Implicit memory and depression: An analysis of perceptual and conceptual processes

A small number of studies have reported impaired explicit memory and intact implicit memory performance in participants classified as depressed. In th e present study we examined this finding taking account of the distinction between data-driven and conceptually driven processing. The performance of participants diagnosed with depression was examined on implicit and explici t memory tasks which were designed to tap either predominantly perceptual o r conceptual processes. Depressed participants demonstrated performance def icits on both the implicit and explicit conceptual tasks (category associat ion and free recall, respectively) but showed intact performance in the imp licit perceptual task (word-fragment completion). These results suggest tha t people with severe depression show deficits in conceptual processing and that this deficit occurs under both explicit and implicit task instructions .