A Meta-Analytic Approach: Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Repeated Recall Procedure Without Explicit Instructions on the Subjective Arousal related to an Aversive Memory

To improve treatment outcomes in trauma-related disorders (e.g., nonresponse), we must better understand the mechanism behind it. Currently, it is assumed that a vital working mechanism of Imaginal Exposure is the emotional engagement with the traumatic memory, prompted by recall instructions (e.g., regarding vividness, level of detail). Yet, laboratory analogues of Imaginal Exposure often instead prompt participants to merely recall the memory. While this has appeared less effective than a dual-task analogue in the short-term, literature has shown that in the long- term, the difference may be marginal, and that a repeated recall procedure may lead to significant reductions in subjective arousal. Therefore, using a meta-analytic approach, we investigated if a repeated memory recall procedure, without explicit instructions that contain therapeutically considered “active ingredients”, is sufficient to affect subjective arousal related to the memory. We predicted a decrease in the...Show moreTo improve treatment outcomes in trauma-related disorders (e.g., nonresponse), we must better understand the mechanism behind it. Currently, it is assumed that a vital working mechanism of Imaginal Exposure is the emotional engagement with the traumatic memory, prompted by recall instructions (e.g., regarding vividness, level of detail). Yet, laboratory analogues of Imaginal Exposure often instead prompt participants to merely recall the memory. While this has appeared less effective than a dual-task analogue in the short-term, literature has shown that in the long- term, the difference may be marginal, and that a repeated recall procedure may lead to significant reductions in subjective arousal. Therefore, using a meta-analytic approach, we investigated if a repeated memory recall procedure, without explicit instructions that contain therapeutically considered “active ingredients”, is sufficient to affect subjective arousal related to the memory. We predicted a decrease in the short- and long-term, and that this decrease is larger in the “Recall-only” (k = 50) than in the “No-recall” (k = 6) control condition (controlling for unspecific effects such as forgetting). We conducted a multilevel meta-analysis on 27 experimental laboratory studies involving healthy, non-clinical adult populations. We found that a repeated recall procedure significantly reduced subjective arousal in the short-term, more than the No-recall group. In the long term, our data did not suffice to analyze this. At least some of our observed effects may have been due to habituation. Our findings suggest that a repeated memory recall procedure may possess an “active ingredient” that can significantly reduce subjective emotionality and vividness, potentially improving our theoretical understanding and future translational efforts.Show less

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A Meta-Analytic Approach: Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Repeated Recall Procedure Without Explicit Instructions on the Subjective Arousal related to an Aversive Memory