Busman, Lara (2024) Suppression-Induced Forgetting And Depression. Master thesis, Psychology.
|
Text
KP-MT-Lara-Busman.pdf Download (590kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Anderson and Green (2001) were the first to show empirical evidence that actively suppressing certain memories in a Think/ No Think (TNT) Task might facilitate forgetting them, an effect called Suppression-Induced Forgetting (SIF). This effect has since been shown to decrease in the presence of depressive symptoms. The aim of the current study was twofold. It attempted to 1) replicate earlier research by finding evidence for SIF, and to 2) investigate how this effect is related to symptoms of depression. Within the TNT design, participants memorized cue-target word pairs and were subsequently instructed to respond to the cues by either recalling the corresponding target (Think) or suppressing the thought of the target (No-Think). The specific instructions for the No-Think trials depended on the condition of the participant, and consisted of either just avoiding the target while focusing on the cue (Thought Avoidance; TA), or responding with an earlier provided substitution word (Thought Substitution; TS). Participants were then subjected to two final recall tests of all target words, one using the same probes (SP) as in the previous phases and one using other, independent probes (IP). Depressive symptoms were measured with questionnaires. The results showed a significant SIF effect in the SP condition, which was stronger in the TS condition than in the TA condition. No significant results regarding the IP condition were obtained. Additionally, no significant correlations between SIF and depression were found. These mixed findings indicate that forgetting as a result of suppression seems possible, but they are inconclusive regarding the effect of using independent probes and the possible link with depression. Further research should focus on including IP tests, and using clinical as well as sub- and nonclinical samples.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Wessel, J.P. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Clinical Psychology (CP) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 10 May 2024 13:22 |
| Last Modified: | 10 May 2024 13:22 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3342 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |