Memory Bias Research Articles

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Increase the Efficiency of Memory Functioning for Trauma-Related Information.

The present study explored the resources reallocation explanation for memory biases in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), whereby a preferential allocation of cognitive resources to the processing of threatening stimuli could result in both improvements in their memorization and deficits for other types of information. To this end, 25 participants presenting significant symptoms of PTSD (i.e., total PCL-5 score ≥33) and 32 participants presenting low levels of symptoms (i.e., total PCL-5 score <20) took part in a Remember/Know recognition procedure associated with a dual-task encoding of positive, neutral, negative, and trauma-related words. In order to manipulate the availability of cognitive resources, the encoding of each word was associated with a simultaneous encoding of series of letters and numbers. Results replicated the increased production of Remember recognitions for trauma-related words in participants with significant PTSD symptoms. However, the dual-task load only impaired remember recognitions for non-trauma-related words. Contrary to expectations, these findings suggest that the encoding of trauma-related information in PTSD is relatively independent from the availability of cognitive resources. Thus, rather than reflecting an increased allocation of cognitive resources to the processing of threatening information, memory biases in PTSD appeared to be supported by an enhanced efficiency of their processing.

Memory advantage for untrustworthy faces: Replication across lab- and web-based studies.

The Covid-19 pandemic imposed new constraints on empirical research and forced researchers to transfer from traditional laboratory research to the online environment. This study tested the validity of a web-based episodic memory paradigm by comparing participants’ memory performance for trustworthy and untrustworthy facial stimuli in a supervised laboratory setting and an unsupervised web setting. Consistent with previous results, we observed enhanced episodic memory for untrustworthy compared to trustworthy faces. Most importantly, this memory bias was comparable in the online and the laboratory experiment, suggesting that web-based procedures are a promising tool for memory research.

How to measure outcome? A perspective from the dynamic complex systems approach

AbstractThe evaluation and assessment of outcome is an important issue in psychotherapy research and practice. Since the beginning of empirical research, the effectiveness of treatments has been in the focus of interest to optimise mental health care. Despite this importance, the assessment of outcome by pre‐to‐post comparisons of point measures is hampered by some limitations. These include, amongst others, the predominant use of standard questionnaires neglecting personalised outcome criteria, the focus on point measures that ignore dynamic patterns representing the volatility of mental functioning, memory biases that become important if a recall of longer time periods is urged, and the non‐ergodicity of trajectories of change. Based on new methods of digitalised data collection in the real‐life setting of patients, some conclusions for process and outcome monitoring can be drawn: first, most mental diseases are characterised by specific dynamic patterns (dynamic diseases) whose changes can be assessed by high‐frequency time sampling, for example daily assessments of patients. Second, personal criteria for self‐assessments can be identified by multiperspective case formulations. Third, electronic devices such as smartphones allow for data collection in the real‐world settings of patients, which gives access to experiences in their ecosystems.

Reflective rumination mediates the effects of neuroticism upon the fading affect bias in autobiographical memory

ABSTRACT Across three studies we explored neuroticism in relation to the fading affect bias,which refers to the greater fading of unpleasant compared to pleasant emotionsin autobiographical memory. With increasing neuroticism, there was an increasein the frequency of unpleasant event rehearsal, which was then linked to lessfading of negative affect. Study 2 showed this effect was specific to reflectiverehearsal, with Study 3 clarifying the mediating effect was due to increasedfrequency of the reflective sub-type of rumination. We offer new insights intothe effects of neuroticism on autobiographical memory and suggest thatreflective rumination can be linked to retention of negative affect inindividuals with high neuroticism, which can be interpreted as indicative ofmaladaptive emotional processing.

