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Lauro JG. The effect of episodic specificity inductions on cognitive tasks involving episodic retrieval: A quantitative review. Neuropsychologia 2024; 198:108884. [PMID: 38599568 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
A growing body of research suggests that an episodic specificity induction (ESI), that is, training in recalled details of a (recent) past event, impacts performance on subsequent tasks that require episodic retrieval processes. The constructive episodic simulation hypothesis (Schacter and Addis, 2007) posits that various tasks which require, at least partially, episodic retrieval processes rely on a single, flexible episodic memory system. As such, a specificity induction activates that episodic memory system and improves subsequent performance on tasks that require use of that memory system. The present quantitative review analyzed the literature demonstrating that the Episodic Specificity Induction (ESI) improves performance on subsequence cognitive tasks that require (at least partial) episodic retrieval processes. Twenty-three studies met criteria for measuring the impact of ESI, compared to a non-specificity control induction(s), on subsequent tasks requiring edpisodic retrieval, including memory, imagination, problem solving, divergent thinking. The results of this review demonstrate a strong, positive effect of ESI on episodic memory, imagination, divergent thinking, and problem-solving tasks.
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Tanguay AFN, Gardam O, Archibald J, Ayson G, Atance CM. Using an episodic specificity induction to improve children's future thinking. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1249090. [PMID: 37928570 PMCID: PMC10622774 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1249090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Episodic future thinking (EFT) is the ability to subjectively pre-experience a specific future event. Future-oriented cognition in young children positively predicts physical health and financial status later in life. Can EFT be improved in children, even temporarily? Developmental research emphasizes the importance of thinking about one's own near future to enhance EFT, whereas research in adults suggests benefits reside in constructing a richly detailed event. We bridged the two perspectives to examine whether a procedure, the "episodic specificity induction" (ESI), could be adapted to encourage an episodic mode of thinking in children, benefitting performance on a variety of subsequent EFT tasks. The present study implemented a child-friendly ESI in which children mentally simulated a future event and were probed for specific details about it. We randomly assigned 66 children aged 6 and 7 years to one of two conditions: (1) ESI, in which children imagined "having breakfast tomorrow" in detail, describing surroundings, people, and actions, or (2) a Control condition (i.e., no construction), in which children simply viewed and described a picture of another child having breakfast. Children then completed a series of future thinking tasks assessing prospective memory, recollection/imagination of events, delay of gratification, and planning. Our ESI was successful in promoting the construction of a detailed event, and subsequently increasing the number of details of recollected and imagined events on an outcome task as compared to a control condition. Nonetheless, the effect of ESI was smaller than expected - a finding that fits with recent work suggesting that such interventions may be too cognitively taxing for young children and/or that benefits may hinge on further development in episodic processes. We discuss possible modifications to the induction and implications for EFT amelioration in young children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Cristina M. Atance
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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3
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Montijn ND, Gerritsen L, van Son D, Engelhard IM. Positive future thinking without task-relevance increases anxiety and frontal stress regulation. Biol Psychol 2023; 182:108620. [PMID: 37399916 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Negative anticipatory biases can affect the way we interpret and subjectively experience events. Through its role in emotion regulation, positive future thinking may provide an accessible way to attenuate these biases. However, it is unclear whether positive future thinking works ubiquitously, independent of contextual relevance. Here, we used a positive future thinking intervention (task-relevant; task-irrelevant and control condition) prior to a social stress task to adapt the way this task was experienced. We assessed subjective and objective stress measures and also recorded resting state electroencephalography (EEG) to assess intervention related differences in the level of frontal delta-beta coupling, which is considered a neurobiological substrate of stress regulation. Results show that the intervention reduced subjective stress and anxiety, and increased social fixation behavior and task performance, but only if future thinking was task-relevant. Paradoxically, task-irrelevant positive future thoughts enhanced negative perceptual biases and stress reactivity. This increase in stress reactivity was corroborated by elevated levels of frontal delta-beta coupling during event anticipation, which suggests an increased demand for stress regulation. Together, these findings show that positive future thinking can mitigate the negative emotional, behavioral and neurobiological consequences of a stressful event, but that it should not be applied indiscriminately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole D Montijn
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Lotte Gerritsen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Dana van Son
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Iris M Engelhard
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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Ryan AD, O’Connor BB, Schacter DL, Campbell KL. Episodic simulation of helping behavior in younger and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2023; 12:443-456. [PMID: 37873548 PMCID: PMC10588798 DOI: 10.1037/mac0000073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Imagining helping a person in need increases one's willingness to help beyond levels evoked by passively reading the same stories. We examined whether episodic simulation can increase younger and older adults' willingness to help in novel scenarios posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 3 studies we demonstrate that episodic simulation of helping behavior increases younger and older adults' willingness to help during both everyday and COVID-related scenarios. Moreover, we show that imagining helping increases emotional concern, scene imagery, and theory of mind, which in turn relate to increased willingness to help. Studies 2 and 3 also showed that people produce more internal, episodic-like details when imagining everyday compared to COVID-related scenarios, suggesting that people are less able to draw on prior experiences when simulating such novel events. These findings suggest that encouraging engagement with stories of people in need by imagining helping can increase willingness to help during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Dawn Ryan
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, Canada
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5
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Rouhani N, Stanley D, Adolphs R. Collective events and individual affect shape autobiographical memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2221919120. [PMID: 37432994 PMCID: PMC10629560 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2221919120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
How do collective events shape how we remember our lives? We leveraged advances in natural language processing as well as a rich, longitudinal assessment of 1,000 Americans throughout 2020 to examine how memory is influenced by two prominent factors: surprise and emotion. Autobiographical memory for 2020 displayed a unique signature: There was a substantial bump in March, aligning with pandemic onset and lockdowns, consistent across three memory collections 1 y apart. We further investigated how emotion, using both immediate and retrieved measures, predicted the amount and content of autobiographical memory: Negative affect increased recall across all measures, whereas its more clinical indices, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, selectively increased nonepisodic recall. Finally, in a separate cohort, we found pandemic news to be better remembered, surprising, and negative, while lockdowns compressed remembered time. Our work connects laboratory findings to the real world and delineates the effects of acute versus clinical signatures of negative emotion on memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Rouhani
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Damian Stanley
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
- Derner School of Psychology, Adelphi University, New York, NY11530
| | | | - Ralph Adolphs
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
