Conscious and automatic uses of memory in chronic pain patients

Memory deficits in chronic pain patients are frequently observed. The objective of this study was to explore memory performances of chronic pain patients by using the Process Dissociation Procedure developed by Jacoby (J. Mem. Lang. 30 (1991) 513). This procedure permits to separate the contribution of controlled processes from automatic processes operating within a memory task. The results show a significant decrease of controlled processes in chronic pain patients. Furthermore for both groups, automatic processes contribute in a similar extent to the memory performance. The estimates of controlled processes in the chronic pain patients are significantly related to the fear of pain and catastrophic beliefs. This is interpreted as a sign of interference between the attention consumed by pain experience (namely fear related to pain) and the attention to be allocated to the memory task.