Research paradigm

Question 1

Studying intrusions, difficulties

Answer 1

Relies on self-report
Can’t induce it
Involuntary, which is difficult to judge.
Spontaneous, difficult to study in the lab
concept of intrusion is abstract

Question 2

Thought sampling (lab taks)

Answer 2

Doing a very boring task
+ Naturally occuring
+ Trainslation between lab and rl
- Requires mata-awareness
- Concept of intrusion is abstract
- No control over event or timing
- very difficult to verify involuntariness

Question 3

Modeling (film paradigm + diary)

Answer 3

In MRI, Show aversive clips, report in a diary if you have intrusive thoughts of those clips. you can test what they have intrusions of. Selective strong memories.

Allows you to look at stimulus, what causes intrusion, does it depend on attention or is it in the encoding? (Hotspot moments, highlighted during trauma)

+ Control over event
+ Golden standard for veracity of memory
+ high ecological validity
- Requires meta-awareness
- Film only model of trauma
- no control over timing and diff to verify involuntariness.

Question 4

Cognitive theories of PTSD

Answer 4

Overwhelming stress causes over-consolidation of perceptual elements, which impairs integration w contextual features in autobiographical memories.

Question 5

Role of cognitive control

Answer 5

Cognitive control in retrieval suppression:
Intrusions are result of lapse in cognitive control, here there’s insufficient inhibition of hippocamp and amygdala. Lack of sleep worsens this, causing vicious cycle

Question 6

Think/No think paradigm

Answer 6

Learn pairs of associated pictures. three conditions:
- Retrieve associated picture
- Suppress associated picture
- No pair presented.

Ask whether they thought about the picture in 2nd condition (control timing). Long term: No think condition is less able to retrieve certain pictures. We block the info, even if reward is added.

+ Control over event and timing
+ clear inference of involuntariness
- Requires meta-awareness
- Demand bias (instructed, might not admit)
- Low ecological validity

Question 7

Reasons for intrusions

Answer 7

Epiphenomenon (byproduct)
Adaptive function (process salient experience)
Warning signal

Conditioned emotional response, hard