Patients with eating disorders report less specific and more negative self-defining memories (SDMs) than do healthy controls. Study 1 determined the influence of sub-clinical disordered eating on characteristics of SDMs. Study 2 examined the impact of autistic traits and disordered eating on SDMs in healthy participants. In Study 1, 64 undergraduate students retrieved and rated six self-defining memories and completed measures of depression, anxiety, rumination, and eating behaviour (drive for thinness, bulimia, and body dissatisfaction). In Study 2, a community sample (n=81) completed the identical measures to Study 1 plus a measure of autistic traits. The results of Study 1 revealed that after controlling for mood and rumination, bulimia scores were linked to less specific and more negative SDMs. Study 2 did not replicate these findings and found no influence of autistic traits on SDMs. Findings in SDMs appear to generalise from clinical to subclinical eating but are not robust.

Music effectively evokes autobiographical memories in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, its unique potential as a retrieval cue remains unclear, as previous studies compare music to non-music cues associated with widely different events and concepts. This study used music, pictures, and word cues referring to common cultural events (e.g., birthdays, Christmas) to isolate the effects of cueing modality. Participants with AD identified fewer cultural events following music or photograph cues than healthy controls and showed no retrieval benefit over word cues. However, when considering only memories where the event was identified, the AD group recalled as many specific memories as controls following music cues, but significantly fewer following word and photograph cues. This effect does not appear to result from a direct, sensory connection between the memory and the music, as individuals with AD retrieved fewer music-evoked memories that explicitly referenced music compared to healthy controls.

Adults with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD; also known as Dyspraxia), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by difficulties with fine and/or gross motor coordination, typically report lower levels of well-being than the general population. This study examined the relationships between wellbeing, self and autobiographical memory in a group of 136 adults with DCD. Participants completed the Psychological Wellbeing Scale and described and rated (for emotional valence and importance) their self-images (i.e. ‘I am’ statements) and associated memories. They were asked to generate self-images and memories that were (1) associated and (2) not associated with their DCD. Participants rated their DCD-related self-images and memories as negatively valenced (compared to non-DCD related self-images). Self-image valence (both DCD-related and non-DCD related), but not memory valence, was a significant predictor of well-being scores. Finally, DCD-related self-images were associated with sets of highly negative autobiographical memories, most frequently from the period of primary school (age 5-11).

Negative self-schemas play a key role in maintaining social anxiety disorder, highlighting the need for methods to alter these schemas. Building on the link between schemas and autobiographical memory, we proposed a framework suggesting that schemas can be modified by challenging the meaning of associated autobiographical memories. To test this, we conducted an experiment where socially anxious participants first provided self-schema ratings, then revised negative social memories by adding either conceptual (meaning-based) schema-incongruent details or perceptual details that did not challenge the schema. Participants then rated their self-schemas again. Results showed a significant decrease in negative self-schema ratings and an increase in positive schema ratings only for participants who added schema-incongruent details. These findings suggest that altering the meaning of autobiographical memories can effectively modify schemas, potentially informing interventions for social anxiety