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Lv J, Sun Z, Li H, Hou Y. The Role of Negative Perfectionism and the Relationship between Critical Thinking and the Halo Effect: Insights from Corporate Managers in Human Resources. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:533. [PMID: 37503980 PMCID: PMC10376162 DOI: 10.3390/bs13070533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This research aims to explore the relationship between critical thinking and the halo effect among managers working in the Human Resources (HR) departments of corporations. By utilizing a sample of over 301 corporate HR managers as participants, this study provides valuable insight into the dynamics between critical thinking, the halo effect, and the mediating role of negative perfectionism. The findings of this study suggest a significant negative relationship between critical thinking and the halo effect, as well as a significant positive relationship between negative perfectionism and the halo effect. Notably, negative perfectionism acts as a mediator between critical thinking and the halo effect. Our research also reveals that compensation level moderates this relationship, with lower-income HR managers exhibiting a stronger association between negative perfectionism and the halo effect compared to higher-income HR managers. These findings significantly contribute to our understanding of the interplay between critical thinking and the halo effect among HR managers in corporate settings. Identifying negative perfectionism as a mediating factor clarifies the underlying mechanisms between critical thinking and the halo effect, while the moderating effect of compensation level highlights the importance of considering contextual factors. The practical implications of this research include the significance of promoting critical thinking skills among HR managers to mitigate the halo effect in job recruitment and performance evaluation. Additionally, organizations should prioritize fairness and consistency in compensation levels to minimize the influence of negative perfectionism and its impact on the halo effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Lv
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhaoyang Sun
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Hao Li
- Plateau Brain Science Research Center, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, China
| | - Yubo Hou
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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Kakoschke N, Cox DN, Ryan J, Gwilt I, Davis A, Jansons P, de Courten B, Brinkworth G. Disrupting future discounting: a commentary on an underutilised psychological approach for improving adherence to diet and physical activity interventions. Public Health Nutr 2023; 26:1088-1093. [PMID: 36786324 PMCID: PMC10346014 DOI: 10.1017/s136898002200252x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as CVD and type 2 diabetes mellitus are major contributors to the burden of disease. NCD are largely driven by modifiable lifestyle factors including poor diet and insufficient physical activity, and consequently, prevention is a public health priority. Although diet and physical activity levels can be improved via lifestyle interventions, long-term adherence to such interventions remains low, which limits their effectiveness. Thus, it is critical to identify the underlying mechanisms that challenge uptake and adherence to such interventions. The current commentary discusses an important, but underexplored, psychological driver of poor adherence to lifestyle interventions, namely, future discounting, which describes the tendency to prefer smaller, short-term rewards over larger, long-term rewards. For example, in the nutrition domain, future discounting refers to valuing the immediate reward of excessive intake of energy-dense, nutrient-poor, discretionary foods high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat, and insufficient intake of low-energy, nutrient-dense, whole foods such as vegetables. Prominent theoretical models propose that excessive future discounting is a major contributor to the development of unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. Furthermore, a vast body of evidence suggests that future discounting plays a key role in risk of NCD. Thus, the evidence to date supports the idea that future discounting is an important multi-behaviour target for supporting lifestyle behaviour change; however, this approach has been largely neglected in preventive health efforts. Furthermore, this commentary discusses promising techniques (e.g. Episodic Future Thinking) for disrupting future discounting to promote improved adherence to lifestyle interventions aimed at reducing NCD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Kakoschke
- Human Health, CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, SAHMRI, North Terrace, Adelaide5000, Australia
| | - David N Cox
- Human Health, CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, SAHMRI, North Terrace, Adelaide5000, Australia
| | - Jillian Ryan
- Human Health, CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, SAHMRI, North Terrace, Adelaide5000, Australia
- BVA BDRC, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ian Gwilt
- UniSA Creative, The University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Aaron Davis
- UniSA Creative, The University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Paul Jansons
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Grant Brinkworth
- Human Health, CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, SAHMRI, North Terrace, Adelaide5000, Australia
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Sofis MJ, Lemley SM, Jacobson NC, Budney AJ. Initial evaluation of domain-specific episodic future thinking on delay discounting and cannabis use. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2022; 30:918-927. [PMID: 34096759 PMCID: PMC9214768 DOI: 10.1037/pha0000501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Episodic Future Thinking (EFT), mental simulation of personally relevant and positive future events, may modulate delay discounting (DD) in cannabis users. Whether EFT impacts cannabis use, whether DD mediates this effect, and whether EFT can be enhanced by prompting future events across specific life domains is unknown. Active, adult cannabis users (n = 90) recruited from Amazon mTurk and Qualtrics Panels were administered an Episodic Specificity Induction (ESI) to enhance quality of imagined events before being randomized to EFT, domain-specific-EFT (DS-EFT), or Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT). All participants created four, positive life events; DS-EFT participants imagined social, leisure, health, and financial events. Event-quality ratings were assessed (e.g., enjoyment). DD was assessed at baseline (Day 1), post-intervention (Days 2-4), and follow-up (Days 9-12). Cannabis use was assessed at baseline and follow-up. Differences in change in days and grams of cannabis use between conditions and mediation of changes in use by DD were examined. No differences in DD were observed between conditions. DS-EFT, but not EFT, showed significantly greater reductions in grams (d = .54) and days of cannabis use (d = .50) than ERT. DS-EFT and EFT demonstrated significantly greater event-quality ratings than ERT (ds > .55). EFT-based interventions showed potential for reducing cannabis use. Unexpectedly, effects on DD did not mediate this effect. Further testing with larger samples of cannabis users is needed to better understand EFT's mechanisms of action and determine optimal implementation strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sofis
- Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Center for Technology and Behavioral Health
| | - Shea M Lemley
- Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Center for Technology and Behavioral Health
| | - Nicholas C Jacobson
- Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Center for Technology and Behavioral Health
| | - Alan J Budney
- Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Center for Technology and Behavioral Health
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Rafei P, Rezapour T, Batouli SAH, Verdejo-García A, Lorenzetti V, Hatami J. How do cannabis users mentally travel in time? Evidence from an fMRI study of episodic future thinking. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:1441-1457. [PMID: 34694424 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-06002-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Episodic future thinking (EFT) is a cognitive function that allows individuals to imagine novel experiences that may happen in the future. Prior studies show that EFT is impaired in different groups of substance users. However, there is no evidence regarding the neurobiological mechanisms of EFT in cannabis users. OBJECTIVES We aimed to compare brain activations of regular cannabis users and non-using controls during an EFT fMRI task. Exploratory analyses were also conducted to investigate the association between EFT and cannabis use variables (e.g., duration of use, age onset, frequency of use). METHODS Twenty current cannabis users and 22 drug-naïve controls underwent an fMRI scanning session while completing a task involving envisioning future-related events and retrieval of past memories as a control condition. The EFT fMRI task was adapted from the autobiographical interview and composed of 20 auditory cue sentences (10 cues for past and 10 cues for future events). Participants were asked to recall a past or generate a future event, in response to the cues, and then rate their vividness after each response. RESULTS We found that cannabis users compared to non-user controls had lower activation within the cerebellum, medial and superior temporal gyrus, lateral occipital cortex, and occipital fusiform gyrus while envisioning future events. Cannabis users rated the vividness of past events significantly lower than non-users (P < 0.005). There were marginal group differences for rating the vividness of future events (P = 0.052). Significant correlations were also found between the medial and superior temporal gyrus activities and behavioral measures of EFT and episodic memory. CONCLUSIONS Cannabis users, compared to drug-naïve controls, have lower brain activation in EFT relevant regions. Thus, any attempts to improve aberrant EFT performance in cannabis users may benefit from EFT training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parnian Rafei
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tara Rezapour
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Sciences Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Amir Hossein Batouli
- Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Medical Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Antonio Verdejo-García
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Valentina Lorenzetti
- Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre, School of Behavioral & Health Sciences, Neuroscience of Addiction and Mental Health Program, Australian Catholic University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Javad Hatami
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
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10
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Waisman A, Pavlova M, Noel M, Katz J. Painful Reminders: Involvement of the Autobiographical Memory System in Pediatric Postsurgical Pain and the Transition to Chronicity. Can J Pain 2022; 6:121-141. [PMID: 35692557 PMCID: PMC9176239 DOI: 10.1080/24740527.2022.2058474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Waisman
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Maria Pavlova
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Melanie Noel
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Joel Katz
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
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Ji JL, Murphy FC, Grafton B, MacLeod C, Holmes EA. Emotional mental imagery generation during spontaneous future thinking: relationship with optimism and negative mood. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022; 86:617-626. [PMID: 33723673 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01501-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Optimism is known to buffer against negative mood. Thus, understanding the factors that contribute to individual variation in optimism may inform interventions for mood disorders. Preliminary evidence suggests that the generation of mental imagery-based representations of positive relative to negative future scenarios is related to optimism. This study investigated the hypothesis that an elevated tendency to generate positive relative to negative mental imagery during spontaneous future thinking would be associated with reduced negative mood via its relationship to higher optimism. Participants (N = 44) with varied levels of naturally occurring negative mood reported current levels of optimism and the real-time occurrence and characteristics of spontaneous thoughts during a sustained attention computer task. Consistent with hypotheses, higher optimism statistically mediated the relationship between a higher proportional frequency of positive relative to negative mental imagery during spontaneous future thinking and lower negative mood. Further, the relationship between emotional mental imagery and optimism was found for future, but not past, thinking, nor for verbal future or past thinking. Thus, a greater tendency to generate positive rather than negative imagery-based mental representations when spontaneously thinking about the future may influence how optimistic one feels, which in turn may influence one's experience of negative mood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie L Ji
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
| | - Fionnuala C Murphy
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ben Grafton
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Colin MacLeod
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Emily A Holmes
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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12
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van Genugten RD, Beaty RE, Madore KP, Schacter DL. Does Episodic Retrieval Contribute to Creative Writing? An Exploratory Study. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2021; 34:145-158. [PMID: 35814526 PMCID: PMC9267970 DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2021.1976451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Previous research indicates that episodic retrieval contributes to divergent creative thinking. However, this research has relied on standard laboratory tests of divergent creative thinking, such as generating creative uses for objects; it is unknown whether episodic retrieval also contributes to domain-specific forms of creativity. Here we start to explore whether episodic retrieval contributes to content generation on one such domain-specific task: creative writing. In two experiments, we use an episodic specificity induction (ESI) that selectively impacts tasks that draw on episodic retrieval. If episodic retrieval contributes to content generation during creative writing, then ESI should selectively increase the number of episodic details that people subsequently generate on a creative writing task. In our first experiment, we found evidence that ESI increased the number of episodic details participants generated. We observed a similar, though non-significant, trend in the second experiment. These findings constitute a starting point for examining the contribution of episodic retrieval to creative writing, but additional studies will be needed to more definitively characterize the nature and extent of these contributions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roger E Beaty
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Kevin P Madore
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Pighin S, Tentori K. The challenge of mental simulation in preference-sensitive treatment decisions. Transl Behav Med 2021; 11:276-278. [PMID: 31816031 DOI: 10.1093/tbm/ibz181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This commentary discusses the importance for preference-sensitive treatment decisions of episodic future thinking, which is the capacity to mentally simulate and pre-experience what might occur in one's personal future. Our aim is to call attention to this important topic since patients confronted with preference-sensitive treatment decisions could benefit from professional support that promotes the construction of comprehensive and detailed mental simulations of what might affect their future well-being and satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Pighin
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Katya Tentori
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, TN, Italy
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14
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Moradi AR, Piltan M, Choobin MH, Azadfallah P, Watson P, Dalgleish T, Hitchcock C. Proof of Concept for the Autobiographical Memory Flexibility (MemFlex) Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Clin Psychol Sci 2021; 9:686-698. [PMID: 34354873 PMCID: PMC8278548 DOI: 10.1177/2167702620982576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Autobiographical memory distortions are a key feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial (N = 43), we evaluated an autobiographical memory flexibility intervention, MemFlex. We aimed to determine whether the mechanism-focused intervention, which aims to improve autobiographical memory processes, may also affect other cognitive predictors of PTSD and potentially reduce PTSD symptoms in Iranian trauma survivors diagnosed with PTSD. Results indicated significant, moderate to large between-groups effect sizes in favor of MemFlex, relative to wait-list control, for the targeted cognitive mechanism of autobiographical memory flexibility and PTSD symptoms. A large, significant effect was also observed on maladaptive posttraumatic cognitions-a strong predictor of PTSD prognosis, which is a key target of high-intensity cognitive therapies for PTSD. Findings support future completion of a scaled-up trial to evaluate treatment efficacy of MemFlex for PTSD to determine whether MemFlex may offer a culturally adaptive, low-cost, low-intensity intervention able to improve cognitive mechanisms of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Reza Moradi
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Cognitive Sciences Studies, Kharazmi University
| | - Maryam Piltan
- Department of Psychology, Tarbiat Modares University
| | | | | | - Peter Watson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | - Tim Dalgleish
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridgeshire, England
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15
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Hitchcock C, Smith AJ, Elliott R, O'Leary C, Gormley S, Parker J, Patel SD, Esteves CV, Rodrigues E, Hammond E, Watson P, Werner-Seidler A, Dalgleish T. A randomized, controlled proof-of-concept trial evaluating durable effects of memory flexibility training (MemFlex) on autobiographical memory distortions and on relapse of recurrent major depressive disorder over 12 months. Behav Res Ther 2021; 140:103835. [PMID: 33691266 PMCID: PMC8047774 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Low-intensity psychological interventions that target cognitive risk factors for depressive relapse may improve access to relapse prevention programs and thereby reduce subsequent risk. This study provides the first evaluation of an autobiographical memory-based intervention for relapse prevention, to establish whether memory-training programs that are efficacious for acute depression may also aid those currently in remission. We also provide the longest follow-up to-date of the effects of autobiographical memory training on autobiographical memory processes themselves. This pre-registered randomized-controlled proof-of-concept trial (N = 74) compared an autobiographical Memory Flexibility (MemFlex) intervention to Psychoeducation about cognitive-behavioral mechanisms which maintain depression. Both interventions were primarily self-guided, and delivered via paper workbooks completed over four weeks. The key cognitive outcome was ability to retrieve and alternate between specific and general autobiographical memories. Co-primary clinical outcomes were time until depressive relapse and depression-free days in the twelve-months following intervention. Results indicated a small-moderate effect size (d = 0.35) in favor of MemFlex for the cognitive outcome. A small Hazard Ratio (1.08) was observed for time until depressive relapse, along with a negligible effect size for depression-free days (d = 0.11). Although MemFlex produced long-term improvement in memory retrieval skills, there was little support for MemFlex as a relapse prevention program for depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin Hitchcock
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK.
