The influence of autobiographical memory specificity on goal setting in non-depressed individuals

Previous research demonstrated that over-generalization is a tendency depressed individuals have, and it also translates to both autobiographical memories (aka over-general memory-OGM) and personal future goals, resulting in general autobiographical memory and goal construction. Following research also asserted that past and future episodic memories are highly interlinked and influenced by each other, however, the direction of it was not clear and the literature only consists of depressed samples. In this study, it was investigated whether OGM leads to setting general approach or avoidance goals in non-depressed individuals. The participants were randomly assigned to one of these four groups: specific-success, specific-failure, general-success, and general-failure. In specific-success condition, participants were asked to retrieve specific autobiographical memories related to the word success. In specific-failure condition, participants were required to retrieve specific autobiographical memories related to the word failure. In general-success and general-failure conditions, participants were instructed to retrieve a general autobiographical memory according to the cue word they were presented. Next, the participants followed the study with a goal task which required them to write their approach and avoidance goals. The results showed that OGM did not lead to general goal setting in non-depressed participants. These results imply that the relationship between OGM and reduced goal specificity might be peculiar to depressive state.