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Alexithymia disrupts verbal short-term memory.

Nicolas Vermeulen1,2

  • 1Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

Cognition & Emotion
|December 13, 2019
PubMed
Summary

This study explored short-term memory (STM) in alexithymia. Alexithymia impaired recall for pure word lists, suggesting semantic organization impacts STM performance.

Keywords:
Alexithymiaattentionemotionrepresentationshort-term memory

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Existing research indicates long-term memory (LTM) deficits in alexithymia.
  • Short-term memory (STM) in alexithymia remains under-investigated.
  • Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing emotions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of alexithymia on short-term memory (STM) for emotional and neutral words.
  • To examine how list composition (pure vs. mixed valence) affects STM performance in individuals with alexithymia.
  • To explore the relationship between alexithymia, emotional processing, and memory recall.

Main Methods:

  • Two studies were conducted with a total of 88 participants, randomly assigned to either a pure or mixed word list condition.
  • Participants completed the Toronto-Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).
  • STM recall accuracy was measured using six-word lists, varying in emotional content and valence composition.

Main Results:

  • A significant effect of alexithymia on STM recall was observed in the pure lists condition (words of the same valence).
  • No significant effect of alexithymia was found in the mixed lists condition (containing both neutral and emotional words).
  • Correlation analyses revealed a significant negative relationship between alexithymia scores and recall accuracy in the pure lists condition.

Conclusions:

  • Alexithymia appears to disrupt STM performance, particularly when semantic organization is required, as seen in pure word lists.
  • Attentional capture by emotional words may mitigate STM deficits in mixed lists, suggesting a compensatory mechanism.
  • Findings highlight the complex interplay between alexithymia, emotional processing, and memory functions.