer MM, Schröder J. Autobiographical memory impairment in chronic schizophrenia: Significance and clinical correlates. J Neuropsychol 2023; 17:89-107. [PMID: 36065152 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies of autobiographical memory (AM) in schizophrenia yielded a reduction of specificity, richness of details and conscious recollection, which indicate both, quantitative and qualitative AM changes. However, their associations with psychopathological symptoms and neuropsychological deficits were not resolved. Therefore, we sought to investigate AM with respect to psychopathology and neuropsychology in patients with chronic schizophrenia to rule out the influence of different courses of the disease. AM of four lifetime periods was examined in 75 patients and 50 healthy controls by using a semi-structured interview. The recalled episodes were rated for memory specificity. Subsequently, one single event of each period of life was rated for details and experiential aspects of reliving (originality, vividness/visual imagery, emotional re-experiencing and emotional valence). When contrasted with healthy controls, patients recalled a significantly reduced number of episodes and personal semantic facts; moreover, memory specificity of AM was significantly lower in patients than controls. While the richness of details calculated for single events showed only minor, non-significant group differences, vividness and emotional re-experiencing were significantly less pronounced in the patient group. Along with this, AM performance correlated significantly with negative symptoms including apathy as well as verbal memory and executive functions. Our results underline the significance of overgenerality as a key feature of AM in schizophrenia as well as a dissociation between intact number of details of single events and reduced vividness and emotional re-experiencing. The extent of negative symptoms including apathy and impairments of verbal memory/executive functions may explain AM deficits in chronic schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina J Herold
- Section of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marc M Lässer
- Section of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Rehaklinik Zihlschlacht, Centre for Neurological Rehabilitation, Zihlschlacht, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Schröder
- Section of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Mediavilla R, López-Arroyo M, Gómez-Arnau J, Wiesepape C, Lysaker PH, Lahera G. Autobiographical memory in schizophrenia: The role of metacognition. Compr Psychiatry 2021; 109:152254. [PMID: 34174693 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autobiographical memory is an important component of declarative memory, which refers to the ability to recall personal events that happened in the past. This requires that the person senses or experiences himself/herself in the past (i.e., conscious recollection). For people with schizophrenia, conscious recollection can be particularly difficult, resulting in difficulty accessing detailed, specific autobiographical information. Our hypothesis is that the ability to monitor and think about one's cognitive processes (metacognition) is a requisite for conscious recollection, and that it mediates the association between having schizophrenia and recalling fewer specific, personal memories. METHODS Participants were 30 adults with schizophrenia and 30 matched healthy controls. The main assessment instruments were the Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated (MAS-A) and the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT). Severity of symptoms was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for schizophrenia. Cognitive performance was measured with the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP). Mediation analysis was conducted following Baron and Kenny's procedure. RESULTS People with schizophrenia had more semantic associations and fewer specific memories than controls in the AMT. Metacognition (MAS-A total score) partially mediated the association between having schizophrenia and recalling fewer specific past events, even after controlling for cognitive impairment as a potential confounding source. CONCLUSIONS Metacognitive ability, which can be improved with available programs, intervenes in the process of accessing autobiographical memories in people with schizophrenia. Practical implications of this finding are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Mediavilla
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain; Mental Health Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Courtney Wiesepape
- Richard L Roudebush VA Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Paul H Lysaker
- Richard L Roudebush VA Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Guillermo Lahera
- University of Alcala, IRyCIS, Alcala de Henares, Spain; Principe de Asturias University Hospital, Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Mental Health Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.
