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Background: Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often report intrusive memories that appear to lack the appropriate spatio-temporal context. Objective: We examined whether focusing on the spatio-temporal context of aversive auto-biographical memories reduces negative emotions, appraisals, and re-experiencing symptoms. Methods: We recruited 109 healthy adults and had them rate emotionality, vividness, and re- experiencing of an aversive autobiographical memory. Furthermore, we assessed automatic associations of idiosyncratic memory triggers with the concepts ‘past’ vs. ‘now’, and self- reported sense of memory closure and distancing. To manipulate spatio-temporal memory (re-)organization, the experimental group (n = 53) performed a lifeline exercise in virtual reality (VR), where participants symbolically placed memory triggers along a path representing their own personal life story. The control group (n = 56) completed a non-personalized VR task. Results: We found a marked decrease in negative emotions, negative appraisals, and re- experiencing in the following week, but on average, the lifeline exercise was not superior to the control condition. However, those in the lifeline group with stronger trigger-past associa-tions subsequently exhibited a more pronounced reduction in re-experiencing. Also, partici-pants with a higher subjective sense of memory distancing reported less re-experiencing. Conclusions: The findings lend tentative support for theoretical assumptions about PTSD, but the potential causal role of automatic associations with spatio-temporal information remains to be clarified., Antecedentes: Las personas con trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT) con frecuencia informan recuerdos intrusivos que parecen carecer del contexto espacio-temporal adecuado. Objetivo: Examinamos si centrarse en el contexto espacio-temporal de los recuerdos autobiográficos aversivos reduce las emociones negativas, las valoraciones, y los síntomas de re-experimentación.Métodos: Reclutamos 109 adultos sanos y les pedimos que calificaran la emocionalidad, vivacidad y re-experimentación de un recuerdo autobiográfico aversivo. Además, evaluamos las asociaciones automáticas de los desencadenantes de la memoria idiosincrática con los conceptos de ‘pasado’ vs ‘ahora’ y la sensación auto-reportada de la cercanía o lejanía del recuerdo. Para manipular la (re-)organización de la memoria espacio-temporal, el grupo experimental (n = 53) realizo un ejercicio de Línea de Vida en realidad virtual (RV), donde los participantes simbólicamente pusieron los gatilladores del recuerdo a lo largo de un sendero que representaba sus propias historias de vida personales. El grupo control (n = 56) completo una tarea de RV no personalizada. Resultados: Encontramos una disminución marcada de las emociones negativas, valoraciones negativas y re-experimentación en la semana siguiente, pero en promedio, el ejercicio de la Línea de Vida no fue superior a la condición de control. Sin embargo, aquellos del grupo de la Línea de Vida con asociaciones más fuertes de los gatilladores del pasado exhibieron subse-cuentemente una disminución más pronunciada en la re-experimentación. Tambien, los parti-cipantes con un sentido de la memoria de distanciamiento subjetivamente más alta informaron menor re-experimentación. Conclusiones: Los hallazgos brindan un apoyo tentativo a las suposiciones teóricas acerca del TEPT, pero el posible papel causal de las asociaciones automáticas con la información espacio- temporal aún no se ha aclarado., 背景: 患有创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 的个体经常报告似乎缺乏适当时空背景的闯入性记忆。目的: 我们考查了关注厌恶自传记忆的时空背景是否会减少负性情绪, 评价和再体验症状。方法: 我们招募了 109 名健康成年人, 让他们对厌恶自传记忆的情绪性, 生动性和再体验进行 评分。此外, 我们评估了特殊记忆触发与‘过去’与‘现在’概念的自动关联, 以及自我报告的记 忆闭合和疏离。为了操纵时空记忆 (再) 组织, 实验组 (n = 53) 在虚拟现实 (VR) 中进行了生 命线练习, 参与者象征性地将记忆触发器放置在代表他们自己个人生活故事的路径上。对照 组 (n = 56) 完成了非个性化的 VR 任务。结果: 我们发现在接下来的一周内, 负性情绪, 负性评价和再体验明显减少, 但平均而言, 生命 线练习并不优于对照条件。然而, 生命线组中具有更强触发-过去关联的人随后表现出更明 显的再体验减少。此外, 具有更高主观记忆距离疏离感的参与者报告的再体验更少。结论:研究结果为关于 PTSD 的理论假设提供了初步支持, 但与时空信息自动关联的潜在因果 作用仍有待澄清。, Finanziert durch den Open-Access-Publikationsfonds der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU Münster).

Implicit and explicit self-identification as a drug user specific to the substance used (e.g., viewing oneself as a drinker) have been examined, as they relate to that drug use. However, studies have rarely explored whether identifying as a “drug user” differs implicitly and explicitly for people who use different drugs and how this identification relates to drug-use behaviors or abstinence. This study examined implicit and explicit self-identification as a “drug user” and their associations with drug-use behaviors and abstinence in people who used heroin (PWUH) and people who used methamphetamine (PWUM). Forty PWUH and 35 PWUM in a rehabilitation facility completed the single category implicit association test (SC-IAT), which evaluated implicit associations of a “drug user” with “self,” and a measure of explicit self-identification as a “drug user.” Prior drug-use behaviors and current abstinence duration of the participants were assessed. PWUH demonstrated stronger implicit “self + drug user” associations and higher levels of explicit self-identification as a “drug user” than PWUM. A higher frequency of drug use was associated with higher levels of explicit drug-user self-identity, and longer abstinence duration was positively related to stronger implicit “self + drug user” associations in PWUH. The drug type of heroin (vs. methamphetamine) participants used was associated with a higher frequency of use, which, in turn, predicted higher levels of explicit drug-user self-identity. Given that the PWUH group differs from the PWUM group in terms of implicit and explicit self-identification as “drug users,” it would be more appropriate to address drug-user self-identity of individuals according to the substance they use rather than as a collective group.

In this study a novel auditory version of the Single Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT-A) was developed to investigate (a) the valence of adults’ associations to infant cries and laughs, (b) moderation of implicit associations by gender and empathy, and (c) the robustness of implicit associations controlling for auditory sensitivity. Eighty adults (50% females) were administered two SC-IAT-As, the Empathy Quotient, and the Weinstein Noise Sensitivity Scale. Adults showed positive implicit associations to infant laugh and negative ones to infant cry; only the implicit associations with the infant laugh were negatively related to empathy scores, and no gender differences were observed. Finally, implicit associations to infant cry were affected by noise sensitivity. The SC-IAT-A is useful to evaluate the valence of implicit reactions to infant auditory cues and could provide fresh insights into understanding processes that regulate the quality of adult–infant relationships.

It has been well demonstrated that shared multisensory experiences between the self and others can influence the social perception of out-group members. Previous research has shown that the illusion of ownership over a dark-skinned rubber hand or full virtual body generated less negative implicit bias against people with dark skin. However, less is known about how perceived attractiveness difference between self and other affects social perception toward those others after shared multisensory experience. The present study assessed whether shared multisensory experience between the self and attractive others would affect the implicit evaluation of goodness of others. Seventy-three women participated in the study. After the visuotactile multisensory stimulation procedure, participants were administered the Single Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT), which presents two attributes (good and bad) and one concept (other). Results showed that the more attractive the faces are, the more positive their implicit evaluation becomes after the synchronous tactile stimulation. This result suggests that shared multisensory experience makes people feel more positive toward others who have positive attribute. This finding suggests that self-other blurring in social contexts might be a compelling factor in evaluating other people positively.