Depressive Symptoms and Negatively-Biased False Memories

Clinical and memory research has shown that depressive symptoms may lead to a negative bias in memory recall. This bias results in disproportionately recalling negative memories and events, which may perpetuate and support depressive symptomatology. The current books experimentally investigates if these biases extend to dysphoric individuals recall, potentially resulting in negatively biased false memories (i.e., recalling details or events that have never in fact occurred). The implications for clinical practice, as well as eyewitness testimony are explored. Book contents include a review of memory bias research, suggestibility and clinical psychological variables that may increase propensity for producing false memories. Study design, results and discussion follow. This book will appeal to mental health clinicians working in the area of mood and depression, professionals in the legal area dealing with memory accuracy and academics in the areas of clinical psychology, memory and individual differences.