Self and Non-Self Reference in Autobiographical Memory and Research Portfolio

Background. Findings have been inconsistent with regard to the retrieval latency of negative memories compared to positive memories in autobiographical memory studies. A more consistent finding in studies involving depressed and/or parasuicidal studies has been a tendency for such individuals to retrieve over-general memories compared to nondepressed subjects. Previous studies using semantic recognition tasks have found evidence to suggest that mood related memory biases are influenced by the degree to which the stimulus material is self-referential. The present study examined self and non-self referential memory retrieval characteristics in depressed individuals and controls using a modified autobiographical memory test (AMT; Williams & Broadbent, 1986). Aspects of previous studies which have yielded inconsistent results were replicated