Cannabis-associated impairments in the fading affect bias and autobiographical memory specificity.
Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2019 Daniel Pillersdorf, A. Scoboria
Chronic cannabis users show a reduced fading affect bias for unpleasant memories and less detailed recall of autobiographical events compared to non-users. The fading affect bias is a normal emotional regulation process in which the intensity of negative memories fades faster than that of positive ones. In this study, 47 cannabis users and 52 non-users recalled and rated positive and negative events and completed a memory specificity task. Cannabis users exhibited less fading of negative affect over time and lower memory specificity, suggesting cannabis use may interfere with adaptive emotional processing and memory detail.