Anxiety is associated with memory biases when the initial interpretation of the event is taken into account. This experiment examined whether modification of interpretive bias retroactively affects memory for prior events and their initial interpretation. Before training, participants imagined themselves in emotionally ambiguous scenarios to which they provided endings that often revealed their interpretations. Then they were trained to resolve the ambiguity in other situations in a consistently positive (n = 37) or negative way (n = 38) before they tried to recall the initial scenarios and endings. Results indicated that memory for the endings was imbued with the emotional tone of the training, whereas memory for the scenarios was unaffected.
Article
Interpretation Training Influences Memory for Prior Interpretations
Emotion
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2010
Disciplines
Abstract
Identifier
10.1037/a0020232
Publisher
American Psychological Association
Citation Information
Salemink, E., Hertel, P.T., & Mackintosh, B. (2010). Interpretation training influences memory for prior interpretations. Emotion, 10(6), 903-907. doi: 10.1037/a0020232