Department of Psychology, Corbett Family Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol. 2023 Nov;51(11):1683-1698. doi: 10.1007/s10802-023-01099-0. Epub 2023 Jul 19.
Overgeneral memory (OGM), or difficulty recalling specific memories when recounting autobiographical events, is associated with psychopathology. According to functional avoidance theory, OGM-or reduced autobiographical memory specificity (AMS)-may serve as an emotion regulation strategy that aids in the avoidance of painful, negative memories (Sumner, 2012; Williams et al., 2007). Some researchers argue that there may be a valence effect for OGM, such that there is a higher frequency of overgenerality when recalling negative memories compared to positive memories. Although not supported among adults, valence effects may be present among children and adolescents if OGM initially develops in response to negative cues and then generalizes to all memory recall over time. This meta-analysis examined differences in child and adolescent OGM and AMS based on cue valance; standardized mean differences between negative and positive valence cues for OGM and AMS indices were calculated. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature search resulted in 26 studies assessing OGM and 30 assessing AMS. There was a significant effect of valence on OGM (d = 0.17, p = 0.01) and AMS (d = -0.20, p = 0.01). There was a higher frequency of overgeneral responses to negative cue words than positive cue words. Similarly, there was a higher frequency of specific responses for positive cue words than negative cue words. Subgroup analyses considering differences in valence effects by participant age (childhood vs. adolescence), sample type (clinical vs. community), and task instructions (verbal vs. written) were not significant. Theoretical advancements for our understanding of OGM and AMS and clinical implications are discussed.
过度概括记忆（OGM），即在叙述自传体事件时难以回忆特定记忆，与精神病理学有关。根据功能回避理论，OGM 或自传体记忆特异性降低（AMS）可能是一种情绪调节策略，有助于避免痛苦、消极的记忆（Sumner，2012；Williams 等人，2007）。一些研究人员认为，OGM 可能存在效价效应，即与积极记忆相比，回忆消极记忆时过度概括的频率更高。尽管在成年人中没有得到支持，但如果 OGM 最初是对消极线索做出反应，然后随着时间的推移泛化到所有记忆回忆，那么在儿童和青少年中可能存在效价效应。本荟萃分析根据线索效价检查儿童和青少年 OGM 和 AMS 的差异；计算了 OGM 和 AMS 指标的负效价和正效价线索之间的标准化均数差异。根据 PRISMA 指南，系统文献检索共评估了 26 项 OGM 研究和 30 项 AMS 研究。线索效价对 OGM（d=0.17，p=0.01）和 AMS（d=-0.20，p=0.01）有显著影响。对负性线索词的过度概括反应频率高于正性线索词。同样，对正性线索词的特异性反应频率也高于负性线索词。考虑到参与者年龄（儿童期与青春期）、样本类型（临床与社区）和任务指令（口头与书面）差异的亚组分析，效价效应无显著差异。讨论了这些发现对理解 OGM 和 AMS 的理论进展和临床意义。
