title: Reduced autobiographical memory specificity relates to weak resistance to proactive interference.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Reduced autobiographical memory specificity (rAMS), experiencing intrusive memories, and rumination appear to be risk factors for depression and depressive relapse. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether a weak resistance to proactive interference (PI) might underlie this trio of cognitive risk factors. Resistance to PI refers to being able to ignore cognitive distracters that were previously relevant but became irrelevant for current task goals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students (N = 65) and depressed patients (N = 37) completed tasks measuring resistance to PI and AMS, and completed questionnaires on intrusive memories and rumination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In both samples, weaker resistance to PI was associated with rAMS. There was no evidence for a relationship between resistance to PI and intrusive memories or rumination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As we did not assess other measures of executive functioning, we cannot conclude whether the observed relationship between rumination and PI is due to unique qualities of PI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Difficulties to deliberately recall specific, rather than general or categoric autobiographical memories appear to be related to more general problems with the inhibition of interference of mental distracters. The results are in line with the executive control account of rAMS.
authors: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Belgium; Department of Applied Psychology, Thomas More University College, Belgium. Electronic address: jorien.smets@gmail.com.
authors: Jorien
authors: J
authors: Smets
authors: Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors: Ineke
authors: I
authors: Wessel
authors: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Filip
authors: F
authors: Raes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011334:Proactive Inhibition; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Autobiographical memory specificity; Depression; Intrusive memories; Resistance to proactive interference; Rumination