Neuropsychological complaints in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: Accuracy of feeling-of-knowing judgements

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex of symptoms with an unknown cause. Diagnosis results from the character of patient complaints and the exclusion of other illnesses. Many CFS patients complain of unspecific memory deficits which have not been documented empirically (Scheffers et. al., 1992 & Altay et. al., 1990). Subjective complaints of memory difficulties may be due to a deficit in metamemory function. Metamemory refers to knowledge of memory processes and the content of one's memory storage. Seventeen CFS patients and controls matched for age, gender, race, and IQ took a computerized Trivia Information Quiz. Individuals rated their confidence about answering questions they had previously answered incorrectly if given a multiple choice. Results showed that even though CFS patients reported significantly greater amounts of fatigue and physical symptoms, the accuracy of their confidence levels were not significantly different from controls. This suggests that metamemory impairment is not the cause of their putative memory problems.