Face Recognition Failures in Schizotypy

in Cognitive Neuropsychiatry (2007), 12(6), 554-71

INTRODUCTION: Studies suggest an important role of disturbances of self in schizophrenia and in schizotypy. Based on findings from a previous study (Bredart & Young, 2004), we developed a questionnaire ... [more ▼]

INTRODUCTION: Studies suggest an important role of disturbances of self in schizophrenia and in schizotypy. Based on findings from a previous study (Bredart & Young, 2004), we developed a questionnaire assessing self-face recognition failures in everyday life (Self-Face Recognition Questionnaire; SFRQ) to investigate the relations between dimensions of schizotypy (cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, disorganised) and self-face recognition disturbances. METHODS: A sample of nonclinical participants (n = 170) completed the SFRQ and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. RESULTS: Factor analysis of SFRQ items revealed a clear three-factor structure consisting of: (1) self-face recognition difficulties, (2) unusual perception of own or other faces, and (3) other-face recognition difficulties. Correlational analyses between schizotypy dimensions and the SFRQ revealed that only the cognitive-perceptual and disorganised schizotypy dimensions correlated significantly with the SFRQ. By contrast, the interpersonal schizotypy dimension was not associated with the SFRQ. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide further support that positive (cognitive-perceptual) and negative (interpersonal) schizotypy represent discrete neurobehavioural dimensions. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. [less ▲]

Autobiographical memory in non-amnesic alcohol-dependent patients

in Psychological Medicine (2006), 36(12), 1707-1715

Background. Chronic alcohol abuse is associated with a wide range of cognitive deficits. However, little is known about memory for real-life events (autobiographical memory) in non-amnesic alcoholic ... [more ▼]

Background. Chronic alcohol abuse is associated with a wide range of cognitive deficits. However, little is known about memory for real-life events (autobiographical memory) in non-amnesic alcoholic patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate (a) non-amnesic alcoholics' ability to recall specific autobiographical memories and (b) their subjective experience when they access specific memories.Method. Twenty non-amnesic (without Korsakoff syndrome) recently detoxified alcoholics and 20 healthy controls completed the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), which assesses the frequency of specific (versus general) memories recalled in response to cue words, and the Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ), which assesses subjective experience (e.g. the amount of sensory and contextual details experienced) when remembering specific events.Results. Alcoholic patients recalled specific memories less frequently and general memories more frequently than healthy controls. Nevertheless, when a specific past event was accessed, alcoholic patients subjectively experienced as many sensory and contextual details as controls.Conclusions. These findings suggest that non-amnesic alcoholics have difficulties strategically accessing event-specific autobiographical knowledge, which might result from changes in frontal lobe function that are associated with alcoholism. [less ▲]

Phenomenal characteristics of autobiographical memories for social and non-social events in social phobia

in Memory (2006), 14(5), 637-647

Previous studies failed to show clear differences between people with social phobia and non-anxious individuals regarding the specificity and affective intensity of their autobiographical memories for ... [more ▼]

Previous studies failed to show clear differences between people with social phobia and non-anxious individuals regarding the specificity and affective intensity of their autobiographical memories for social events. However, these studies did not assess the subjective experience associated with remembering. In this study, people with social phobia and non-anxious control participants recalled social and non-social events, and rated the phenomenal characteristics of their memories. The memories of people with social phobia for social events contained fewer sensorial details but more self-referential information than controls memories. In addition, people with social phobia remembered social situations from an observer perspective, viewing themselves as if from outside, to a greater extent than controls. By contrast, the two groups did not differ concerning their memories for non-social events. These findings are discussed in relation to cognitive models of social phobia. [less ▲]

Influence of emotion on memory for temporal information

in Emotion (Washington, D.C.) (2005), 5(4), 503-507

Contextual information. such as color and spatial location, has been found to be better remembered for emotional than for neutral items. The current study examined whether the influence of emotion extends ... [more ▼]

Contextual information. such as color and spatial location, has been found to be better remembered for emotional than for neutral items. The current study examined whether the influence of emotion extends to memory for another fundamental feature of episodic memory: temporal information. Results from a list-discrimination paradigm showed that (a) item memory was enhanced for both negative and positive pictures compared with neutral ones and was better for negative than for positive pictures and (b) temporal information was better remembered for negative than for positive and neutral pictures, whereas positive and neutral pictures did not differ from each other. These findings are discussed in relation to the processes involved in memory for temporal information. [less ▲]

