Working Memory Capacity as a Moderator of Intrusive Memories

Intrusions can appear in different forms. The occurrence of different types of intrusion can be determined by how the traumatic information was processed. This study examined whether working memory capacity (WMC) can moderate the two peritraumatic processes (conceptual processing and data-driven processing) to affect intrusions. Participants first completed a symmetry span task, viewed traumatic film footage, and completed a processing-style questionnaire concerning the film. A week later, participants handed in a tabular diary that recorded their intrusions over the past week, and completed a free recall and recognition task about the film; they were then debriefed. WMC can moderate the effect of processing style, depending on the type of intrusion. In the prediction of intrusive thoughts (ITs), we found that higher conceptual processing scores led to more ITs in participants with a high WMC. The current study has important clinical implications, in that it recognizes the existence of less-studied ITs, and the role of WMC in trauma processing.