Does matching the distraction type help reduce trauma memories?
Distracting tasks decreased the emotional distress of trauma memories, but matching the distraction type to the memory's sensory modality did not provide any extra benefit.
Source
Auditory and Visual Memories in PTSD Patients Targeted with Eye Movements and Counting: The Effect of Modality-Specific Loading of Working Memory
What they did
The study analyzed data from 30 patients for auditory memories and 31 patients for visual memories. Participants recalled these memories while performing a visual task (eye movements), an auditory task (counting), or a control task (staring at a static dot). Before and after each 5-minute task, participants rated their distress on a scale from 0 to 10.
What they found
For both visual and auditory memories, distress levels dropped significantly from before to after the tasks. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference between the eye-movement task, the counting task, or even the control task of staring at a static dot. This means that matching the type of distraction to the sensory modality of the memory did not make the intervention more effective.
The limits
What it doesn't show
The study cannot rule out that simply focusing on any external stimulus, including a static dot, acts as a cognitive distraction that reduces memory distress. Because there was no true passive control group where participants did nothing, it is unclear if the distress reduction was due to working memory depletion or simply the passage of time and repeated recall. Additionally, the small sample sizes of 30 and 31 participants limit the statistical power to detect subtle differences between conditions, and many participants' distress dropped to 0 before completing all test conditions.
Key terms
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- An interactive psychotherapy technique used to relieve psychological stress, where patients recall traumatic experiences while receiving bilateral sensory input such as side-to-side eye movements.
- Working Memory Model
- A cognitive framework describing a limited-capacity system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information during complex tasks.
- Phonological Loop
- The component of working memory that processes and stores auditory and verbal information.
- Visuospatial Sketchpad
- The component of working memory responsible for handling visual and spatial information.
- Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD)
- A self-report scale commonly used in clinical therapy to measure the current level of distress or cognitive discomfort experienced by a patient.
- Central Executive
- The core component of working memory that directs attention, coordinates the slave systems, and manages cognitive resources.
Flashcards
Research intelligence for this paper
See its role on concept claims, tensions it is part of, placement history, and related discoveries.
Quiz yourself
What is the primary working memory hypothesis used to explain how EMDR therapy reduces PTSD symptoms?
Common questions
Why would eye movements make memories less vivid or disturbing?
According to working memory theory, keeping a trauma memory in mind requires limited memory capacity. Performing a simultaneous task like eye movements competes for these same resources, leaving fewer cognitive assets available to support the emotional intensity of the memory.
Did the study prove that EMDR is ineffective?
No, the study actually showed that patients' distress levels decreased significantly across all conditions. However, it did not show a specific advantage for eye movements over counting or even staring at a static dot, suggesting that any focused attention task might help reduce distress.
What is modality-specific loading?
It is the idea that matching the distraction type to the memory type (e.g., using visual eye movements for a visual memory, or verbal counting for an auditory memory) will tax the specific part of working memory holding that memory, leading to a larger reduction in emotional distress.
Why didn't the modality-specific loading work in this study?
It is possible that all tasks, including staring at a static dot, required general cognitive resources controlled by the central executive, rather than relying strictly on modality-specific sub-systems. Alternatively, the tasks might not have been perfectly balanced in their cognitive difficulty.
More on Trauma & PTSD