| | - Alicia J Smith
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Rachel Elliott
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Cliodhna O'Leary
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Siobhan Gormley
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Jenna Parker
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Shivam D Patel
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Carlos V Esteves
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Evangeline Rodrigues
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Emily Hammond
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK; University of Exeter, UK
| | - Peter Watson
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Tim Dalgleish
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, UK
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16
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Abstract
Humanity has regarded itself as intellectually superior to other species for millennia, yet human cognitive uniqueness remains poorly understood. Here, we evaluate candidate traits plausibly underlying our distinctive cognition (including mental time travel, tool use, problem solving, social cognition, and communication) as well as domain generality, and we consider how human cognitive uniqueness may have evolved. We conclude that there are no traits present in humans and absent in other animals that in isolation explain our species' superior cognitive performance; rather, there are many cognitive domains in which humans possess unusually potent capabilities compared to those found in other species. Humans are flexible cognitive all-rounders, whose proficiency arises through interactions and reinforcement between cognitive domains at multiple scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Laland
- School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9ST, United Kingdom;
| | - Amanda Seed
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, United Kingdom
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17
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Sofis MJ, Lemley SM, Budney AJ. The Effects of Cannabis Use Frequency and Episodic Specificity Training on the Recall of Specific and Rewarding Events. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:643819. [PMID: 34305665 PMCID: PMC8292719 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.643819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Growing evidence implicates subjective episodic memory, the retrieval of detailed, integrated, and personally relevant past events, as a marker of cognitive vulnerability in mental disorders. Frequent and problematic cannabis use is associated with deficits in objective episodic memory (verbal memory), but the relationship between subjective episodic memory deficits and frequency of cannabis use is unknown. Further, whether a brief intervention designed to enhance the specificity of event retrieval, such as the Episodic Specificity Induction (ESI), might effectively target such deficits among regular cannabis users is unexamined. This study was designed to examine subjective episodic memory as a potential marker of cognitive vulnerability among frequent cannabis users. Methods: Active cannabis users (n = 133) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk or Qualtrics Panels were randomized to receive an ESI-control or ESI session and were separated into those who used cannabis 1-25 days in the past month (low to moderate frequency group) and those who used 26-30 days (high frequency group), which facilitated a low to moderate use/ESI-control group (n = 78), low to moderate use/ESI group (n =15), high-use/ESI-control group (n = 20), and high-use/ESI group (n = 20). Following the ESI or ESI-control intervention, participants selected four, positive events from the prior day, described the who, what, and where of the events, and rated how specific (vividness) and rewarding (enjoyable, importance, and exciting) each event was on a 0-100 scale. Four two-way ANCOVAs (demographics and problematic cannabis use covariates) were performed to examine the effects of frequency of cannabis use group and ESI group on the specificity and reward ratings. Results: Lower vividness and excitement ratings were reported for those with high relative to low to moderate cannabis use frequency patterns (p < 0.05). Those who received ESI reported greater vividness, excitement, and importance ratings than the ESI-control group (p < 0.01). No significant interactions between frequency and ESI were found. Conclusion: Findings from the current exploratory study provide initial evidence suggesting that more frequent cannabis use may be associated with the retrieval of less specific and rewarding events relative to less frequent users. Further, ESI may improve such deficits. Future studies that recruit larger and more clinically serious samples of cannabis users appear warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sofis
- Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Shea M Lemley
- Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Alan J Budney
- Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, United States
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18
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Brunette AM, Schacter DL. Cognitive mechanisms of episodic simulation in psychiatric populations. Behav Res Ther 2020; 136:103778. [PMID: 33338778 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Episodic simulation is the construction of a mental representation of a specific autobiographical future event. Episodic simulation has increasingly been studied in psychiatric populations. Here we 1) review evidence indicating that episodic simulation is compromised in patients with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and PTSD; and 2) consider several potential cognitive mechanisms of episodic simulation in psychiatric populations: episodic retrieval, scene construction, mental imagery, components of the CaRFAX model (i.e., capture and rumination, functional avoidance, and executive functioning), and narrative style. We evaluate evidence regarding these mechanisms across psychiatric populations, and identify areas of future research. Understanding the factors that contribute to episodic simulation impairment in psychiatric populations may lead to targeted and effective treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Brunette
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Psychology Service, 150 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, United States.
| | - Daniel L Schacter
- Harvard University, Department of Psychology, William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States.
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19
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Kluen LM, Dandolo LC, Jocham G, Schwabe L. Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Enables Updating of Established Memories. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:4154-4168. [PMID: 30535262 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Updating established memories in light of new information is fundamental for memory to guide future behavior. However, little is known about the brain mechanisms by which existing memories can be updated. Here, we combined functional magnetic resonance imaging and multivariate representational similarity analysis to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the updating of consolidated memories. To this end, participants first learned face-city name pairs. Twenty-four hours later, while lying in the MRI scanner, participants were required to update some of these associations, but not others, and to encode entirely new pairs. Updating success was tested again 24 h later. Our results showed increased activity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) specifically during the updating of existing associations that was significantly stronger than when simple retrieval or new encoding was required. The updating-related activity of the dlPFC and its functional connectivity with the hippocampus were directly linked to updating success. Furthermore, neural similarity for updated items was markedly higher in the dlPFC and this increase in dlPFC neural similarity distinguished individuals with high updating performance from those with low updating performance. Together, these findings suggest a key role of the dlPFC, presumably in interaction with the hippocampus, in the updating of established memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Marieke Kluen
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lisa Catherine Dandolo
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Jocham
- Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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20
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Gaesser B. Episodic mindreading: Mentalizing guided by scene construction of imagined and remembered events. Cognition 2020; 203:104325. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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21
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Acevedo-Molina MC, Novak AW, Gregoire LM, Mann LG, Andrews-Hanna JR, Grilli MD. Emotion matters: The influence of valence on episodic future thinking in young and older adults. Conscious Cogn 2020; 85:103023. [PMID: 32979619 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2020.103023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In young adults, valence not only alters the degree to which future events are imagined in rich episodic detail, but also how memorable these events are later on. For older adults, how valence influences episodic detail generation while imagining future events, or recalling these details at another time, remains unclear. We investigated the effect of valence on the specificity and memorability of episodic future thinking (EFT) in young and older adults. Among young and older adults, negative EFT was accompanied by less episodic detail generation relative to positive and neutral EFT. A similar reduction in episodic specificity for negative EFT was found two days later when participants recalled their previously imagined events. Notably, while older adults generated less episodically specific future thoughts relative to young adults, age did not influence the effect of valence on episodic detail generation at imagination or recollection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Leah G Mann
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Jessica R Andrews-Hanna
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Cognitive Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Matthew D Grilli
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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22
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情节模拟对预期伴侣反应性及依恋安全感的影响. ACTA PSYCHOLOGICA SINICA 2020. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1041.2020.00982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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23
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Abstract
Although many simulations draw upon only one level of abstraction, the process for generating rich simulations requires a dynamic interplay between abstract and concrete knowledge. A complete model of simulation must account for a mind and brain that can bridge the perceptual with the conceptual, the episodic with the semantic, and the concrete with the abstract.