Self-referential reflective activity and its relationship with rest : a PET study

in NeuroImage (2005), 25(2), 616-624

This study used positron emission tomography (PET) to identify the brain substrate of self-referential reflective activity and to investigate its relationship with brain areas that are active during the ... [more ▼]

This study used positron emission tomography (PET) to identify the brain substrate of self-referential reflective activity and to investigate its relationship with brain areas that are active during the resting state. Thirteen healthy volunteers performed reflective tasks pertaining to three different matters (the self, another person, and social issues) while they were scanned. Rest scans were also acquired, in which subjects were asked to simply relax and not think in a systematic way. The mental activity experienced during each scan was assessed with rating scales. The results showed that, although self-referential thoughts were most frequent during the self-referential task, some self-referential reflective activity also occurred during rest. Compared to rest, performing the reflective tasks was associated with increased blood flow in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, the left anterior middle temporal gyros, the temporal pole bilaterally, and the right cerebellum; there was a decrease of blood flow in right prefrontal regions,and in medial and right lateral parietal regions. In addition, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) (1) was more active during the self-referential reflective task than during the other two reflective tasks, (2) showed common activation during rest and the self-referential task, and (3) showed a correlation between cerebral metabolism and the amount of self-referential processing. It is suggested that the VMPFC is crucial for representing knowledge pertaining to the self and that this is an important function of the resting state. [less ▲]

Neural correlates of retrieval of emotional memories

Poster (2005)

Phenomenal characteristics associated with projecting oneself back into the past and forward into the future: Influence of valence and temporal distance

in Consciousness & Cognition (2004), 13(4), 844-858

As humans, we frequently engage in mental time travel, reliving past experiences and imagining possible future events. This study examined whether similar factors affect the subjective experience ... [more ▼]

As humans, we frequently engage in mental time travel, reliving past experiences and imagining possible future events. This study examined whether similar factors affect the subjective experience associated with remembering the past and imagining the future. Participants mentally "re-experienced" or "pre-experienced" positive and negative events that differed in their temporal distance from the present (close versus distant), and then rated the phenomenal characteristics (i.e., sensorial, contextual, and emotional details) associated with their representations. For both past and future, representations of positive events were associated with a greater feeling of re-experiencing (or pre-experiencing) than representations of negative events. In addition, representations of temporally close events (both past and future) contained more sensorial and contextual details, and generated a stronger feeling of re-experiencing (or pre-experiencing) than representations of temporally distant events. It is suggested that the way we both remember our past and imagine our future is constrained by our current goals. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. [less ▲]

Identity but not expression memory for unfamiliar faces is affected by ageing

in Memory (2004), 12(5), 644-654

We examined age-related differences in memory for identity and emotional expression of unfamiliar faces. Younger and older adults were presented with happy and angry faces and were later asked to ... [more ▼]

We examined age-related differences in memory for identity and emotional expression of unfamiliar faces. Younger and older adults were presented with happy and angry faces and were later asked to recognise the same faces displaying a neutral expression. When a face was recognised, they also had to remember what the initial expression of the face had been. In addition, states of awareness associated with both identity and expression memory were assessed with the remember/know/guess paradigm. Older adults showed less recollective experience than younger adults for identity but not for emotional expressions of the faces. This evidence indicates that age-related differences in memory may depend on the nature of the to-be-remembered information, with emotional/social information being remembered as well in older as in younger adults. [less ▲]

Les mécanismes de mémorisation et d'oubli des événements émotionnels

in Brédart, Serge (Ed.) Souvenirs récupérés, souvenirs oubliés et faux souvenirs (2004)

The effects of happy and angry expressions on identity and expression memory for unfamiliar faces

in Cognition & Emotion (2003), 17(4), 609-622

We investigated the influence of happy and angry expressions on memory for new faces. Participants were presented with happy and angry faces in an intentional or incidental learning condition and were ... [more ▼]

We investigated the influence of happy and angry expressions on memory for new faces. Participants were presented with happy and angry faces in an intentional or incidental learning condition and were later asked to recognise the same faces displaying a neutral expression. They also had to remember what the initial expressions of the faces had been. Remember/know/guess judgements were made both for identity and expression memory. Results showed that faces were better recognised when presented with a happy rather than an angry expression, but only when learning was intentional. This was mainly due to an increase of the I remember" responses for happy faces when encoding was intentional rather than incidental. In contrast, memory for emotional expressions was not different for happy and angry faces whatever the encoding conditions. We interpret these findings according to the social meaning of emotional expressions for the self. [less ▲]