ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives

Media trauma in civilians is linked to intrusive imagery-based memory symptoms. We investigated whether mental imagery of the 9/11 terrorist attacks following media exposure is dampened by taxing working memory (WM).

Methods

Forty-five young adult UK residents, who were exposed to the 9/11 terrorist attacks as children via the media, identified a personally-relevant mental image of the attacks. They were then randomly allocated to: (1) recall + Tetris, (2) recall + eye movements (EMs), or (3) recall-only. Ratings on imagery vividness and emotionality were provided at three time points: pre-, post-manipulations, and at 24-hr follow-up.

Results

Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that recall + Tetris and recall + EMs (relative to recall-only) significantly reduced imagery vividness and emotionality from pre- to post-manipulations, but not to follow-up.

Limitations

A passive control group is needed to fully rule out the role of natural memory decay; the follow-up was exploratory and took place outside the laboratory with reduced experimental control.

Conclusions

Aversive memory imagery from media trauma in civilians can be dampened by taxing WM, at least temporarily, which could be therapeutically useful. The use of such cognitive techniques may also hold relevance for public health approaches to address the impact of collective trauma.

中文翻译：

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对工作记忆征税以调节童年时期媒体曝光后 9/11 恐怖袭击的心理意象：一项针对年轻成年英国居民的试点研究

摘要

背景和目标

平民的媒体创伤与侵入性的基于图像的记忆症状有关。我们调查了媒体曝光后 9/11 恐怖袭击的心理意象是否因工作记忆 (WM) 征税而受到抑制。

方法

45 名年轻的英国居民在童年时期通过媒体接触过 9/11 恐怖袭击，他们确定了与个人相关的袭击心理形象。然后他们被随机分配到：（1）回忆+俄罗斯方块，（2）回忆+眼球运动（EM），或（3）仅回忆。在三个时间点提供对图像生动性和情感性的评级：操作前、操作后和 24 小时随访。

结果

重复测量方差分析显示，回忆 + 俄罗斯方块和回忆 + EM（相对于仅回忆）显着降低了从操作前到操作后的图像生动性和情感性，但不影响后续操作。

限制

需要一个被动对照组来完全排除自然记忆衰退的作用；后续是探索性的，在实验室外进行，实验控制减少。

结论

对平民的媒体创伤产生的厌恶记忆图像可以通过对 WM 征税来抑制，至少是暂时的，这可能对治疗有用。这种认知技术的使用也可能与解决集体创伤影响的公共卫生方法相关。