Human spatial memory is biased towards high-calorie foods: a cross-cultural online experiment

BackgroundHuman memory appears to prioritise locations of high-calorie foods, likely as an adaptation for foraging within fluctuating ancestral food environments. Importantly, this “high-calorie bias” in human spatial memory seems to yield consequences for individual eating behaviour in modern food-abundant settings. However, as studies have mainly been conducted in European (Dutch) populations to date, we investigated whether the existence of the cognitive bias can be reasonably generalised across countries that vary on culturally-relevant domains, such as that of the USA and Japan. Furthermore, we investigated whether sociodemographic factors moderate the expression of the high-calorie spatial memory bias in different populations.MethodsIn a cross-cultural online experiment, we measured the food location memory of diverse participants from the USA (N = 72; 44.4% Male; 54 ± 15.99 years) and Japan (N = 74; 56.8% Male; 50.85 ± 17.32 years), using a validated computer-based spatial memory task with standardised images of high-calorie and low-calorie foods. To directly compare the magnitude of the high-calorie spatial memory bias in a broader cultural scope, we also included data from a previous online experiment that identically tested the food spatial memory of a Dutch sample (N = 405; 56.7% Male; 47.57 ± 17.48 years).ResultsIn the US sample, individuals more accurately recalled (i.e. had lower pointing errors for) locations of high-calorie foods versus that of low-calorie alternatives (Mean difference = -99.23 pixels, 95% CI = [-197.19, -1.28]) – regardless of one’s hedonic preferences, familiarity with foods, and encoding times. Likewise, individuals in the Japanese sample displayed an enhanced memory for locations of high-calorie (savoury-tasting) foods (Mean difference = -40.41 pixels, 95% CI = [-76.14, -4.68]), while controlling for the same set of potential confounders. The magnitude of the high-calorie bias in spatial memory was similar across populations (i.e. the USA, Japan, and the Netherlands), as well as across diverse sociodemographic groups within a population.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that the high-calorie bias in spatial memory transcends sociocultural boundaries. Since the cognitive bias may negatively impact on our dietary decisions, it would be wise to invest in strategies that intervene on our seemingly universal ability to efficiently locate calorie-rich foods.

High-precision MC-ICP-MS static measurements of uranium isotopes using Faraday cups

