Eye movement during recall reduces objective memory performance: An extended replication.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder involves making eye movements (EMs) during recall of a traumatic image. Experimental studies have shown that the dual task decreases self-reported memory vividness and emotionality. However valuable, these data are prone to demand effects and little can be inferred about the mechanism(s) underlying the observed effects. The current research aimed to fill this lacuna by providing two objective tests of memory performance. Experiment I involved a stimulus discrimination task. Findings were that EM during stimulus recall not only reduces self-reported memory vividness, but also slows down reaction time in a task that requires participants to discriminate the stimulus from perceptually similar stimuli. Experiment II involved a fear conditioning paradigm. It was shown that EM during recall of a threatening stimulus intensifies fearful responding to a perceptually similar yet non-threat-related stimulus, as evidenced by increases in danger expectancies and skin conductance responses. The latter result was not corroborated by startle EMG data. Together, the findings suggest that the EM manipulation renders stimulus attributes less accessible for future recall.
Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: A.Leer@uu.nl.
Arne
A
Leer
Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Iris M
IM
Engelhard
Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Bert
B
Lenaert
Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Dieter
D
Struyf
Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Bram
B
Vervliet
Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Dirk
D
Hermans
D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
EMDR; Eye movements; Fear generalization; Memory performance; PTSD