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24
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Ji JL, Meyer MJ, Teachman BA. Facilitating Episodic Simulation in Anxiety: Role of Sensory Scaffolding and Scenario Modality. Int J Cogn Ther 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s41811-020-00070-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
AbstractCognitive bias modification of interpretation style (CBM-I) is a family of cognitive training programs that seek to reduce anxious thinking by training people to assign relatively more positive meanings to ambiguous situations. CBM-I’s effects may be enhanced by encouraging more vivid imagery-based episodic simulation of events and by increasing engagement with the training materials. This study investigated the role of sensory scaffolding (whether pictures, or pictures + sound were added) and verbal scenario modality (whether scenarios were delivered visually or aurally) on episodic simulation (Vivid; Plausible; Changing Perspective ratings) and user engagement (Relatable, Comprehensible, Enjoyable ratings). Amazon Mechanical Turk workers (N = 187) with varied anxiety symptom severity read or listened to brief scenarios that varied by sensory scaffolding and verbal scenario modality. Results were somewhat mixed. Generally, picture scaffolding tended to facilitate both episodic simulation and user engagement (relative to no scaffolding), irrespective of scenario modality and anxiety level.
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25
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Bulley A, Schacter DL. Deliberating trade-offs with the future. Nat Hum Behav 2020; 4:238-247. [PMID: 32184495 PMCID: PMC7147875 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0834-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Many fundamental choices in life are intertemporal: they involve trade-offs between sooner and later outcomes. In recent years there has been a surge of interest into how people make intertemporal decisions, given that such decisions are ubiquitous in everyday life and central in domains from substance use to climate change action. While it is clear that people make decisions according to rules, intuitions and habits, they also commonly deliberate over their options, thinking through potential outcomes and reflecting on their own preferences. In this Perspective, we bring to bear recent research into the higher-order capacities that underpin deliberation-particularly those that enable people to think about the future (prospection) and their own thinking (metacognition)-to shed light on intertemporal decision-making. We show how a greater appreciation for these mechanisms of deliberation promises to advance our understanding of intertemporal decision-making and unify a wide range of otherwise disparate choice phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Bulley
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- The University of Sydney, School of Psychology and Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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26
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Sofis MJ, Lemley SM, Lee DC, Budney AJ. A web-based episodic specificity and future thinking session modulates delay discounting in cannabis users. PSYCHOLOGY OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 2020; 34:532-540. [PMID: 31999170 DOI: 10.1037/adb0000557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Episodic future thinking (EFT), a brief intervention involving mental simulation of positive future events, improves delay discounting (DD) in nicotine and alcohol dependent individuals. This study is the first to assess effects of a single-session, online episodic training (ET) on constructs that might impact cannabis use and cannabis use disorder. A sample of 200 active cannabis users recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk were randomized to an EFT group (n = 102) or an episodic recent thinking control group (ERT; n = 98). A novel episodic specificity induction (ES) was included to enhance quality of episodic thinking for the ET group, and an ES attention control was provided to the ERT group (control training group; CT). Quality and manipulation ratings of event excitement, vividness, importance, and enjoyment of trainings were collected in addition to DD tasks (gains and losses) and readiness to change cannabis use. The ET group reported higher overall quality and manipulation ratings than did the CT group (p < .001, d = 0.79). DD of gains was lower in the ET relative to those of the CT group after controlling for relevant variables (p = .003, d = 0.48), unlike DD of losses (p = .50, d = 0.11). The ET group showed larger pre/post increases in readiness to change, but they were not statistically significant (p = .069, d = 0.26). These effects, following a session of online ET, suggests that ET may positively impact factors related to reduction in cannabis use. Differential effects of EFT and ES components on DD and the development of ET as an adjunctive mHealth intervention targeting reduction in cannabis use appears warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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27
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Redshaw J, Suddendorf T. Temporal Junctures in the Mind. Trends Cogn Sci 2019; 24:52-64. [PMID: 31870541 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Humans can imagine what happened in the past and what will happen in the future, but also what did not happen and what might happen. We reflect on envisioned events from alternative timelines, while knowing that we only ever live on one timeline. Considering alternative timelines rests on representations of temporal junctures, or points in time at which possible versions of reality diverge. These representations become increasingly sophisticated over childhood, first enabling preparation for mutually exclusive future possibilities and later the experience of counterfactual emotions like regret. By contrast, it remains unclear whether non-human animals represent temporal junctures at all. The emergence of these representations may have been a prime mover in human evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Redshaw
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Thomas Suddendorf
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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28
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Thakral PP, Madore KP, Schacter DL. The core episodic simulation network dissociates as a function of subjective experience and objective content. Neuropsychologia 2019; 136:107263. [PMID: 31743681 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Episodic simulation - the mental construction of a possible future event - has been consistently associated with enhanced activity in a set of neural regions referred to as the core network. In the current functional neuroimaging study, we assessed whether members of the core network are differentially associated with the subjective experience of future events (i.e., vividness) versus the objective content comprising those events (i.e., the amount of episodic details). During scanning, participants imagined future events in response to object cues. On each trial, participants rated the subjective vividness associated with each future event. Participants completed a post-scan interview where they viewed each object cue from the scanner and verbally reported whatever they had thought about. For imagined events, we quantified the number of episodic or internal details in accordance with the Autobiographical Interview (i.e., who, what, when, and where details of each central event). To test whether core network regions are differentially associated with subjective experience or objective episodic content, imagined future events were sorted as a function of their rated vividness or the amount of episodic detail. Univariate analyses revealed that some regions of the core network were uniquely sensitive to the vividness of imagined future events, including the hippocampus (i.e., high > low vividness), whereas other regions, such as the lateral parietal cortex, were sensitive to the amount of episodic detail in the event (i.e., high > low episodic details). The present results indicate that members of the core network support distinct episodic simulation-related processes.