<p indent="0mm">High-precision measurements of ²³⁸U/²³⁵U and ²³⁴U/²³⁸U atomic ratios are essential for U-Pb and ²³⁰Th/U dating, as well as for a wide range of Earth and environmental studies. The ²³⁸U/²³⁵U ratio of a natural material has been considered to be a constant of 137.88 since the 1970s. However, recent advances in analytical techniques, such as TIMS (Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry) and MC-ICP-MS (Multiple Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry), allowed the measurement of ²³⁸U/²³⁵U ratios at a precision of 10⁻⁵, revealing up to 5‰ variations in terrestrial ²³⁸U/²³⁵U ratios. <sc>The ²³⁴U/²³⁸U</sc> ratios are commonly observed at the 10⁻⁴–10⁻⁵ levels in the natural environment. These large differences in abundance make it impossible to simultaneously measure U isotopes in Faraday cups connected to the standard 10¹¹ Ω current amplifiers using the MC-ICP-MS. To obtain epsilon precision levels in the ²³⁴U/²³⁸U measurements, previous studies employed a 10⁹ or 10¹⁰ Ω amplifier for the ²³⁸U Faraday cup and a 10¹¹ Ω amplifier for the ²³⁴U Faraday cup. However, these methods require a large quantity of sample material of <sc>400–1000 ng</sc> ²³⁸U, as the 10¹¹ Ω amplifier has a relatively low signal/noise ratio. In 2014, Thermo Fisher Scientific launched a new Faraday cup current amplifier with a 10¹³ Ω feedback resistor, which offers a signal/noise ratio improved by a factor of five compared with standard 10¹¹ Ω amplifiers. Therefore, we are attempting to use the new 10¹³ Ω amplifier in combination with the 10¹¹ and 10¹² Ω amplifiers to perform high-precision static measurements of U isotopes with Faraday cups using a small amount of sample. In the present study, we simultaneously used a 10¹³ Ω amplifier, two 10¹² Ω amplifiers, and two 10¹¹ Ω amplifiers for the ²³⁴U, the ²³³U and ²³⁶U, and the ²³⁵U and ²³⁸U Faraday cups, respectively. To evaluate the relative gain of the 10¹³ Ω current amplifier prior to sample analyses, we repeated the measurements of the ²³⁸U/²³⁵U ratios in a uranium solution with Faraday cups connected to 10¹³ and 10¹¹ Ω amplifiers. The relative gain of the 10¹³ Ω amplifier was calculated as (²³⁸U₁₁/²³⁵U₁₃)/(²³⁸U₁₁/²³⁵U₁₁), where the subscript indicates the resistors of the Faraday cup amplifiers. We also developed approaches to correct for the effects of baseline, memory, tailing, hydride, and mass biases. Using the new static measurement method, we repeatedly measured ²³⁴U/²³⁸U and ²³⁸U/²³⁵U ratios for the international uranium standards HU-1 and SRM950a, as well as for the national uranium standards GBW04412 and GBW04428. Our results (presented with ±2<italic>σ</italic>) show that the international standards HU-1 (<italic>n</italic>=10) and SRM950a (<italic>n</italic>=10) have ²³⁴U/²³⁸U atomic ratios of (54.90±0.03)×10⁻⁶ and (53.88±0.03)×10⁻⁶, and ²³⁸U/²³⁵U ratios of 137.765±0.010 and 137.844±0.005, respectively. On the other hand, the national standards GBW04412 (<italic>n</italic>=8) and GBW04428 (<italic>n</italic>=10) have ²³⁴U/²³⁸U ratios of (101.66±0.04)×10⁻⁶ and (53.86±0.03)×10⁻⁶, and <sc>²³⁸U/²³⁵U</sc> ratios of 137.786±0.018 and 137.995±0.008, respectively. Our results are consistent with previously published data and demonstrated high reliability. Our study shows that using the new method we can rapidly measure ²³⁴U/²³⁸U and ²³⁸U/²³⁵U ratios with precision of 0.3‰–1‰ and 0.3<italic>ε</italic>–0.7<italic>ε</italic>, respectively, consuming <sc>20–30 ng</sc> uranium within ~20 min. In addition, our method is flexible: The combination of different amplifiers can be easily modified according to the characteristics of the analyzed samples and the required measurement precision.

The Relationship Between Attention, Interpretation, and Memory Bias During Facial Perception in Social Anxiety

Although cognitive theories suggest the interactive nature of information processing biases in contributing to social anxiety, most studies to date have investigated these biases in isolation. This study aimed at (a) testing the association between social anxiety and each of the threat-related cognitive biases: attention, interpretation, and memory bias; and (b) examining the relationship between these cognitive biases in facial perception. We recruited an unselected sample of 188 adult participants and measured their level of social anxiety and cognitive biases using faces displaying angry, disgusted, happy, and ambiguous versions of these expressions. All bias tasks were assessed with the same set of facial stimuli. Regression analyses showed that social anxiety symptoms significantly predicted attention avoidance and poorer sensitivity in recognizing threatening faces. Social anxiety was, however, unrelated to interpretation bias in our sample. Results of path analysis suggested that attention bias influenced memory bias indirectly through interpretation bias for angry but not disgusted faces. Our findings suggest that, regardless of social anxiety level, when individuals selectively oriented to faces displaying anger, the faces were interpreted to be more negative. This, in turn, predicted better memory for the angry faces. The results provided further empirical support for the combined cognitive bias hypothesis.

