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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
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Accessibility model of overgeneral autobiographical memory.

Noboru Matsumoto1, David John Hallford2, Lynn Ann Watson3

  • 1Division of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Shinshu University, Japan.

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|November 26, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) involves recalling general rather than specific events. The accessibility model suggests OGM in depression stems from easier access to negative general memories and harder access to positive specific memories.

Keywords:
Autobiographical memory specificityHippocampusMetacognitionOvergeneral memoryPsychopathologySelf-schema

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychopathology

Background:

  • Overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) is a key feature of psychopathology.
  • Previous research viewed OGM as a retrieval deficit, but recent work emphasizes direct and associative retrieval.
  • Existing models like the hierarchical structure and truncated search hypothesis are challenged.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose the accessibility model of autobiographical memory.
  • To explain the role of memory accessibility in OGM, particularly in depression.
  • To integrate basic memory research with OGM studies for therapeutic and research advancements.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical model development, discarding hierarchical memory structures.
  • Postulating parallel memory representation structures that compete for retrieval.
  • Proposing serial retrieval processes (direct followed by generative).

Main Results:

  • The accessibility model suggests OGM in depression is linked to increased accessibility of negative general memories and decreased accessibility of positive specific memories.
  • These accessibility changes correlate with hippocampal abnormalities, memory suppression, self-referential processing, and positivity biases, varying by emotional valence.
  • Metacognitive monitoring and control are proposed as necessary for goal-inconsistent memory retrieval.

Conclusions:

  • The accessibility model offers a new framework for understanding OGM.
  • It integrates diverse findings in memory research and psychopathology.
  • This model may pave the way for improved memory therapeutics and future research directions.