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Barry TJ, Sewart AR, Adam EK, Zinbarg RE, Mineka S, Craske MG. The longitudinal association between individual differences in recall of positive specific autobiographical memories and daily cortisol. Biol Psychol 2021; 162:108086. [PMID: 33775736 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The present study examines the longitudinal association between cortisol (dys)regulation - mean cortisol awakening response (CAR) and area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg) for total daily cortisol - and autobiographical memory. 135 participants (mean age at baseline = 16.1; Females = 78.5 %) provided cortisol samples (T1). Seven months later participants retrieved autobiographical memories cued by positive and negative words (T2). Four years subsequently, participants provided cortisol samples again (T3). The retrieval of more specific memories cued by positive words, but not negative words, was associated with higher AUCg four years later, independent of sex, recent life stressors and self-reported negative self-related cognitions. There were no associations between CAR and autobiographical memory. Neither AUC nor CAR at T1 predicted subsequent autobiographical memory abilities. People who retrieve more positive specific memories may be more likely to imagine and seek out positive experiences and this may be associated with higher cortisol levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom J Barry
- Experimental Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Researching Emotional Disorders and Development Lab, The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Amy R Sewart
- UCLA Anxiety and Depression Research Centre, Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Emma K Adam
- School of Education and Social Policy and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Richard E Zinbarg
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States; The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Sue Mineka
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States; The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Michelle G Craske
- UCLA Anxiety and Depression Research Centre, Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, United States.
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Barry TJ, Villanueva-Romero CM, Hernández-Viadel JV, Ricarte JJ. Early life adversity and the specificity of autobiographical memory amongst people with schizophrenia. Behav Res Ther 2021; 140:103836. [PMID: 33667873 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People with schizophrenia diagnoses are thought to have difficulty retrieving memories of specific autobiographical events because of attempts to avoid the negative affect associated with previous adversity. We provide the first investigation of the association between early adversity (e.g., childhood abuse) and autobiographical memory problems amongst people with and without schizophrenia. METHOD Participants with diagnoses of schizophrenia (n = 79) and participants without diagnoses (n = 41) completed the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure (MACE) interview schedule and a cued recall task. RESULTS Participants exposed to greater number of, and more severe, childhood adversity retrieved fewer specific autobiographical memories. However, participants with schizophrenia retrieved fewer specific memories than control participants without diagnoses irrespective of the presence, severity or number of adversities they experienced. CONCLUSIONS Adversity contributes towards autobiographical memory difficulty but adversity does not explain why people with schizophrenia differ from diagnoses-free people in their autobiographical memory abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom J Barry
- Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Department of Psychology, The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Jorge J Ricarte
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain.
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Kwok SC, Xu X, Duan W, Wang X, Tang Y, Allé MC, Berna F. Autobiographical and episodic memory deficits in schizophrenia: A narrative review and proposed agenda for research. Clin Psychol Rev 2021; 83:101956. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Martens K, Takano K, Barry TJ, Holmes EA, Wyckaert S, Raes F. Remediating reduced memory specificity in bipolar disorder: A case study using a Computerized Memory Specificity Training. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01468. [PMID: 31747124 PMCID: PMC6908894 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Reduced autobiographical memory specificity (rAMS) is a vulnerability factor found across unipolar depression (UD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder (BD). A group delivered psychological therapy training called Memory Specificity Training (MeST) remediates rAMS in UD and PTSD, with additional downstream effects on related psychological processes and symptoms. Its impact in BD is unknown. In this case study, we examined the impact of a computerized version of MeST (c-MeST) on improving AMS and related symptoms and processes in participant with rapid cycling type I BD. METHOD An experimental case study with an ABA design was used. During baseline (14 days, Phase A), the training phase (nine sessions across 17 days, Phase B), and a 1-month follow-up (Phase A), memory specificity, depressive symptoms, and related processes and symptoms were repeatedly measured. RESULTS Memory specificity increased significantly after the participant completed c-MeST. Session-to-session scores indicated that AMS improved most from the in-person baseline assessment to the first online session. All other measures of processes and symptoms deteriorated during the training phase but regressed to baseline during follow-up. CONCLUSION Memory specificity was improved as indicated by increased AMS from pre-intervention measurement to 1-month follow-up. Other improvements in symptoms were not observed. Rather, some related maladaptive psychological processes and symptoms worsened during the training phase and regressed to baseline during follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kris Martens
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational SciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | | | - Tom J. Barry
- Department of PsychologyThe University of Hong KongHong KongHong Kong
