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Affect, pain, and autobiographical memory

Article Abstract:

Individuals in pain, especially chronic pain, may be more susceptible to negative affect, i.e. they may tend to be in bad moods more often. Many of these individuals meet the diagnostic criteria for depression. Furthermore, negative affect may also be associated with negative cognition (thinking), particularly in the recollection of past personal events. The interrelationship of these three factors - affect, pain, and autobiographical memory - was examined in 25 female undergraduates. The subjects were tested and rated for each of these three characteristics, first, when they were experiencing menstrual pain, and again when the pain had subsided. Severity of pain was scored between 0 to 100; affect was measured using sadness and happiness ratings (an average of two scores for each was taken); and event pleasantness was determined, where incidents from the subjects' personal past were rated pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. The results indicated that when pain was present, pleasant personal experiences were more difficult to recall. When pain was present along with a bad mood, the retrieval of unpleasant memories was enhanced. It was concluded that the tendency to recall unpleasant personal events is associated with pain, but only if negative affect is also present; the influence of pain upon autobiographical memory was completely mediated by the mood of the patient. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Measurement, Pain, Affect (Psychology)

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Searching for mood dependent memory

Article Abstract:

Four factors appear to affect mood-dependent memory, the nature of the event and how it is remembered, how well mood modification works and whether changes in mood are one- or two-dimensional. The two dimensions are pleasure and arousal. Subjects with strong moods who were active both in making the target events happen and in producing the cues to remember them seem most likely to have mood-dependent memories. Studying these four factors in detail may enable resolution of much of the controversy around mood-dependent memory.

Analysis, Memory, Mood (Psychology)

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Autobiographical memory functioning in depression and reports of early abuse

Article Abstract:

A study conducted on the memory functioning of depressed women indicates that those patients subjected to sexual abuse in their childhood produce more overgeneral memories to positive and negative stimuli. Overgeneral memories are also associated with elevated levels of reported avoidance of spontaneous memories of childhood physical or sexual abuse within the previous week. No relationship was found between abuse and latency to recall autobiographical memories.

Depression, Mental, Depression (Mood disorder), Child sexual abuse, Adult child abuse victims

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