Individual variability in visual recognition memory of black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi)

Recognition memory is an ability that allows animals to respond differentially to stimuli, individuals, or situations experienced in the past and plays an important role in foraging and social behavior. This ability has never been tested in black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), but their social structure and diet force them to remember other individuals and food items. Therefore, they are a species in which to test whether their visual recognition memory depends on the retention interval (RI) and the list-length effect. Seven adult spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) solved a delayed match-to-sample task where they had to touch a list of picture samples with different lengths (three, four, and five pictures). After that, they waited for different RIs (0, 15, and 30 s) to touch one of two pictures, signaling which was presented in the list. The group results indicate a high level of variability within individuals that overlap in each RI and position of the pictures for the three list-lengths. Individual plots and a nested ANOVA indicate effects of the RI, the list-length effect, and the position of the pictures on the list. The individual plots also show different strategies of the individuals to solve the task, such as only primacy, only recency, or both primacy and recency; but these strategies change as the RI increases. Based on these results, we recommend changes to the task and the statistical analysis for a better understanding of the underlying mechanism of recognition memory.

Autobiographical memory bias in social anxiety: The role of state anxiety

Autobiographical memory bias in social anxiety: The role of state anxiety

Attachment anxiety, tracking accuracy, and biased memory of prior relationship evaluations

AbstractCurrent and recent relationship evaluations offer important information about the strength and stability of relationships. The diagnostic value of relationship evaluations should motivate people to accurately recall recent changes in relationship quality (tracking accuracy) but may also increase sensitivity to times of low relationship quality (directional bias). Such a vigilant pattern of tracking accuracy and negatively biased memories of relationship quality should be amplified for those high in attachment anxiety. The current study used repeated assessments to compare memories of relationship quality across several weeks with actual evaluations of relationship quality gathered in prior weeks (787 weekly reports, N = 113, 94% women). People high in attachment anxiety more accurately tracked the ups and downs of past relationship quality, but also remembered times of low relationship quality to be lower than actually reported. People high in attachment anxiety also experienced greater depressed moods across weeks when they remembered their relationship quality more negatively. These results have important implications for understanding inconsistencies in prior research and the links between attachment anxiety and depressed mood.

The Internal Process of Time Deviation in Anxious State

A large number of studies have shown that emotions have an impact on subjective time perception, yet little is known about how individuals perceive time retrospectively when they are in an anxious state. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the moderated mediating effect of engagement and memory bias on the relationship between state anxiety and retrospective time perception. In Experiment 1, state anxiety (high and low) was manipulated by a standardized induction procedure, and retrospective time perception was tested by the visual analogue mood scale. In Experiment 2, memory bias was tested by the visual analogue mood scale and analyzed as a mediator between state anxiety and retrospective time perception. In Experiment 3, the sound of a neutral heartbeat was introduced as the measurement object of memory bias, engagement and retrospective time perception to test the moderated mediating role of engagement and memory bias in the relationship between state anxiety and retrospective time perception. The results suggested that (1) high state anxious individuals subjectively experienced a retrospective duration as proceeding more slowly than low state anxious individuals, (2) memory bias mediated the influence of state anxiety on retrospective time perception, and (3) engagement moderated the mediation effect of memory bias. Our findings contribute to understanding the roles that engagement and memory bias play in retrospective time perceptions in an anxious state.

Memory bias and personality characteristics in college students with social anxiety disorder.

Some individuals are more susceptible to recalling false information about events that never happened in their life. Nevertheless, there are several factors, such as personality characteristics, that appear to be related to memory performance. Social anxiety also provokes memory deficits for events that happen to other people, because these individuals tend to focus on their own inner selves rather than on external signs. To investigate the influence of the personality characteristics of individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) on memory performance. In this study, 183 university students had their memory tested using a complex emotional story about a mother and her son. Only subjects without clinical symptoms of depression and general anxiety (N = 148; 61 with SAD) were included in the study. Participants were compared for differences in personality characteristics using the Factorial Inventory of Personality and for SAD using the Social Phobia Inventory. The main results showed that memory performance of individuals with low percentile ranks in the personality characteristic dominance, i.e., those with low self-esteem, remembered more true information about the story than those with high scores when they did not have SAD. The results are helpful to foster better understanding of the personality characteristics related to SAD, such as low dominance, which implies low self-esteem and difficulties with trust and with imposing themselves on others. The results could help development and improvement of techniques for therapeutic intervention.