- Department of PsychologyThe Institute of PsychiatryKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Sabine Wyckaert
- University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Campus KortenbergKortenbergBelgium
| | - Filip Raes
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational SciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
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Barry TJ, Hallford DJ, Del Rey F, Ricarte JJ. Differential associations between impaired autobiographical memory recall and future thinking in people with and without schizophrenia. BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 59:154-168. [PMID: 31584204 DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tom J. Barry
- Department of Psychology The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
- Department of Psychology The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience King's College London UK
| | | | - Francisco Del Rey
- Regional Ministry for Social Welfare of Castilla‐La Mancha Albacete Spain
| | - Jorge J. Ricarte
- Department of Psychology Faculty of Medicine University of Castilla‐La Mancha Albacete Spain
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Barry TJ, Hernández-Viadel JV, Fernández D, Ros L, Ricarte JJ, Berna F. Retrieval of negative autobiographical memories is associated with hostile attributions in ambiguous situations amongst people with schizophrenia. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12564. [PMID: 31467374 PMCID: PMC6715746 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49058-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is characterised by difficulty understanding the thoughts and intentions of other people. Misunderstandings could lead people to attribute hostility to others' actions. Theories suggest that we use our autobiographical memories to inform our understanding of other people but no study has examined the relation between memory and hostile attributions in schizophrenia. People with (n = 42) and without (n = 34) schizophrenia diagnoses completed The Ambiguous Intentions and Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ) to assess their tendency to attribute hostility to other people's actions and the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) to assess their ability to recall specific positive and negative autobiographical memories. In linear regressions the interaction between diagnostic group and the proportion of specific negative memories participants retrieved explained significant variance in each AIHQ index. Follow-up correlation analyses showed that participants with schizophrenia who retrieved more negative memories also attributed greater hostility to other people's actions (r = 0.47) and reported that they would respond with greater aggression (r = 0.59). These correlations were in the opposite direction for controls. People with schizophrenia may use their memories for negative past events to understand the actions and intentions of other people, leading to attributions of hostility for otherwise benign actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom J Barry
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Department of Psychology, The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Dolores Fernández
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Laura Ros
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Jorge J Ricarte
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain.
| | - Fabrice Berna
- Hopitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, 1 Place de l'Hopital, Strasbourg, Cedex, France
- INSERM U-1114, 1 Place de l'Hopital, Clinique Psychiatrique, Strasbourg, Cedex, France
- Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Médecine, 4 rue Kirchleger, Strasbourg, France
- FMTS, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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Chiu CHM, Ma HW, Boddez Y, Raes F, Barry TJ. Social support from friends predicts changes in memory specificity following a stressful life event. Memory 2019; 27:1263-1272. [PMID: 31368849 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2019.1648687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to negative life stress has been associated with difficulty retrieving memories for specific autobiographical events, with important consequences for the emergence of emotional disorders. We examined whether social support can protect against the effects of negative events on memory specificity. University students (N = 143) were assigned to groups based on whether or not they experienced a negative stressor, operationalised as whether or not their recent exam performance was in line with their expectations. After receiving their exam results (T1), and one month later (T2), participants completed measures of memory specificity, their attitudes towards themselves and the occurrence of other stress-related events. Participants also completed a general measure of perceived social support from friends, family, and significant others, and an equivalent measure for social support related to performance. For participants who experienced an exam-related stressor, reduced performance-specific social support from friends was associated with reduced memory specificity at T2, even when accounting for T1 memory specificity, individual differences in attitudes towards self, the experience of additional stressors, and gender. No such relation was present for participants who did not experience a stressor. These findings provide new understanding of the influence of social variables on autobiographical memory specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine H M Chiu
- a Experimental Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , People's Republic of China
| | - Hon Wing Ma
- a Experimental Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , People's Republic of China
| | - Yannick Boddez
- b Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands.,c Centre for Learning Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
| | - Filip Raes
- c Centre for Learning Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
| | - Tom J Barry
- a Experimental Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , People's Republic of China.,d Researching Emotional Disorders and Development Lab, The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London , London , United Kingdom
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