Memories out of order: Thought suppression and the disturbance of sequence memory.

Abstract

Participants in 2 experiments watched a filmed story and then left the lab--with instructions not to think about the film, with instructions to think about the film, or with no instructions. Memories of the film, assessed on participants' return to the lab some 5 hr later, showed reliable effects of thought suppression on memory for the sequence of events in the film. Participants who suppressed thoughts of the film were less able to retrieve the order of events by several measures than were those in the other groups, even thought their retrieval of the events themselves as assessed by recognition, free recall, and cued recall was not generally impaired.

Thought suppression and traumatic intrusions in undergraduate students: a correlational study

“…This pattern of results is in line with the alleged e ects of thought suppression (e.g. Wegner et al, 1996). That is, hyperaccessibility in the weeks after the incident accords well with the often reported increased frequency of intrusions, while snapshot likeness and perceived memory loss suggest memory undermining e ects.…”

“…First, the WBSI (Wegner & Zanakos, 1994; see also Muris, Merckelbach & Horselenberg, 1996) was completed. The WBSI comprises 15 items that tap the tendency to suppress unwanted thoughts (e.g.``I always try to put problems out of mind'').…”

“…Interestingly, a recent laboratory study on suppression and episodic memory by Wegner, Quillian and Houston (1996) found some supporting evidence for the idea that thought suppression may produce both hyperaccessibility and memory undermining e ects (but see Rassin, Merckelbach, & Muris, 1997). In that study, students were exposed to a neutral ®lm clip and were subsequently assigned to one of three conditions: a suppression condition in which students were instructed not to think about the ®lm clip during the remainder of the day, a thinking condition in which students were told to think as much as possible about the ®lm clip, and a no-instruction control condition.…”

“…hyperaccessibility). Although these e ects seem contradictory, Wegner, Quillian and Houston [Wegner, D. M., Quillian, F., & Houston, C. (1996). Memories out of order: Thought suppression and the disassembly of remembered experience.…”

“…According to Wegner and Zanakos (1994), there are individual di erences in the extent to which people rely on thought suppression as a means of dealing with unpleasant thoughts. Some people may engage in thought suppression quite regularly.…”