Abstract
Dual-tasks (e.g., making horizontal eye-movements) while recollecting a memory are often used both in the lab and the clinic (such as in EMDR therapy) to attenuate emotional memories and intrusive mental images. According to working memory theory, dual-task interventions are effective because they limit cognitive resources available for the processing of emotional memories. However, there is still ongoing debate about the extent to which and under what conditions dual-task interventions are effective to interfere with emotional memories. In this meta-analysis, we assessed k = 53 laboratory studies investigating the effects of dual-task interventions on negative and positive memories. The effects were measured with the raw mean reduction in vividness and emotionality self-report ratings of emotional memories before compared to after the intervention on 100-point rating scales. Results showed that the dual-task interventions made both negative and positive memories less vivid (mean reduction negative images = 9.18, 95% CI [7.06, 11.29]; mean reduction positive images = 11.73, 95% CI [8.59, 14.86]) and less emotional (mean reduction negative images = 6.22, 95% CI [4.50, 7.94]; mean reduction positive images = 6.71, 95% CI [2.21, 11.20]). Several moderators were tested and are discussed in the light of working memory theory.
Highlights
Memory provides us with a highly adaptive ability: we can remember relevant experiences from the past and use those to adaptively adjust our behavior to the current situation (Baddeley, 2010)
According to working memory (WM) theories, such dual-task interventions are effective because they limit the amount of cognitive resources available for the processing of emotional memories
The core procedural element of Eye-Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy consists of bilateral stimulation, usually induced by having patients track the fingers of the therapist with their eyes
Summary
Memory provides us with a highly adaptive ability: we can remember relevant experiences from the past and use those to adaptively adjust our behavior to the current situation (Baddeley, 2010). Emotional memories are an important target for optimizing current available treatments (e.g., Beckers & Kindt, 2017; Engelhard, McNally, & van Schie, 2019). Treating intrusive memories and mental imagery: EMDR therapy Eye-Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an evidencebased treatment for PTSD (Shapiro & Forrest, 2016). Nowadays it is considered to be an evidenced-based treatment for PTSD (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2005), for which it has comparable effects as standard cognitive-behavioral therapy (Seidler & Wagner, 2006; Van Etten & Taylor, 1998). Effectiveness of EMDR therapy for other psychiatric disorders than PTSD, such as addiction (Littel, van den Hout, & Engelhard, 2016; Markus, de Weert-van Oene, Woud, Becker, & DeJong, 2016; Zweben & Yeary, 2006), is not or less firmly established (Cuijper, van Veen, Sijbrandij, Yoder, & Cristea, 2020).
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