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29
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Barry TJ, Hallford DJ, Del Rey F, Ricarte JJ. Differential associations between impaired autobiographical memory recall and future thinking in people with and without schizophrenia. BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 59:154-168. [PMID: 31584204 DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tom J. Barry
- Department of Psychology The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
- Department of Psychology The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience King's College London UK
| | | | - Francisco Del Rey
- Regional Ministry for Social Welfare of Castilla‐La Mancha Albacete Spain
| | - Jorge J. Ricarte
- Department of Psychology Faculty of Medicine University of Castilla‐La Mancha Albacete Spain
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30
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Thakral PP, Madore KP, Devitt AL, Schacter DL. Adaptive constructive processes: An episodic specificity induction impacts false recall in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm. J Exp Psychol Gen 2019; 148:1480-1493. [PMID: 30829522 PMCID: PMC6715504 DOI: 10.1037/xge0000577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies indicate that an episodic specificity induction (ESI)-brief training in recollecting the details of a past experience-enhances performance on subsequent tasks that rely on episodic retrieval, including autobiographical memory, imagination, problem solving, and creative thinking. In 5 experiments, we examined whether these benefits of the ESI extend to reducing susceptibility to false memory, or whether they are accompanied by a cost in the form of increased susceptibility to false memory. To assess how ESI impacts false memory generation, we used the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm, a reliable procedure for generating false memories. When an ESI was administered after DRM list presentation and just before a free recall test, rates of false recall for critical lures were significantly enhanced relative to a control induction. These findings support the hypothesis that ESI operates to boost recollection of illusory episodic details associated with critical lures in the DRM, and suggest that constructive rather than reproductive episodic retrieval processes support the wide-ranging effects of ESI on a range of cognitive tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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31
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Elton A, Stanger C, James GA, Ryan-Pettes S, Budney A, Kilts CD. Intertemporal decision-making-related brain states predict adolescent drug abuse intervention responses. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 24:101968. [PMID: 31404876 PMCID: PMC6699467 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Adolescent drug misuse represents a major risk factor for long-term drug use disorders. However, wide individual differences in responses to first-line behavioral therapies targeting adolescent drug misuse limit critical early intervention. Identifying the neural signatures of those adolescents most likely to respond to an intervention would potentially guide personalized strategies for reducing drug misuse. Prior to a 14-week evidence-based intervention involving combinations of contingency management, motivational enhancement, and cognitive behavioral therapy, thirty adolescent alcohol and/or cannabis users underwent fMRI while performing a reward delay discounting (DD) task tapping an addiction-related cognition. Intervention responses were longitudinally characterized by both urinalysis and self-report measures of the percentage of days used during treatment and in post-treatment follow-up. Group independent component analysis (ICA) of task fMRI data identified neural processing networks related to DD task performance. Separate measures of wholesale recruitment during immediate reward choices and within-network functional connectivity among selective networks significantly predicted intervention-related changes in drug misuse frequency. Specifically, heightened pre-intervention engagement of a temporal lobe "reward motivation" network for impulsive choices on the DD task predicted poorer intervention outcomes, while modes of functional connectivity within the reward motivation network, a prospection network, and a posterior insula network demonstrated robust associations with intervention outcomes. Finally, the pre-intervention functional organization of the prospection network also predicted post-intervention drug use behaviors for up to 6 months of follow-up. Multiple functional variations in the neural processing networks supporting preference for immediate and future rewards signal individual differences in readiness to benefit from an effective behavioral therapy for reducing adolescent drug misuse. The implications for efforts to boost therapy responses are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Elton
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Alan Budney
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, USA
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32
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Exercise and Episodic Specificity Induction on Episodic Memory Function. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 55:medicina55080422. [PMID: 31370283 PMCID: PMC6723359 DOI: 10.3390/medicina55080422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Background and objectives: Episodic specific induction (ESI) is a manipulation shown to enhance episodic memory function. Episodic specificity induction involves thoroughly unpacking a recently encoded memory, with this enhanced retrieval-induced process helping to facilitate subsequent cognitions. In addition to ESI, emerging work suggests that acute exercise may also help to facilitate episodic memory function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential individual and combined effects of acute exercise and ESI on subsequent episodic memory performance. Materials and Methods: Participants (n = 120) were randomly assigned into one of four groups, (1) ESI and exercise (ESI + E), (2) ESI only (ESI), (3) exercise only (E), and (4) no ESI and no exercise (Control; C). The ESI protocol involved watching a short video and then recalling details about the setting, people, and actions in the video. The exercise protocol involved an acute bout (15 min) of treadmill exercise. After these tasks, episodic memory function was evaluated with an autobiographical interview assessment and a computerized episodic memory task involving what–where–when integration. Results: We did not observe significant main effects for exercise or ESI on memory function but did observe some suggestive evidence of an interaction effect of these two parameters on episodic memory. That is, for the exercise group, memory performance was higher when combined with ESI as opposed to without ESI. Conclusions: Acute exercise and ESI may interact to influence episodic memory function.
