Mood congruence and depressive deficits in memory: A forced-recall analysis

Two experiments examined the contribution of reporting biases to mood-congr uent recall patterns and diminished levels of recall frequently associated with depressed mood states. In Experiment 1, participants classified as dys phoric (n=14) or nondepressed (n = 21) on the basis of scores on the Beck D epression Inventory and the profile of Mood States made self-referential ju dgements regarding a series of affectively valenced words. Subsequently the y were given an unexpected forced-recall test, which encouraged guessing to meet the output requirement (i.e. 40 responses) of the test. Nondepressed subjects confidently reported more positive words than dysphoric subjects, but the latter produced significantly more correct guesses of words that we re positively valenced. Similar findings were obtained in Experiment 2, in which dysphoric (n=40) and nondepressed subjects (n=40) performed both self -referent and orthographic judgements of affectively valenced words, follow ed by either a free- or forced-recall test. The findings suggest that posit ive and negative trait words were adequately encoded in memory, but, consis tent with cognitive theories of depression, their accessibility to retrieva l was differentially limited. In addition, however, the results implicate a n important contribution of diminished motivation and/or conservative repor t criterion in the manifestation of depression-related biases and deficits in recall.