Loading...
The effects of induced negative mood state on recalled autobiographical content and memory
Mitchell, Andrew E. P.
Mitchell, Andrew E. P.
Advisors
Editors
Other Contributors
Affiliation
EPub Date
Publication Date
2012-04
Submitted Date
Collections
Files
Loading...
Thesis
Adobe PDF, 1.53 MB
Other Titles
Abstract
Autobiographical memory has been theorized to serve as an adaptive function in
coping with negative mood state. To gain a better understanding of whether
autobiographical memory changes with negative mood state, a number of
experiments examined the relative accessibility of cognitive content and ability to
recall specific event memories in those who had a previous history of depression
or showed some aspects of current depressive symptoms.
Five separate studies involved 288 participants and examined the effects of
negative mood components on autobiographical recall. Studies 1 – 4 examined
the autobiographical content by cueing content using a cue word technique to
evoke autobiographical memories by means of a modified version of the
Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT; Williams & Broadbent, 1986). Negative
mood state was induced by Velten mood induction technique, and self-reported
mood was measured using University of Wales Institute of Science and
Technology Mood Adjective Checklist (UWIST-MACL; Matthews, Jones &
Chamberlain, 1990) before and after mood induction. The ability to recall specific
event memories was measured in Study 5 by the Sentence Completion for
Events from the Past Test (SCEPT; Raes, Hermans, Williams, & Eelen, 2007).
The results indicate that negative mood does influence autobiographical recall in
terms of content and memory. These results indicate that autobiographical
memory is a phenomenon that is in part dependent on negative mood state and
in part dependent on current depressive symptoms and history of depression.
Increased rumination was particularly responsive to induced negative mood state
in those with current depressive symptoms. Reduced levels of activity, alertness,
loss of interest and diminished pleasure are aspects of negative mood that seem
to be particularly important components of mood state at the time of recall. To
gain further insights into mood state effects in autobiographical recall, future
directions in mood research should focus on and differentiate between the
separate mood state components that are more important in bringing about
changes in recalled content, especially in those with either a history of
depression or showing current depressive symptoms.
Citation
Mitchell, A. E. P. (2012). The effects of induced negative mood state on recalled autobiographical content and memory (Doctoral dissertation). University of Chester: United Kingdom.
Publisher
University of Chester
Journal
Research Unit
DOI
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Type
Thesis or dissertation
Language
en