Increases of correct memories and spontaneous false memories due to eye movements when memories are retrieved after a time delay

DOI

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. However, literature on possible adverse memory effects of EMDR is scarce. Using the Deese/Roediger- McDermott (DRM) false memory paradigm, we examined the susceptibility to spontaneous false memories after performing eye movements, as used in EMDR. In Experiment 1, 72 undergraduates received word lists containing negative and neutral associated words and immediately after this they were given a free recall and recognition test. In Experiment 2, 68 undergraduates underwent the free recall and recognition test 48 h later. During the free recall phase in both experiments, participants either performed eye movements or not (control condition). In Experiment 1, the two conditions did not differ statistically with regard to correct and false recall/ recognition. In Experiment 2, correct memory rates were higher in the eye movement than in the control condition and this was accompanied by an increase in spontaneous false memories on both free recall and recognition. Although our experimental approach is far removed from clinical practice, our findings suggest that eye movements as used in EMDR might amplify both correct and false memory rates.

Identifier
DOI https://doi.org/10.34894/FPWRLZ
Metadata Access https://dataverse.nl/oai?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_datacite&identifier=doi:10.34894/FPWRLZ
Provenance
Creator Houben, Sanne T.L. ORCID logo; Otgaar, Henry ORCID logo; Roelofs, Jeffrey ORCID logo; Smeets, Tom ORCID logo; Merckelbach, Harald ORCID logo
Publisher DataverseNL
Contributor Houben, Sanne; faculty data manager FPN
Publication Year 2020
Rights info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
OpenAccess false
Contact Houben, Sanne (Maastricht University); faculty data manager FPN (Maastricht University)
Representation
Resource Type Experimental data; Dataset
Format application/x-spss-sav
Size 82039; 80647; 121155
Version 1.0
Discipline Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Aquaculture; Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Aquaculture and Veterinary Medicine; Life Sciences; Social Sciences; Social and Behavioural Sciences; Soil Sciences