How state anxiety influences retrospective time duration judgment: Moderated mediating effect of cognitive appraisal and memory bias

How state anxiety influences retrospective time duration judgment: Moderated mediating effect of cognitive appraisal and memory bias

Supplemental Material for A Meta-Analytic Review of the Relationship Between Explicit Memory Bias and Depression: Depression Features an Explicit Memory Bias That Persists Beyond a Depressive Episode

Supplemental Material for A Meta-Analytic Review of the Relationship Between Explicit Memory Bias and Depression: Depression Features an Explicit Memory Bias That Persists Beyond a Depressive Episode

Neurobiological mechanisms underlying memory bias : from an integrative perspective of cognitive psychology, neuroendocrinology, and neuroscience

Neurobiological mechanisms underlying memory bias : from an integrative perspective of cognitive psychology, neuroendocrinology, and neuroscience

Cognitive and neural principles of a memory bias on preferential choices.

Value-based decisions depend on different forms of memory. However, the respective roles of memory and valuation processes that give rise to these decisions are often vaguely described and have rarely been investigated jointly. In this review article, we address the problem of memory-based decision making from a neuroeconomic perspective. We first describe the neural and cognitive processes involved in decisions requiring memory processes, with a focus on episodic memory. Based on the results of a systematic research program, we then spotlight the phenomenon of the memory bias, a general preference for choice options that can be retrieved from episodic memory more successfully. Our findings indicate that failed memory recall biases neural valuation processes as indicated by altered effective connectivity between the hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. This bias can be attributed to meta-cognitive beliefs about the relationship between subjective value and memory as well as to uncertainty aversion. After summarizing the findings, we outline potential future research endeavors to integrate the two research traditions of memory and decision making.

Myofascial Tissue and Depression

BackgroundThe myofascial system plays a fundamental role in the mechanics of the body, in body tension regulation and the etiology of pathological states like chronic pain. Moreover, it contains contractile elements and preliminary evidence suggests that its properties are linked to psychological factors. The aim of the present research was to investigate characteristics of the myofascial tissue in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and to examine whether the state of the myofascial tissue causally affects pathopsychological processes in MDD.MethodsIn Study 1, stiffness and elasticity of the myofascial tissue of 40 inpatients suffering from MDD measured with a tissue compliance meter were compared with those of 40 matched never-depressed participants. In Study 2, 69 MDD patients were randomly assigned to single-session self-myofascial release intervention (SMRI) or a placebo intervention. Effects on memory bias and affect were investigated.ResultsResults showed that MDD patients displayed heightened stiffness and reduced elasticity of the myofascial tissue and that patients in the SMRI group showed a reduced negative memory bias and more positive affect compared to patients in the placebo condition.ConclusionsThe preliminary results of our studies indicate that the myofascial tissue might be part of a dysfunctional body-mind dynamic that maintains MDD.

Female Sexual Function and Body Image After Urinary Diversion for Benign Conditions

