Chronic Ruminators Remember More Episodic Details Of A Recent Upsetting Event

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Savannah Milstead (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/
Advisor
Lisa Emery

Abstract: Previous research by Kathryn Hardin (2017) suggests that chronic rumination of a recent, sad event by college students is associated with better performance on memory tests. Extending this research, the present study uses data collected from a previous study where participants told a recent, sad event in their lives, and were then randomly assigned to either ruminate on the story or not while they performed other memory tests. Participants were asked to retell the stories after performing the memory tests. The present study analyzes the changes between the first tellings of the stories to the second, and the difference in an individual’s recall of semantic and episodic information after rumination. Understanding how the stories change before versus after rumination, and how consistent individuals were with details in their recollection is an important psychological question, as episodic and semantic recall have been shown to differently influence affect. We hypothesize that those with experimentally-induced rumination will provide more consistent recollections of stories and will be less likely to leave out episodic or semantic information from the first to the second telling. Questionnaire data on chronic rumination tendencies and depression symptoms provides further insight into the behaviors already exhibited by the participants.

Additional Information

Publication
Honors Project
Milstead, S. (2019). Chronic Ruminators Remember More Episodic Details Of A Recent Upsetting Event. Unpublished Honors Thesis. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
Language: English
Date: 2019
Keywords
Rumination, Episodic, Semantic, CaR-FA-X

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