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33
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Hitchcock C, Rudokaite J, Patel S, Smith A, Kuhn I, Watkins E, Dalgleish T. Role of autobiographical memory in patient response to cognitive behavioural therapies for depression: protocol of an individual patient data meta-analysis. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e031110. [PMID: 31196907 PMCID: PMC6575822 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cognitive behavioural therapies (CBTs) are one of the most effective treatments for major depression. However, ~50% of individuals do not adequately respond to intervention and of those who do remit from a depressive episode, over 50% will experience later relapse. Identification of patient-level factors which moderate treatment response may ultimately help to identify cognitive barriers that could be targeted to improve treatment efficacy. This individual patient data meta-analysis explores one such potential moderator-the ability to retrieve specific, detailed memories of the autobiographical past-as cognitive-based therapeutic techniques draw heavily on the ability to use specific autobiographical information to challenge the dysfunctional beliefs which drive depression. METHODS AND ANALYSIS We have formed a collaborative network which will contribute known datasets. This will be supplemented by datasets identified through literature searches in Medline, PsycInfo, Web of Science, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and WHO trials database between December 2018 and February 2019. Inclusion criteria are delivery of a cognitive or cognitive behavioural therapy for major depression, and measurement of autobiographical memory retrieval at preintervention. Primary outcomes are depressive symptoms and clinician-rated diagnostic status at postintervention, along with autobiographical memory specificity at postintervention. Secondary outcomes will consider each of these variables at follow-up. All analyses will be completed using random-effects models employing restricted maximum likelihood estimation. Risk of bias in included studies will be measured using the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Study results will contribute to better understanding of the role of autobiographical memory in patient response to CBTs, and may help to inform personalised medicine approaches to treatment of depression. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42018109673.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin Hitchcock
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Judita Rudokaite
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shivam Patel
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alicia Smith
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Isla Kuhn
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Tim Dalgleish
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Purkart R, Versace R, Vallet GT. "Does It Improve the Mind's Eye?": Sensorimotor Simulation in Episodic Event Construction. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1403. [PMID: 31244746 PMCID: PMC6581725 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Memories are not frozen in the past. Instead, they can be dynamically combined to allow individuals to adapt to the present or even imagine the future. This recombination, called event construction, also means that it might be possible to improve memory through specific interventions such as episodic specificity induction (ESI). ESI provides brief training in recollecting the details of a past event that boosts the retrieval of specific details in subsequent tasks if these tasks involve the recombination of memories. However, very little is known about how event construction is accomplished, and this is essential if we are (1) to understand how episodic memory might work and (2) to promote a specific mechanism that will help people remember the past better. The present study assesses the sensorimotor simulation hypothesis, which has been proposed within the embodied approaches to cognition. According to these approaches, access to and the recombination of memories occur through the simulation of the sensory and motor propreties of our past experiences. This hypothesis was tested using a sensory interference paradigm. In a first phase, the participants watched videos and then received a specificity or a control induction. In a second phase, they described their memories of the videos while simultaneously viewing an interfering stimulus (dynamic visual noise; DVN) or a gray control screen. In line with a sensorimotor simulation account, the presentation of a DVN during the description of the videos led to a decrease in the number of internal details (details specific to the event) only after the specificity induction rather than the control induction. The findings provide evidence that the specificity induction targets and facilitates the sensorimotor simulation mechanism, thus confirming the crucial involvement of a mechanism of this sort in the constructive functioning of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudy Purkart
- EA 3082, Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France
| | - Rémy Versace
- EA 3082, Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France
| | - Guillaume T. Vallet
- CNRS UMR 6024, Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Barry TJ, Sze WY, Raes F. A meta-analysis and systematic review of Memory Specificity Training (MeST) in the treatment of emotional disorders. Behav Res Ther 2019; 116:36-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Hitchcock C, Rodrigues E, Rees C, Gormley S, Dritschel B, Dalgleish T. Misremembrance of Things Past: Depression Is Associated With Difficulties in the Recollection of Both Specific and Categoric Autobiographical Memories. Clin Psychol Sci 2019; 7:693-700. [PMID: 32655985 PMCID: PMC7324083 DOI: 10.1177/2167702619826967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Impaired retrieval of specific, autobiographical memories of personally
experienced events is characteristic of major depressive disorder (MDD).
However, findings in subclinical samples suggest that the reduced specificity
phenomenon may reflect a broader impairment in the deliberate retrieval of all
autobiographical memory types. This experiment (N = 68)
explored this possibility by requiring individuals with and without MDD to
complete a cued-recall task that required retrieval of specific, single-incident
memories to a block of cues; retrieval of categoric, general memories to a block
of cues; and to alternate between retrieval of specific and general memories for
a block of cues. Results demonstrated that relative to never-depressed controls,
individuals with MDD experience reduced recall of both specific
(d = 0.48) and general memories (d = 1.00)
along with reduced flexibility in alternating between specific and general
memories (d = 0.90). Findings support further development of
autobiographical memory–based interventions that target a range of retrieval
deficits rather than specificity alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin Hitchcock
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge.,Cambridgeshire and Peterborough National Health Service Foundation Trust
| | - Evangeline Rodrigues
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | - Catrin Rees
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | - Siobhan Gormley
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | | | - Tim Dalgleish
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge.,Cambridgeshire and Peterborough National Health Service Foundation Trust
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Madore KP, Jing HG, Schacter DL. Episodic specificity induction and scene construction: Evidence for an event construction account. Conscious Cogn 2018; 68:1-11. [PMID: 30576961 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Research has suggested that an episodic specificity induction (ESI)- training in recollecting details of a past event- impacts subsequent memory, imagination, problem solving, and creativity. We have hypothesized that induction effects may be attributable to event construction- the assembly and maintenance of a mental scenario filled with setting, people, and action details. We examine whether ESI impacts metrics of event detail in a standard scene construction task, which is a paradigm focused on the spatial integrity of a mental scenario and the stage upon or setting in which such a scenario occurs. Relative to a control, ESI significantly increased details generated across all categories of event detail in scene construction, including spatial references, entities present, sensory descriptions, and thoughts/emotions/actions. ESI did not influence scores on the Spatial Coherence Index, a critical measure of spatial processing. These findings inform theoretical and functional accounts of the nature and malleability of constructive retrieval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin P Madore
- Stanford University, Dept. of Psychology, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Helen G Jing
- Harvard University, Dept. of Psychology, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Daniel L Schacter
- Harvard University, Dept. of Psychology, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Schacter DL. Implicit Memory, Constructive Memory, and Imagining the Future: A Career Perspective. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2018; 14:256-272. [PMID: 30517833 DOI: 10.1177/1745691618803640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In this article I discuss some of the major questions, findings, and ideas that have driven my research program, which has examined various aspects of human memory using a combination of cognitive, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging approaches. I do so from a career perspective that describes important scientific influences that have shaped my approach to the study of memory and discusses considerations that led to choosing specific research paths. After acknowledging key early influences, I briefly summarize a few of the main takeaways from research on implicit memory during the 1980s and 1990s and then move on to consider more recent ideas and findings concerning constructive memory, future imagining, and mental simulation that have motivated my approach for the past 2 decades. A main unifying theme of this research is that memory can affect psychological functions in ways that go beyond the simple everyday understanding of memory as a means of revisiting past experiences.
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Beaty RE, Thakral PP, Madore KP, Benedek M, Schacter DL. Core Network Contributions to Remembering the Past, Imagining the Future, and Thinking Creatively. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:1939-1951. [PMID: 30125219 PMCID: PMC6382608 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The core network refers to a set of neural regions that have been consistently associated with episodic memory retrieval and episodic future simulation. This network is thought to support the constructive thought processes that allow the retrieval and flexible combination of stored information to reconstruct past and construct novel future experiences. Recent behavioral research points to an overlap between these constructive processes and those also engaged during divergent thinking-the ability to think creatively and generate novel ideas-but the extent to which they involve common neural correlates remains unclear. Using fMRI, we sought to address this question by assessing brain activity as participants recalled past experiences, simulated future experiences, or engaged in divergent thinking. Consistent with past work, we found that episodic retrieval and future simulation activated the core network compared with a semantic control condition. Critically, a triple conjunction of episodic retrieval, future simulation, and divergent thinking revealed common engagement of core network regions, including the bilateral hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus, as well as other regions involved in memory retrieval (inferior frontal gyrus) and mental imagery (middle occipital gyrus). The results provide further insight into the roles of the hippocampus and the core network in episodic memory retrieval, future simulation, and divergent thinking and extend recent work highlighting the involvement of constructive episodic processes in creative cognition.
