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Digital EMDR: Are Reaction Time Tasks and Eye Movements Effective in Taxing Working Memory and Degrading Aversive Memories?

Schroer, P. (2022) Digital EMDR: Are Reaction Time Tasks and Eye Movements Effective in Taxing Working Memory and Degrading Aversive Memories?

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Abstract:Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy used to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). By asking the patient to bring a traumatic memory to mind while simultaneously making eye movements (EM), working memory (WM) competition is present which reduces the emotional intensity of the memory. WM theory suggests that the effectiveness might be improved by addressing WM load and individual WM capacity while matching task and memory modality. We examined the suitability of smartphone-delivered combined-modality (visual + auditory) Reaction Time Tasks (RTT) as supplementation for EM to (1) tax WM and to (2) reduce emotionality and vividness of an induced emotional memory (trauma film paradigm). Combined-modality RTTs resulted in increased cognitive load compared to the baseline. Increasing speeds of EM resulted in a linear increase in visual WM loading. For reducing emotionality and vividness, the treatment and control conditions resulted in equal decreases after the intervention and after 24 hours. The results suggest that combined-modality RTTs and EM tax WM in a modality-specific and dose-dependent way. No evidence was found that RTTs with EM are effective in degrading aversive memories. Possible explanations are the active control condition and a possible WM overload.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology BSc (56604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/91988
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