Tag: Clinical Psychology

The Effect of Sleep on False Memories

Presenter(s): Madison Morocco − Psychology

Faculty Mentor(s): Nash Unsworth, Melynda Casement

Poster 102

Research Area: Social Science, Cognitive/Clinical Psychology

A false memory is recalling incorrect information, or recalling an event that did not happen. Everyone is susceptible to false memories. There is no known cure or defense, and relatively little is known about how they occur. Though there is relatively little known, much research shows sleep, consolidation specifically, is crucial to solidifying memories (Payne, Chambers, and Kensinger, 2012). Consolidation is a process where new, labile memories are integrated into the vast network of pre- existing long-term memories. A key component of this process is the active re-processing of these memories, because this is the version of the memory that will be recalled (Diekelmann and Born, 2010). Memory is malleable, so it is important to understand how it is affected. This study seeks to find a connection between the number of hours of sleep a subject gets and how many times they experience a false memory. Using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm, subjects were asked to memorize four lists of 10 words all related to a single theme word. Then, subjects were asked to recall words from each list. A false memory was counted each time a subject mistakenly reported the theme word. We hypothesized that subjects sleeping a “normal” eight hours per night would experience fewer false memories compared to subjects who slept greater than 10 or less than five hours per night. As data collection is still ongoing, we seek to answer the question: is someone more or less susceptible to false memories based on the number of hours they sleep?

Dissociative Experiences Associated with Parasympathetic Nervous System Activation of Expectant Mothers During Trauma Recollection

Presenter(s): Cassandra Dukes − Psychology

Faculty Mentor(s): Jennifer Ablow, Jeffrey Measelle

Poster 108

Research Area: Clinical Psychology

Trauma, defined by the DMS-5 as “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” can be associated with levels of dissociation when triggered by recollection (Shauer & Elbert, 2010). The Polyvagal Theory, developed by Stephen Porges (1995), suggests that dissociation, a form of immobilization, is a defense used as a coping mechanism to confront an inescapable fear or danger. In keeping with this, research has shown through investigating heart rate that dissociation activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) (Koopman et al., 2004). Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is an important measurement of the PNS that relates to heart rate variation and respiration (Sack, Hopper, & Lamprecht, 2004). Although research has shown associations between heart rate and dissociation during stressful or triggering interviews, there is limited knowledge of dissociation correlating with RSA during personal trauma recall. This study recorded continuous RSA of eighty-two pregnant women discussing trauma during the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) then involved them filling out several questionnaires including the Brief Betrayal Trauma Survey (BBTS), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Trauma Symptoms Checklist (TSC), and Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES-II). After data was recorded, it was analyzed using a paired-sample t-test and regressions. It is predicted that as scores on the DES-II increase, RSA will increase during trauma recollection. If the results are consistent with these hypotheses, it will further support the idea of dissociation as a form of coping mechanism and a way to counteract the autonomic nervous system dysfunction normally caused by experiencing trauma. In doing so, researchers can better understand how dissociation helps individuals regulate stress and emotions during stressful situations and why this might be a common symptom of PTSD.