Simple cystectomy with urinary diversion is the favored option for treating conditions responsible of neurogenic bladder dysfunction after failure of conservative treatments. Despite the existence of validated assessment tools, the impact of cystectomy on female sexual function remains scarcely investigated. The aim was to assess the sexual function and body image of female patients who underwent urinary diversion for a nonmalignant condition and to investigate the factors that may influence sexual life quality. 36 female patients who underwent urinary diversion ± cystectomy for a benign condition between January 1, 2007 and December 15, 2019 were included. Standardized questionnaires were sent by mail between February and April 2021. Additional data were collected from patient computerized medical records. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Body Image Scale (BIS), and Stoma Quality Of life (StomaQOL) questionnaires were used to assess sexual activity, body image, and quality of life related to a noncontinent stoma, respectively. The quality of pre- and postoperative information was also assessed. The most frequent etiology of bladder dysfunction was multiple sclerosis (14, 38.9%). After surgery, 29 (80.6%) patients were sexually active and the mean (range) overall FSFI score was 15.2 (2-33.3). The mean (range) overall FSFI score and FSFI Arousal sub-score were lower for the 14 patients with an ileal conduit [11.1(2-33.3] and 1 (0-4.5)) compared to the 14 patients with a continent stoma or a native urethra [19.2 (2-29.3]; P = .04 and 3.15(0-5.4); P = .014). Regarding sexual counseling, 27 (79.4%) patients did not receive any information before surgery about possible consequences on their sexual activity, 31 (91.2%) were not asked about their sexual activity during follow-up. The mean BIS score was higher for patients with an ileal conduit (14.8) compared to patients with a continent stoma (9.7) or a native urethra (5.1; P = .002). Patients with an ileal conduit had a mean StomaQOL score of 52.56. Optimal management should include, at least, routine assessment of sexual function prior to simple cystectomy and screening for sexual dysfunction during follow-up. Strengths and limitations The main strength of this study lies in the use of validated standardized questionnaires, including the FSFI that is considered as the most relevant tool for assessing female sexual function. Limitations include the small number of patients and the potential memory bias. The present study suggests the urinary diversion mode has an impact on sexual function and body image after cystectomy for benign condition.

Cognitive biases among those with frequent or chronic headaches or migraines: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the pattern of cognitive processing biases (ie, attentional, interpretation, and memory bias) towards headache and pain information observed in individuals with frequent or chronic headaches or migraines, compared with individuals without. We identified 11 studies (total N = 841). Most studies (10 of 11) assessed attentional bias. For reaction time–based attentional bias (k = 8), significant group differences were observed, with small (500 ms; g = 0.200) to medium (≥ 1000 ms; g = 0.544) effects. Those with chronic headaches showed an absolute attentional bias towards headache and pain information. In 2 eye-tracking studies, both found significant medium-to-large group differences on initial orientation. Interpretation and memory bias research was also reviewed. A medium-to-large effect was found for interpretation bias (k = 2; g = 0.708), whereas the effect for recall memory bias (k = 3) was not significant. Overall, the findings confirm an attentional bias for headache-related stimuli among people with headache, with some evidence for interpretation bias but equivocal evidence for a memory bias. For attentional biases, eye-tracking studies found evidence for biases in initial orienting. We provide suggestions for how to extend the current research to better understand cognitive biases in chronic headache.

Association of attention and memory biases for negative stimuli with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms

Cognitive models have highlighted the role of attentional and memory biases towards negatively-valenced emotional stimuli in the maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, previous research has focused mainly on attentional biases towards distracting (task-irrelevant) negative stimuli. Furthermore, attentional and memory biases have been examined in isolation and the links between them remain underexplored. We manipulated attention during encoding of trauma-unrelated negative and neutral words and examined the differential relationship of their encoding and recall with PTSD symptoms. Responders to the World Trade Center disaster (N = 392) performed tasks in which they read negative and neutral words and reported the color of another set of such words. Subsequently, participants used word stems to aid retrieval of words shown earlier. PTSD symptoms were associated with slower response times for negative versus neutral words in the word-reading task (r = 0.170) but not color-naming task. Furthermore, greater PTSD symptom severity was associated with more accurate recall of negative versus neutral words, irrespective of whether words were encoded during word-reading or color-naming tasks (F = 4.11, p = 0.044, ηp2 = 0.018). Our results show that PTSD symptoms in a trauma-exposed population are related to encoding of trauma-unrelated negative versus neutral stimuli only when attention was voluntarily directed towards the emotional aspects of the stimuli and to subsequent recall of negative stimuli, irrespective of attention during encoding.