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40
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Redshaw J, Leamy T, Pincus P, Suddendorf T. Young children's capacity to imagine and prepare for certain and uncertain future outcomes. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202606. [PMID: 30180188 PMCID: PMC6122780 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study used a minimalist paradigm to examine young children's capacity to imagine and prepare for certain and uncertain immediate future outcomes. In a counterbalanced order, 2.5-year-old children (N = 32) completed twelve trials each of two tasks: (1) the forked tube task, which assessed their ability to cover two possible tube exits to ensure they would catch a single target with an uncertain future trajectory, and (2) the double tube task, which assessed their ability to cover two separate tube exits to ensure they would catch two targets with certain future trajectories. Even though the optimal preparatory action was the same across both tasks, children were much more likely to spontaneously and consistently demonstrate this action in the double tube task than the forked tube task. Children's responses were unaffected by the number of targets seen in the demonstration phase, and instead appeared to be based on the particular contingencies of each apparatus. These results are consistent with the possibility that young children specifically struggle to imagine and prepare for mutually exclusive versions of uncertain future events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Redshaw
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Talia Leamy
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Phoebe Pincus
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Thomas Suddendorf
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
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Madore KP, Jing HG, Schacter DL. Selective effects of specificity inductions on episodic details: evidence for an event construction account. Memory 2018; 27:250-260. [PMID: 30024835 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2018.1502322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Prior research has suggested that an episodic specificity induction - brief training in recollecting the details of a past event - affects downstream performance on remembering past and imagining future events, solving problems, and thinking creatively. We have hypothesised that a process common to these tasks that the induction may target is event construction - assembling and maintaining a mental scenario filled with details related to settings, people, and actions. We test this hypothesis by having participants receive a memory specificity induction, imagination specificity induction, or control induction not requiring event construction prior to memory and imagination tasks that involve event construction, and a picture description task that involves describing but not mentally constructing an event. We predicted that induction effects would be specific to episodic detail production on subsequent memory and imagination because these details assay critical elements of a constructed event. In line with an event construction account, the two specificity inductions produced significant and indistinguishable increases in the number of episodic - but not semantic - details generated during memory and imagination relative to the control. Induction did not increase detail generation on picture description. The findings provide novel evidence that event construction is a key process targeted by specificity inductions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin P Madore
- a Department of Psychology , Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA
| | - Helen G Jing
- b Department of Psychology , Harvard University , Cambridge , MA , USA
| | - Daniel L Schacter
- b Department of Psychology , Harvard University , Cambridge , MA , USA
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42
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Erten MN, Brown AD. Memory Specificity Training for Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Promising Therapeutic Intervention. Front Psychol 2018; 9:419. [PMID: 29666598 PMCID: PMC5892288 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mina N Erten
- Department of Psychology, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, United States
| | - Adam D Brown
- Department of Psychology, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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Spreng RN, Madore KP, Schacter DL. Better imagined: Neural correlates of the episodic simulation boost to prospective memory performance. Neuropsychologia 2018; 113:22-28. [PMID: 29572062 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 03/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Episodic simulation is an adaptive process that can support goal-directed activity and planning success. We investigated the neural architecture associated with the episodic simulation improvement to the likelihood of carrying out future actions by isolating the brain regions associated with this facilitation in a prospective memory paradigm. Participants performed a lexical decision task by making word/non-word judgments, with rarely occurring prospective memory target words requiring a pre-specified manual response. Prior to scanning, participants were given exposure to two lists of prospective memory targets: animals and tools. In a fully counterbalanced design, participants generated a rhyme to one target list and imagined their subsequent encounter (episodic simulation) with target words on the other list. Replicating prior behavioral work, episodic simulation improved subsequent prospective memory performance. Brain activation was assessed in a multivariate partial least squares analysis. Relative to lexical decision blocks with no prospective memory demand, sustained prospective memory replicated prior observations of frontal polar activation. Critically, maintaining the intention to respond to simulated targets, over and above rhyme targets, engaged middle frontal and angular gyri, and medial parietal and prefrontal cortices. Transient activity associated with prospective memory target hits revealed activation for simulated targets in medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, lateral temporal lobe and inferior parietal lobule. In contrast, rhyme target hits engaged more left lateralized dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior insula. Episodic simulation, thus effectively shifts executive control strategy and boosts task performance. These results are consistent with a growing body of evidence implicating executive control and default network region interactions in adaptive, goal-directed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Human Neuroscience Institute, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Kevin P Madore
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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44
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St-Amand D, Sheldon S, Otto AR. Modulating Episodic Memory Alters Risk Preference during Decision-making. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:1433-1441. [PMID: 29488847 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
When choosing between options that vary in risk, we often rely on our experience with options-our episodic memories-to make that choice. Although episodic memory has been demonstrated to be critically involved in value-based decision-making, it is not clear how these memory processes contribute to decision-making that involves risk. To investigate this issue, we tested a group of participants on a repeated-choice risky decision-making task. Before completing this task, half of the participants were given a well-validated episodic induction task-a brief training procedure in recollecting the details of a past experience-known to engage episodic memory processes, and the other half were given a general impressions induction task. Our main finding was that risk-taking following the general impressions induction task was significantly lower than following the episodic induction task. In a follow-up experiment, we tested risk-taking in another group of participants without any prior induction task and found that risk-taking from this no-induction (baseline) group was more similar to the episodic induction than to the general impression group. Overall, these findings suggest engaging episodic memory processes when learning about decision outcomes can alter apparent risk-taking behavior in decision-making from experience.
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45
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Cao X, Madore KP, Wang D, Schacter DL. Remembering the past and imagining the future: attachment effects on production of episodic details in close relationships. Memory 2018; 26:1140-1150. [PMID: 29400595 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2018.1434800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Attachment theories and studies have shown that Internal Working Models (IWMs) can impact autobiographical memory and future-oriented information processing relevant to close relationships. According to the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis (CESH), both remembering the past and imagining the future rely on episodic memory. We hypothesised that one way IWMs may bridge past experiences and future adaptations is via episodic memory. The present study investigated the association between attachment and episodic specificity in attachment-relevant and attachment-irrelevant memory and imagination among young and older adults. We measured the attachment style of 37 young adults and 40 older adults, and then asked them to remember or imagine attachment-relevant and attachment-irrelevant events. Participants' narratives were coded for internal details (i.e., episodic) and external details (e.g., semantic, repetitions). The results showed that across age group, secure individuals generated more internal details and fewer external details in attachment-relevant tasks compared to attachment-irrelevant tasks; these differences were not observed in insecure individuals. These findings support the CESH and provide a new perspective to understand the function of IWMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiancai Cao
- a Institute of Developmental Psychology , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , People's Republic of China
| | - Kevin P Madore
- b Department of Psychology , Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA
| | - Dahua Wang
- a Institute of Developmental Psychology , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , People's Republic of China
| | - Daniel L Schacter
- c Department of Psychology , Harvard University , Cambridge , MA , USA
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