Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, TC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
J Anxiety Disord. 2011 May;25(4):599-603. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.01.009. Epub 2011 Feb 2.
Several studies have found that making eye movements while retrieving visual images about past negative events reduces their vividness and emotional intensity. A working memory account states that eye movements tax working memory and interfere with visual imagery, thus degrading images. This study examined whether eye movements also affect recurrent, intrusive visual images about potential future catastrophes ("flashforwards") in a sample of female undergraduates who had indicated on a screening-scale that they suffer from such intrusions. They were asked to recall two intrusive images with or without making eye movements. Before and after each condition, participants retrieved the image, and rated its vividness and emotionality. Results showed that vividness of intrusive images was lower after recall with eye movement, relative to recall only, and there was a similar trend for emotionality. Potential implications are discussed.
一些研究发现，在回忆过去负面事件的视觉图像时进行眼球运动，会降低这些图像的生动度和情绪强度。工作记忆理论认为，眼球运动会消耗工作记忆，并干扰视觉意象，从而降低图像质量。本研究在一组女性本科生中进行了一项实验，这些学生在筛选量表上表示自己经常会受到这种侵入性思维的困扰。研究人员要求她们在进行或不进行眼球运动的情况下回忆两种侵入性的视觉图像。在每个条件下，参与者都先回忆图像，然后对其生动度和情绪性进行评分。结果表明，与仅回忆相比，眼球运动后回忆时的侵入性图像生动度较低，情绪性也呈现出类似的趋势。研究人员讨论了潜在的影响。
