Successfully controlling intrusive memories is harder when control must be sustained

After unpleasant events, people often experience intrusive memories that undermine their peace of mind. In response, they often suppress these unwanted memories from awareness. Such efforts may fail, however, when inhibitory control demands are high due to the need to sustain control, or when fatigue compromises inhibitory capacity. Here we examined how sustained inhibitory demand affected intrusive memories in the Think/No-Think paradigm. To isolate intrusions, participants reported, trial-by-trial, whether their preceding attempt to suppress retrieval had triggered retrieval of the memory they intended to suppress. Such counter-intentional retrievals provide a laboratory model of the sort of involuntary retrieval that may underlie intrusive memories. Using this method, we found that longer duration trials increased the probability of an intrusion. Moreover, on later No-Think trials, control over intrusions suddenly declined, with longer trial durations triggering more relapses of items that had been previously been purged. Thus, the challenges of controlling retrieval appear to cause a decline in control over time, due to a change in state, such as fatigue. These findings raise the possibility that characteristics often true of people with psychiatric disorders – such as compromised sleep, and increased demand on control – may contribute to difficulties in suppressing intrusive memories.     

不同反应重复量对反应抑制后效应的影响*

研究不同反应重复量对反应抑制后效应的影响。采用停止信号范式,让被试完成不同反应重复量的反应抑制任务。结果显示,总的来说反应重复量因素和重复类型因素的主效应都显著;信号抑制条件下重复一次后比重复三次后无信号试次反应时要显著地长,但都与总的无信号试次反应时没有显著差异;信号反应条件下重复三次后与重复一次后无信号试次反应时没有显著差异,但都比总的无信号试次反应时显著地长。结果表明,不同反应重复量反应抑制后效应在信号抑制条件下既有认知控制调整也有自动化记忆提取,在信号反应条件下仅存在认知控制的执行加工。     

Prospective Memory

ABSTRACT— An interesting challenge for researchers who study prospective memory is to explain how people recognize environmental events as cues for actions. Whereas some theorists propose that a capacity-consuming monitoring process is the only means by which intentions can be retrieved, we argue that the cognitive system relies on multiple processes, including spontaneous processes that reflexively respond to the presence of target events. We present evidence for the existence of spontaneous retrieval processes and apply the idea of multiple processes to mixed findings on age-related decline in prospective memory.     

抑制机制发展研究述评

近年来,抑制机制的发展问题已成为认知心理学界研究的热点问题之一。本文主要从儿童早期抑制发展和抑制机制老化两方面介绍了抑制机制发展研究的新进展,并阐述了目前抑制研究领域中存在的问题和不足之处。     

不同程度隐私信息有意遗忘效应的实验研究

以三种不同水平的隐私信息为目标信息,模拟员工招聘情境,采用类似字表的研究范式,探讨了大学生被试对不同程度隐私信息的有意遗忘特点。结果发现：①在模拟员工招聘过程中,实验条件效应显著;②被试对高隐私信息的编码比低隐私信息编码更为精细;③在信息提取时,抑制只能对编码不精细的信息起作用,而对编码精细的信息无明显作用。④与个人有关的某些信息,特别是隐私信息在员工选择的决策中有负面的影响。     

Latent inhibition and context change in psychometrically defined schizotypy

The disruption of latent inhibition within the schizophrenia spectrum has often been interpreted either as a result of increased attentional distractibility (attentional account) or as a result of deficient interference of past associations (associative account). The aim of the present investigation was to test competing predictions, as derived from the above theoretical accounts. In a visual search paradigm of latent inhibition, accuracy was examined as a function of prior experience with the target, and psychometrically defined schizotypy. In Experiment 1 (N=60), no context change was introduced. In accord with past evidence, latent inhibition was found to be intact in low-, but disrupted in high-schizotypy scorers, a result predicted both by attentional and associative accounts. In Experiment 2 (N=60), a context change was introduced. As predicted by past evidence, latent inhibition was disrupted in low-schizotypy scorers. However, latent inhibition was found to be intact in high-schizotypy scorers, a finding accommodated by attentional, but not associative accounts. Theoretical implications and alternative interpretations are also considered.     

How semantic categorization influences inhibitory processing in middle-childhood: an Event Related Potentials study

Throughout middle-childhood, inhibitory processes, which underlie many higher order cognitive tasks, are developing. Little is known about how inhibitory processes change as a task becomes conceptually more difficult during these important years. In adults, as Go/NoGo tasks become more difficult there is a systematic decrease in the P3NoGo response, indicating the use of effective inhibitory strategies (Maguire et al., 2009). This paper investigates the age at which children employ similar inhibitory strategies by studying behavioral and Event Related Potential (ERP) measures of response inhibition for three Go/NoGo tasks. Seventeen 7-8 year-olds and twenty 10-11-year-olds completed three Go/NoGo tasks that differed in the level of categorization necessary to respond. Both age groups displayed slower reaction times as the tasks became more difficult. Further, both groups displayed the predicted Go vs. NoGo P3 amplitude differences in the two simplest tasks, but no significant P3 differences for the most complex task. The reason for this pattern of responses was different in the different age groups. Similar to adults in previous work, the oldest children showed an attenuation of the P3 NoGo response with task difficulty, and no corresponding changes in the Go amplitude. The younger children displayed the opposite pattern, a significant increase in the Go amplitude with task difficulty, and no changes in the NoGo response. These response patterns indicate that efficient inhibitory strategies are developing throughout middle-childhood.     

The ease of lying

Brain imaging studies suggest that truth telling constitutes the default of the human brain and that lying involves intentional suppression of the predominant truth response. By manipulating the truth proportion in the Sheffield lie test, we investigated whether the dominance of the truth response is malleable. Results showed that frequent truth telling made lying more difficult, and that frequent lying made lying easier. These results implicate that (1) the accuracy of lie detection tests may be improved by increasing the dominance of the truth response and that (2) habitual lying makes the lie response more dominant.     

贝叶斯推理中的“自击中率参照抑制”

本文旨在研究贝叶斯推理中基础比率、击中率起作用的机制。通过设置肝炎情境、中彩情境的贝叶斯推理问题,同时操作基础比率和击中率的水平,考察449名大学生被试的概率估计情况。结果表明,总体上,贝叶斯推理中的基础比率和击中率均起作用,表现为后验概率估计值随基础比率水平的提高而增加,随击中率水平的提高而增加。然而,在低基础比率的中彩情境中,后验概率估计值先随击中率的增加而增加;之后却随击中率水平的继续提高而显著降低,出现自击中率参照抑制。这似乎说明,击中率在贝叶斯推理中并非一致地起作用,而可能与推理者的知识经验对击中率加工的调节有关。     

中央线索化对听觉障碍人群辨别任务返回抑制的影响

选取一组先天聋被试和与之匹配的听力正常被试,采用线索提示范式考察中央线索化对听觉障碍被试在辨别任务中基于位置返回抑制的影响。实验结果发现,在有中央线索化的任务实验中,听力正常和听觉障碍被试都出现了返回抑制,但是听觉障碍被试消失得比听力正常被试早。无中央线索化的辨别任务实验中,听力正常被试组仅在SOA=650ms时,听觉障碍被试没有发现返回抑制现象。结果表明听觉障碍被试辨别任务的返回抑制更易受中央线索化条件的影响,听障被试的空间注意调节机制更具策略性和有效性。