The current state of memory Specificity Training (MeST) for emotional disorders

Barry, Tom J.; Hallford, David John; Hitchcock, Caitlin; Takano, Keisuke; Raes, Filip

doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.02.002

Cited by 25 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…It is known that AMS can be improved by repeated training to recall specific memories, called Memory Specificity Training (MeST; Barry, Sze, & Raes, 2019;Raes, Williams, & Hermans, 2009), and the MeST has some effect in improving mental health including depression and posttraumatic stress disorder Moradi et al, 2014). It has long been a question as to what process variables explain the effects of MeST on the improvements of AMS and mental health (Barry et al, 2021). Some of the improvement of AMS may be obtained through improvements in pattern separation because the MeST includes an exercise in focusing on the unique aspects of events (Raes et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autobiographical memory specificity and mnemonic discrimination

Matsumoto¹,

Kobayashi²,

Takano³

2021

Preprint

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Autobiographical memory specificity (AMS), which is the tendency to recall events that occurred at a particular time and place, enables everyday functioning, such as well-being and social problem-solving skills. A mechanism that may be important for AMS, hinting at the neural basis, is the possibility that pattern separation of similar events contributes to AMS. Pattern separation is an essential component of episodic memory and may allow us to encode and retain the unique aspects of events, making it easier to retrieve event-specific knowledge during retrieval. We examined the hypothesis that poor pattern separation is associated with a low proportion of specific memories and a high proportion of categoric memories derived from a lack of details regarding events. In Experiment 1 (N = 94) and Experiment 2 (preregistered; N = 99), participants completed the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), which measures AMS, and a pattern separation measure. We coded AMT responses conventionally and then further classified the categoric memory responses based on abstract representations that contained words denoting high frequency and those derived from lacking context information such as when and/or where event occurs. As predicted, the lure discrimination score was positively correlated with specific memories and negatively correlated with categoric memories derived from lacking context information. These results were invariant when controlling for participants’ characteristics, general intelligence, and recognition measures. We propose to distinguish between these two types of general categoric memory and discuss the development of an integrative model of autobiographical memory structure.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autobiographical memory specificity and mnemonic discrimination

Matsumoto¹,

Kobayashi²,

Takano³

2021

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…Memory Specificity Training (MeST) is one example of a validated intervention program that shows promise for the prevention and treatment of mental health disorders through memory modification. 151 , 152 The program uses cued recall to reframe individuals’ memories to be more specific while inhibiting generalization. It is typically conducted in a group format and incorporates psychoeducation sessions about autobiographical specificity and situational factors that impede specificity.…”

Section: Intervention Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…153 The bereaved individuals also had significantly fewer depressive symptoms at a 2-month follow-up session relative to controls. A meta-analysis by Barry et al 151 concluded that MeST is associated with substantial benefits such as improved problem-solving and lower hopelessness. However, to date, MeST results have been short-lived and often not sustained at follow-up.…”

Section: Intervention Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Though preferentially retrieving overgeneralized knowledge at the expense of specific memories unequivocally leads to poorer mental health and well-being, the ability to recall abstract memories in and of itself is beneficial and even essential. 151 Abstracting knowledge into schematic representations and drawing on reserves of positive and negative experiences facilitates the acquisition of important life lessons that ultimately shape identity formation and guide decision making. 151 , 154 Memory Flexibility Training is an intervention that builds on this premise by training participants to efficiently switch between specific and nonspecific memories within the MeST paradigm.…”

Section: Intervention Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 151 Abstracting knowledge into schematic representations and drawing on reserves of positive and negative experiences facilitates the acquisition of important life lessons that ultimately shape identity formation and guide decision making. 151 , 154 Memory Flexibility Training is an intervention that builds on this premise by training participants to efficiently switch between specific and nonspecific memories within the MeST paradigm. 155 Overall, Memory Flexibility Training has been found to be effective for ameliorating symptoms in individuals with major depressive disorder and PTSD.…”

Section: Intervention Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Painful reminders: Involvement of the autobiographical memory system in pediatric postsurgical pain and the transition to chronicity

Waisman

Pavlova

Noel

et al. 2022

Canadian Journal of Pain

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Memory biases for previous pain experiences are known to be strong predictors of postsurgical pain outcomes in children. Until recently, much research on the subject in youth has assessed the sensory and affective components of recall using single-item self-report pain ratings. However, a newly emerging focus in the field has been on the episodic specificity of autobiographical pain memories. Still in its infancy, cross-sectional work has identified the presence of various memory biases in adults living with chronic pain, one of which concerns the lack of spatiotemporal specificity. Moreover, a recent prospective longitudinal study found that adults scheduled for major surgery who produced fewer specific pain memories before surgery were at greater risk of developing chronic postsurgical pain up to 12 months later. The present review draws on this research to highlight the timely need for a similar line of investigation into autobiographical pain memories in pediatric surgical populations. We (1) provide an overview of the literature on children’s pain memories and underscore the need for further research pertaining to memory specificity and related neurobiological factors in chronic pain and an overview of the (2) important role of parent (and sibling) psychosocial characteristics in influencing children’s pain development, (3) cognitive mechanisms underlying overgeneral memory, and (4) interplay between memory and other psychological factors in its contributions to chronic pain and (5) conclude with a discussion of the implications this research has for novel interventions that target memory biases to attenuate, and possibly eliminate, the risk that acute pain after pediatric surgery becomes chronic.

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Reduced specificity and increased overgenerality of autobiographical memory persist as cognitive vulnerabilities in remitted major depression: A meta‐analysis

Hallford

Rusanov

Yeow

et al. 2022

Clin Psychology and Psychoth

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Difficulty in accessing specific memories, referred to as reduced memory specificity or overgeneral memory, has been established as a marker of clinical depression. However, it is not clear if this deficit persists following the remission of depressive episodes. The current study involved a systematic review and meta-analysis of empirical studies with the aim of establishing whether remitted depression was associated with retrieving fewer specific and more overgeneral autobiographical memories. Seventeen studies were identified as eligible.The results indicated that people with remitted depression recalled fewer specific memories (k = 15; g = -0.314, 95% CI[-0.543; -0.085], z = -2.69, p = .007) and more categoric memories (k = 9; g = 0.254, 95% CI[0.007; 0.501], z = 2.02, p = .043) compared to people who had never been depressed. Given that these deficits have elsewhere been shown to be prognostic of future depressive symptoms, these findings provide further evidence that reduced memory specificity/overgeneral memory appears to be a risk factor for future episodes of depression in those that are in remission. The findings are discussed in terms of how this knowledge might influence clinical understanding of relapse prevention and maintenance of remission in those with a history of depression.

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The current state of memory Specificity Training (MeST) for emotional disorders

Cited by 25 publications

References 55 publications

Autobiographical memory specificity and mnemonic discrimination

Autobiographical memory specificity and mnemonic discrimination

Painful reminders: Involvement of the autobiographical memory system in pediatric postsurgical pain and the transition to chronicity

Reduced specificity and increased overgenerality of autobiographical memory persist as cognitive vulnerabilities in remitted major depression: A meta‐analysis

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