Intrusive thinking (G19)

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a downside of the Think/No think paradigm?

a) Requires meta-awareness
b) Low ecological validity
c) Involuntariness difficult to verify

Answer 1

c) Involuntariness difficult to verify

Question 2

How do intrusions manifest in the two disorders, in which they play a very important role?

Answer 2

• PTSD
  o Intrusive memories
   “reexperiencing” of sounds, smells, sights
  o Flashbacks
• OCS
  o Obsessions and compulsions

Question 3

There are multiple ways of researching intrusive thoughts. What are two advantages of the ‘think/no-think’ paradigm?

a.
1. You have control over the event and peri-trauma factors.
2. This allows comparison to measures of voluntary recall.
b.
1. You have control over the event and peri-trauma factors.
2. You are able to study naturally occurring intrusions.
c.
1. Potential control over the time of intrusions.
2. This allows comparison to measures of voluntary recall.

Answer 3

a.

1. You have control over the event and peri-trauma factors.
2. This allows comparison to measures of voluntary recall.

Question 4

Because intrusive thoughts are defined by interfering with the task at hand or an ongoing thought process, this cannot be used as a criterium to distinguish healthy versus clinical intrusive thoughts. Name the three criteria by which intrusive thoughts CAN be considered clinical. Also, give an example of a healthy intrusive thought and a clinical intrusive thought using one or more of these criteria.

Answer 4

They have to be very frequent, very intense, and/or accompanied by maladaptive appraisal. Most new parents experience intrusive thoughts about the baby being harmed. Only those that believe that these thoughts will make the events more likely to occur (maladaptive appraisal) are considered clinical intrusions.

Question 5

In the lecture on intrusive thinking a couple of methods for investigating intrusive thoughts were introduced. Which one of the following is NOT a contra-argument of experience/thought sampling?

a. Requires meta-awareness
b. The film is only a proxy for trauma
c. No control over event, peri-event factors or timing

Answer 5

b. The film is only a proxy for trauma

Question 6

In the lecture assumed mechanisms behind intrusive thoughts were presented, one of which is the mechanism of memory processing. Please describe the hypothesized mechanism behind it.

Answer 6

lecture slides 44-46: a way for the brain to process highly salient events