MEmory in DAily Life 1-2-3

MEDAL1: Data were collected between October 2015 and June 2017. Experience Sampling Method (ESM) for repeated, daily life measures of context, mood, and autobiographic emotional-memory was used in 46 currently-depressed, 90 remitted-depressed, and 55 never-depressed individuals (ages 18-70). Participants were prompted to perform ESM mood and context measures seven times per day during active hours (8 am – 10 pm). Questionnaires: Participants’ gender identification, age in years, highest level of education, and medication use were assessed. Participants also completed the BDI-II, BAI, RRS, PANAS, MRSI, RSES, PMHS, PARQ, CTQ and IPAQ. The computerized Self-Referent Encoding Task (SRET) was used to measure explicit verbal memory bias for positive and negative stimuli.

MEDAL2: Data were collected between November 2016 and July 2017. In this pilot study we aimed to develop a smartphone-based autobiographical memory training, a novel form of Memory Bias Modification. A total of 153 unselected healthy adult participants (acquired via (SONA)) were randomly allocated to one of three experimental training conditions (positive, negative or sham memory training) conducted over a period of three days. Subjects were prompted a total of ten times per day. A total of four MBM-specific tasks were given per day during active hours (08:00–23:00) with a total of twelve MBM prompts within three days. Autobiographical memory bias and depressive scores were assessed pre- and post-training, whilst recent event recall and explicit self-referent memory bias were assessed post-training.

MEDAL3: Data were collected between June 2018 and March 2020. This study used a smartphone-based autobiographical memory training to increase positive memory recall and thereby alter negative memory bias. A total of 96 dysphoric (≥ 13 BDI-II) adult participants (recruited via SONA) were randomly allocated to a positive, sham or no-training condition, conducted over a period of 6 days. Each of the six training days included eight prompts delivered between 08:00 and 22:00. Each condition included a lab-based baseline session and a post-training session (6 days after training). At baseline, participants filled out questionnaires (demographic information, BDI-II, DASS, RRS, PMHS, completed the SRET and an emotional false memory task. This was repeated post training, except with an autobiographic memory task instead of the SRET. During the COVID pandemic (May 2020), all participants were invited to participate in the online follow-up phase. N = 34 completed the questionnaires (PMHS and DASS).