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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
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A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
Restrained eating and memory specificity.
Christopher T Ball1, Shereen Singer, Eva Kemps
1Psychology Department, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795, USA. ctball@wm.edu
Appetite
|June 15, 2010
Summary
Women with higher concern for dieting retrieve fewer specific autobiographical memories. This memory specificity effect may predict eating disorder risk and inform interventions for restrained eating behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Eating Disorder Research
Background:
- Autobiographical memory retrieval is crucial for personal experience recall.
- Reduced memory specificity is linked to clinical populations and predicts disorder outcomes.
- The relationship between memory specificity and restrained eating requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between memory specificity and restrained eating in female college students.
- To determine if memory specificity can predict disordered eating patterns.
- To explore the potential of memory specificity as a biomarker for eating disorders.
Main Methods:
- Participants recalled autobiographical memories triggered by dieting and body image cues.
- The Restraint Scale (RS) measured individual differences in restrained eating.
- Memory specificity was assessed based on the detail and richness of recalled autobiographical experiences.
Main Results:
- Higher scores on the concern-with-dieting subscale of the RS correlated with reduced autobiographical memory specificity.
- This effect was observed irrespective of current dieting status.
- Memory specificity emerged as a potential predictor of restrained eating behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Memory specificity is associated with restrained eating concerns in female college students.
- The memory specificity effect may serve as an early indicator for eating disorder risk.
- Findings suggest potential for memory-based interventions in treating eating disorders.
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