autobiographical memory and the affective impact of positive memory recall in depressive disorders

244 Pages·2012·0.59 MB·English

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORY AND
THE AFFECTIVE IMPACT OF POSITIVE
MEMORY RECALL IN DEPRESSIVE
DISORDERS

Aliza Werner-Seidler
Bachelor of Psychology (Hons)

This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Psychology (Clinical), and Doctor of Philosophy,
School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales,
March, 2012
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ORIGINALITY STATEMENT
‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of
my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written
by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have
been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW
or any other educational institution, except where due
acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the
research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is
explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual
content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the
extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception
or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’

Signed …………………………………………
Date ……………………………………………
iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to thank my supervisor, Associate Professor Michelle Moulds for her
guidance, encouragement, expertise, knowledge, generosity, understanding and warmth
throughout my candidature. Michelle has been a truly remarkable source of inspiration,
imparting wisdom and life lessons that have been invaluable to my development both
professionally and personally, and have also equipped me with the skills and confidence
to continue on this research career path.
I would also like to thank my co-supervisor, Dr Jessica Grisham, for her helpful
suggestions and support, along with Professor Rick Richardson, without whom I would
not have taken an interest in psychological research in the first place.
To my wonderful friends and particularly those with whom I’ve shared an office
over the years – Jill Newby, Kate Hetherington, Bronwyn Graham, Liz Mason, Yael
Perry, Alishia Williams and Julie Krans - my sincere thanks for providing the perfect
balance of work-related activity, office banter, and trips to the coffee cart. It has been an
absolute pleasure to work alongside each of you.
I also wish to thank Steph and Leanna, for the graceful manner in which they
have managed my various dramas along the way, and also for our weekly adventures
into the realms of food, wine and laughter which have, without a doubt, kept me
grounded.
Finally, special thanks to my family. Ariella, you have a unique gift for
providing perspective, distraction, humour, a fabulous outfit and an excuse for an
overseas holiday when needed. Mum, thank you for raising me in a household that
values education, and for always encouraging me to pursue my interests. Without your
relentless support and patience during my studies I would have never embarked on this
project.
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PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
A number of the studies reported in this thesis have been published, submitted
for publication, or have been disseminated at conference presentations as outlined
below:

Peer-reviewed journal articles:
Studies 1 & 2:
Werner-Seidler, A. & Moulds, M. L. (2011). Autobiographical memory characteristics
in depression vulnerability: Formerly depressed individuals recall less vivid
positive memories. Cognition & Emotion, 25, 1087-1103.
Study 4:
Werner-Seidler, A. & Moulds, M. L. (in press). Mood repair and processing mode in
depression. Emotion.

Manuscripts submitted for publication and currently under review:
Study 3:
Werner-Seidler, A. & Moulds, L. (under review). Characteristics of self-defining
memory in depression vulnerability.

Manuscripts in preparation:
Study 6:
Werner-Seidler, A. & Moulds, L. (in preparation). An evaluation of the effectiveness of
recalling positive self-defining memories on improving mood: The role of
ruminative processing mode.
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Conference Presentations:
Werner-Seidler, A., & Moulds, M.L. (October 2011). Autobiographical memory recall
and mood improvement in depressive disorders. Paper presented at the
Australian Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy Conference,
Sydney, Australia.
Werner-Seidler, A., & Moulds, M.L. (October 2011). Memory and depression. Paper
presented at the Australasian Society for Bipolar and Depressive Disorders
Conference, Sydney, Australia.
Werner-Seidler, A., & Moulds, M.L. (August 2011). Autobiographical memory and
depressive vulnerability. Paper presented at the International Conference of
Memory, York, England, UK.
Werner-Seidler, A., & Moulds, M.L. (July 2011). Mood regulation in depressive
disorders. Paper presented at the British Association for Behavioural and
Cognitive Psychotherapies, Surrey, England, UK.
Werner-Seidler, A. (July 2011). Mood regulation in depressive disorders. Medical
Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge University,
Cambridge, England, UK.
Werner-Seidler, A., & Moulds, M.L. (November 2010). The role of autobiographical
memory features in depressive vulnerability. Paper presented at the Sydney
Postgraduate Research Conference, Sydney, Australia.
Werner-Seidler, A., & Moulds, M.L. (June 2010). Autobiographical memory
characteristics in depression. Paper presented at the 6th World Congress of
Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Convention, Boston, USA.
vi

Werner-Seidler, A. (January 2010). Autobiographical memory characteristics in
depression. Experimental Psychopathology and Cognitive Therapy Group,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, England, UK.
vii

