Assessing the impact of Micro-phenomenology on Memory Specificity and Re-experiencing

Abstract

The link between episodic autobiographical memory and the sense of the continuous self has been well documented. Research has demonstrated that individuals diagnosed with depression and PTSD show cognitive alterations and maladaptive processes associated with autobiographical memory. One of these impairments is the tendency to recall episodic autobiographical memory with decreased specificity, also known as overgeneralized memory (OGM). OGM is likely associated with a limited capacity to mentally “time travel” or re-experience the past with vivid sensory and perceptual details. This study aims to assess whether the micro-phenomenological interview (MPI) may be effective in improving overgeneralized memory & access to sensory perceptual details. MPI assists participants in directing attention towards visual, auditory and affective dimensions of experience and focuses on a few seconds of experience within an autobiographical memory. It was hypothesized that the application of the MPI may increase the accessibility of episodic details, which in turn, would lead to the reduction of subsequently generated overgeneralized memory. The efficacy of MPI was assessed relative to the free recall of a positive memory using the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) and Autobiographical Memory Questionnaire (AMQ) with healthy adults between ages 24-30. Preliminary results indicate that the MPI led to a significant increase in memory specificity (p<.05) and increases in the re-experiencing of visual imagery (p<.05). These findings demonstrate the potential of the MPI as a clinical tool to improve memory specificity in populations suffering from disorders such as depression and PTSD.