Social problem solving and autobiographical memory in non-clinical depression

Objectives. We examine the proposal that specific autobiographical memories may play a major role in successful social problem solving (SPS). Design and Methods. Depressed and control students report on the types of memories they retrieve while performing an SPS task and a cueing task. Results. The retrieval of specific memories on the cueing task and during SPS was found to be positively related to SPS skill. Conclusions. Specific memories are important for successful SPS. However, the relationship between a specific memory deficit and poor SPS is mediated by severity of depression.