The Abstract
The influence of an induced negative emotional state on autobiographical memory coherence.
Individuals who experience difficulty constructing coherent narratives about significant personal experiences generally report less psychological well-being and more depressive symptoms. It remains, however, unclear whether a negative emotional state, one of the core symptoms of depression, causes this impairment in autobiographical memory coherence. The current study aimed to examine the causal relation between mood and memory coherence by means of a mood induction paradigm. A group of 165 students were randomly allocated to one of three mood groups: negative, positive, and neutral. We hypothesized that memory coherence would decrease following a negative mood induction. In addition, working memory capacity was expected to mediate the association between mood and memory coherence. Contrary to predictions, memory coherence increased following a negative mood induction. This increase was likewise observed in the positive mood group, though memory coherence remained consistent in the neutral mood group. This effect of mood on memory coherence was solely observed in female participants and not in the small male subsample. Results provided no support for the hypothesis that working memory capacity functioned as an underlying mechanism. Different theoretical explanations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Vanderveren, E., Aerts, L., Rousseaux, S., Bijttebier, P., & Hermans, D. (2020). The influence of an induced negative emotional state on autobiographical memory coherence. PLoS ONE, 15(5), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232495 Permalink to MegaSearch
The influence of an induced negative emotional state on autobiographical memory coherence.
Introduction
Background: A correlation noted: Individuals who experience difficulty constructing coherent narratives about significant personal experiences generally report less psychological well-being and more depressive symptoms.
What we don't know about this: It remains, however, unclear whether a negative emotional state, one of the core symptoms of depression, causes this impairment in autobiographical memory coherence.
Purpose of this study. The current study aimed to examine the causal relation between mood and memory coherence by means of a mood induction paradigm.
Participants and treatment: A group of 165 students were randomly allocated to one of three mood groups: negative, positive, and neutral.
We hypothesized
that memory coherence would decrease following a negative mood induction.
working memory capacity was expected to mediate the association between mood and memory coherence.
How things turned out: Contrary to predictions, memory coherence increased following a negative mood induction. This increase was likewise observed in the positive mood group, though memory coherence remained consistent in the neutral mood group. This effect of mood on memory coherence was solely observed in female participants and not in the small male subsample.
What the results mean: Results provided no support for the hypothesis that working memory capacity functioned as an underlying mechanism. Different theoretical explanations are discussed.