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Cognitive Mechanisms Shaping Autobiographical Memory Specificity in Schizophrenia

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 7, 3:00 – 5:00 pm, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballrooms

Reece Thomas¹ (reecethomas63@gmail.com); ¹Dr

Autobiographical memory (AM) allows people to recall personal experiences, shaping identity, supporting relationships, and guiding future decisions. In schizophrenia, AM is often impaired, particularly in the specificity of recalled events. However, the mechanisms underlying these deficits remain poorly understood. This gap is especially pressing in forensic mental health populations, where impaired memory recall may be a problem. This study investigated the cognitive, clinical, and linguistic predictors of AM specificity in 53 individuals with schizophrenia detained in forensic mental health settings. Participants completed working memory and verbal fluency tasks (WAIS-IV, FAS, semantic fluency), the Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI), the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), and selected items from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Results showed that working memory was a significant predictor of memory specificity, while symptom severity and linguistic features showed additional influence. Memory specificity also varied across life periods, specifically in childhood memories. These findings highlight the role of cognitive and linguistic processes in autobiographical recall within forensic schizophrenia populations, offering new insight into the mechanisms underlying memory deficits in clinical groups.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Episodic