Abstract
Recent theories of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) suggest that memory dysregulation plays a crucial role in symptom maintenance. However, it is not clear which specific memory systems are involved in PTSD. In this study we used a visual implicit memory paradigm to examine memory bias in individuals with PTSD symptoms. Three hundred nineteen participants provided self-report measures of PTSD, anxiety and depression symptoms. Next they completed a visual clarity-rating task (Amir et al. Cognition and Emotion 17(4):567–583, 2003) to assess implicit memory for three picture types (trauma-relevant, neutral, and negative). Results revealed that participants with PTSD symptoms had greater implicit memory for negative and trauma-relevant pictures compared to neutral pictures. Traumatized individuals without PTSD symptoms showed greater implicit memory for negative pictures relative to trauma and neutral pictures. This pattern of results suggests that implicit memory bias for trauma-relevant and negative visual information may be an important factor in the maintenance of PTSD symptoms.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.
Amir, N., Beard, C., Burns, M., & Bomyea, J. Attention modification program for individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, in press.
Amir, N., Bower, E., Briks, J., & Freshman, M. (2003). Implicit memory for negative and positive social information in individuals with and without social anxiety. Cognition and Emotion, 17(4), 567–583. doi:10.1080/02699930302300.
Amir, N., McNally, R. J., & Wiegartz, P. S. (1996). Implicit memory bias for threat in posttraumatic stress disorder. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 20, 625–635. doi:10.1007/BF02227965.
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Brown, G. (1996). Beck depression inventory manual-II. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Garbin, M. G. (1988). Psychometric properties of the beck depression inventory: Twenty-five years of evaluation. Clinical Psychology Review, 8(1), 77–100. doi:10.1016/0272-7358(88)90050-5.
Brennen, T., Dybdahl, R., & Kapidzic, A. (2007). Trauma-related and neutral false memories in war-induced posttraumatic stress disorder. Consciousness and Cognition, 16, 877–885. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2006.06.012.
Brewin, C. R. (2007). Autobiographical memory for trauma: Update on four controversies. Memory (Hove, England), 15(3), 227–248. doi:10.1080/09658210701256423.
Brewin, C. R., Dalgleish, T., & Joseph, S. (1996). A dual representation theory of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Review, 103, 670–686. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.103.4.670.
Brewin, C., Kleiner, J., Vasterling, J., & Field, A. (2007). Memory for emotionally neutral information in posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116, 448–463. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.116.3.448.
Bryant, R. A., & Harvey, A. G. (1995). Processing threatening information in posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104(3), 537. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.104.3.537541.
Dalgleish, T. (2004). Cognitive approaches to posttraumatic stress disorder: The evolution of multirepresentational theorizing. Psychological Bulletin, 130(2), 228–260.
Elhers, A., & Clark, D. M. (2000). A cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38, 319–345.
Elhers, A., Hackmann, A., Steil, R., Clohessy, S., Wenninger, K., & Winter, H. (2002). The nature of intrusive memories after trauma: The warning signal hypothesis. Behavior Research & Therapy, 40, 995.
Elhers, A., & Steil, R. (1995). Maintenance of intrusive memories in posttraumatic stress disorder: A cognitive approach. Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 23, 217–249.
Foa, E. B., Cashman, L., Jaycox, L., & Perry, K. (1997). The validation of a self-report measure of posttraumatic stress disorder: The posttraumatic diagnostic scale. Psychological Assessment, 9, 445–451.
Foa, E. B., & Kozak, M. J. (1986). Emotional processing of fear: Exposure to corrective information. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 20–35.
Golier, J., Yehuda, R., Lupien, S., & Harvey, P. (2003). Memory for trauma-related information in Holocaust survivors with PTSD. Psychiatry Research, 121, 133–143.
Hackmann, A., Ehlers, A., Speckens, A., & Clark, D. (2004). Characteristics and content of intrusive memories in PTSD and their changes with treatment. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 17, 231–240.
Harvey, A. G., Bryant, R. A., & Dan, S. T. (1998). Autobiographical memory in acute stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(3), 500–506.
Kessler, R. C., Sonnega, A., Bromet, E., Hughes, M., & Nelson, C. B. (1995). Posttraumatic stress disorder in the national comorbidity survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52, 1048–1063.
Lang, P., Greenwald, M., Bradley, M., & Hamm, A. (1993). Looking at pictures: Affective, facial, visceral, and behavioral reactions. Psychophysiology, 30, 261–273.
Martin, M., Williams, R. M., & Clark, D. M. (1991). Does anxiety lead to selective processing of threat-related information? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 29, 147–160.
McNally, R. J. (1995). Automaticity and the anxiety disorders. Behavior Research & Therapy, 33(7), 747–754.
McNally, R. J., & Amir, N. (1996). Perceptual implicit memory for trauma-related information in post-traumatic stress disorder. Cognition and Emotion, 10(5), 551–556.
Michael, T., & Ehlers, A. (2007). Enhanced perceptual priming for neutral stimuli occurring in traumatic context: Two experimental investigations. Behavior Research & Therapy, 45, 341–358.
Michael, T., Elhers, A., & Halligan, S. L. (2005). Enhanced priming for trauma-related material in posttraumatic stress disorder. Emotion, 5(1), 103–112.
Moore, S. A., & Zoellner, L. A. (2005). Overgeneral autobiographical memory and traumatic events: An evaluative review. Psychological Bulletin, 133(3), 419–437.
Ochsner, K. R. (2000). Are affective events richly remembered or simply familiar? The experience and process of recognizing feelings past. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 129(2), 242–261.
Paunovic, N., Lundh, L., & Ost, L. (2002). Attentional and memory bias for emotional information in crime victims with acute posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 16, 675–692.
Perruchet, P., & Baveux, P. (1989). Correlational analyses of implicit and explicit memory performance. Memory and Cognition, 17(1), 77–86.
Russo, R., Fox, E., & Bowles, R. J. (1999). On the status of implicit memory bias in anxiety. Cognition and Emotion, 13(4), 435–456.
Schacter, D. L. (1987). Implicit memory: History and current status. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning. Memory and Cognition, 13(3), 501–518.
Schacter, D. L., & Badgaiyan, R. D. (2001). Neuroimaging of priming: New perspectives on implicit and explicit memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(1), 1–4.
Shipherd, J., & Beck, G. J. (2005). The role of thought suppression in posttraumatic stress disorder. Behavior Therapy, 36(3), 277–287.
Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., & Lushene, R. (1970). Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychology Press.
Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., Lushene, R., Vagg, P. R., & Jacobs, G. A. (1983). Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologist Press.
Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., Gibbon, M., & First, M. B. (1990). User’s guide for the structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R: SCID. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Steil, R., & Ehlers, A. (2000). Dysfunctional meaning of posttraumatic intrusions in chronic PTSD. Behavior Research and Therapy, 38, 537–558.
Twamely, E. W., Hami, S., & Stein, M. B. (2004). Neuropsychological function in college students with and without posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychiatry Research, 126, 265–274.
Wenzlaff, R. M., & Wegner, D. M. (2000). Thought suppression. Annual Review of Psychology, 51, 59–91.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Amir, N., Leiner, A.S. & Bomyea, J. Implicit Memory and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms. Cogn Ther Res 34, 49–58 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-008-9211-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-008-9211-0