ABSTRACT
This research program examined the role of autobiographical memory in
depression and its recurrence. Despite empirical advances in the area, the cognitive
processes that contribute to depressive recurrence remain poorly understood.
Accordingly, Studies 1 and 2 compared features of cued memories in never-depressed
and depression vulnerable (i.e., recovered depressed) individuals following a sad or
neutral mood induction. In both studies, negative memories did not differ but
interestingly, recovered depressed individuals recalled less vivid positive memories than
their never-depressed counterparts, but only in a sad mood. Study 3 extended this line of
enquiry to self-defining memories and found that some memory characteristics (i.e.,
reduced emotional intensity of positive memories) distinguished recovered from never-
depressed groups, but only in a sad mood. That these differences emerge even when
formerly depressed individuals are in remission suggests that the phenomenological
characteristics of personal memories may be an important factor in vulnerability to
depression. Building on these findings, the remaining experiments focused explicitly on
the affective consequences that follow positive memory recall. Existing research has
shown that while healthy individuals experience emotional benefits following the recall
of positive memories, depressed and recovered depressed individuals do not. To
examine whether this could be due to ruminative processes, Studies 4 and 5 investigated
the effect of manipulating ruminative processing mode on the affective impact of
recalling positive memories. The findings of Study 4 indicated that for both depressed
and formerly depressed participants, concrete processing of a positive memory led to
improved mood, while abstract processing did not. Taking a translational approach,
Study 6 examined a brief experimenter-delivered processing mode manipulation and
found that regardless of the processing mode adopted, recovered but not currently
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depressed individuals experienced improved mood after recalling a positive self-
defining memory. This illustrates that memory type, depressive status, and processing
mode all have implications for the emotional impact of recalling positive memories. In
summary, the studies reported in this thesis support the idea that depression is
associated with a deficit in the processing of positive material and suggest that explicitly
targeting autobiographical memory characteristics and processes may improve existing
treatments for depressive disorders.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... iii
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... vii
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... xiv
LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... xv
CHAPTER 1: General Introduction ............................................................................. 1
Outline of Introduction ............................................................................................................. 2
Autobiographical Memory ............................................................................................. 2
Preferential Recall of Negative Material .................................................................................. 3
Overgeneral Memory Recall ..................................................................................................... 4
Cognitive Models of Depression ..................................................................................... 6
The Differential Activation Hypothesis .................................................................................... 7
Evidence for the Differential Activation Hypothesis ................................................................ 9
Cognitive Material .............................................................................................................. 10
Cognitive Processes ............................................................................................................ 10
Prospective Evidence .......................................................................................................... 11
The Role of Memory ............................................................................................................... 12
Limitations of Existing Research ............................................................................................ 13
Emotion Regulation and Depressive Disorders .......................................................... 17
Using Positive Memories to Improve Mood ........................................................................... 18
Rumination .............................................................................................................................. 19
Aims of the Research Program .................................................................................... 21
Research Phase 1 ..................................................................................................................... 21
Research Phase 2 ..................................................................................................................... 22
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 22
CHAPTER 2: Characteristics of Autobiographical Memories ................................ 23
Pilot Study ...................................................................................................................... 24
Method ........................................................................................................................... 25
Participants .............................................................................................................................. 25
Measures ................................................................................................................................. 25
Procedure ................................................................................................................................ 26
Results ............................................................................................................................ 26
Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 27
x

Study 1 - Characteristics of Negative and Positive Autobiographical Memories ... 28
Aims ........................................................................................................................................ 29
Hypotheses .............................................................................................................................. 30
Method ........................................................................................................................... 33
Design ..................................................................................................................................... 33
Participants .............................................................................................................................. 33
Materials and Measures .......................................................................................................... 34
Procedure ................................................................................................................................ 38
Results ............................................................................................................................ 38
Participant Characteristics ...................................................................................................... 38
Mood Ratings .......................................................................................................................... 39
Valence ................................................................................................................................... 40
Cognitive Reactivity ............................................................................................................... 43
Memory Features .................................................................................................................... 44
Vividness............................................................................................................................. 47
Coherence ........................................................................................................................... 48
Accessibility ........................................................................................................................ 49
Sensory Detail ..................................................................................................................... 50
Emotional Intensity ............................................................................................................. 51
Vantage Perspective ............................................................................................................ 51
Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 53
Study 2 – A More Comprehensive Analysis of Positive Autobiographical Memory
Characteristics ............................................................................................................... 55
Hypotheses .............................................................................................................................. 57
Method ........................................................................................................................... 58
Design ..................................................................................................................................... 58
Participants .............................................................................................................................. 58
Materials and Measures .......................................................................................................... 58
Procedure ................................................................................................................................ 59
Results ............................................................................................................................ 59
Participant Characteristics ...................................................................................................... 59
Mood Induction ....................................................................................................................... 60
Cognitive Reactivity ............................................................................................................... 61
Memory Features .................................................................................................................... 61
Vividness............................................................................................................................. 62