title: Examining the mechanisms of overgeneral autobiographical memory: capture and rumination, and impaired executive control.
abstract: Overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) is an important cognitive phenomenon in depression, but questions remain regarding the underlying mechanisms. The CaR-FA-X model (Williams et al., 2007) proposes three mechanisms that may contribute to OGM, but little work has examined the possible additive and/or interactive effects among them. We examined two mechanisms of CaR-FA-X: capture and rumination, and impaired executive control. We analysed data from undergraduates (N=109) scoring high or low on rumination who were presented with cues of high and low self-relevance on the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT). Executive control was operationalised as performance on both the Stroop Colour-Word Task and the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT). Hierarchical generalised linear modelling was used to predict whether participants would generate a specific memory on a trial of the AMT. Higher COWAT scores, lower rumination, and greater cue self-relevance predicted a higher probability of a specific memory. There was also a rumination×cue self-relevance interaction: Higher (vs lower) rumination was associated with a lower probability of a specific memory primarily for low self-relevant cues. We found no evidence of interactions between these mechanisms. Findings are interpreted with respect to current autobiographical memory models. Future directions for OGM mechanism research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. Jennifer.Sumner@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sumner
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mineka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D012649:Self Concept; D057190:Stroop Test; D014936:Word Association Tests; D055815:Young Adult