Word Memory in Non-Psychotic Depression

Abstract

Two diverging explanations can be given for the fact that depressed persons often show deficits on verbal learning tasks: (a) researchers have suggested that memory deficits are the result of interference in the transfer from short- to long-term memory; (b) other researchers have suggested that depressives may not have cognitive deficits but may instead simply show deficits in performance. The present study assessed differences in recognition memory, free recall, organization in multitrial free recall, and final free recall among short-term and long-term non-psychotic depressives ( ns = 15) to determine whether such depressed adults show deficits on verbal learning tasks. No verbal learning deficits were demonstrated for 30 depressives relative to 30 nondepressives. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of interference and the possibility that poor verbal learning in depression is a problem of performance and not learning.