Phillips S, Williams J M
Department of Psychology, Mid Wales Hospital, Talgarth, Brecon, UK.
Br J Clin Psychol. 1997 Sep;36(3):341-7. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1997.tb01242.x.
Previous research has shown that both depressed (Williams & Scott, 1988) and elderly (Winthorpe & Rabbitt, 1988) people have difficulties in being specific in autobiographical memory. However, no study has examined the joint impact of cognitive impairment and affective disturbance. In this preliminary study, 22 elderly people with memory complaints were tested with the Autobiographical Memory Test, the Brief Assessment Schedule Depression Cards, Geriatric Depression Scale and the Mini-Mental State Examination. Results showed that autobiographical specificity decreased with increasing levels of cognitive impairment. Participants were more likely to produce overgeneral memories (omissions or generic memories) than extended or specific memories. There was little relation between severity of depression and specificity in autobiographical memory, consistent with previous suggestions that overgenerality in depression is a long-term cognitive style unaffected by state depression (Brittlebank, Scott, Williams & Ferrier, 1993).
先前的研究表明，抑郁的人（威廉姆斯和斯科特，1988年）以及老年人（温索普和拉比特，1988年）在自传体记忆的具体性方面都存在困难。然而，尚无研究考察认知障碍和情感障碍的联合影响。在这项初步研究中，对22名有记忆问题的老年人进行了自传体记忆测试、简短抑郁评估量表卡片、老年抑郁量表和简易精神状态检查表测试。结果显示，自传体记忆的具体性随着认知障碍程度的增加而降低。与详细或具体的记忆相比，参与者更有可能产生过度概括的记忆（遗漏或一般化的记忆）。抑郁严重程度与自传体记忆的具体性之间几乎没有关联，这与之前的观点一致，即抑郁中的过度概括是一种不受当前抑郁状态影响的长期认知风格（布里特尔班克、斯科特、威廉姆斯和费里尔，1993年）。
