Lateral eye movements increase false memory rates

Sanne T. L. Houben*, Henry Otgaar, Jeffrey Roelofs, Harald Merckelbach

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a popular treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. However, little is known about the memory effects of EMDR. Using a misinformation paradigm, we examined whether lateral eye movements, as used in EMDR, enhance susceptibility to false memories. Undergraduates (N = 82) saw a video depicting a car crash. Subsequently, participants either performed eye movements or held their eyes stationary. Afterward, all participants received misinformation in the form of an eyewitness narrative. The results indicate that eye movement participants were less accurate and were more susceptible to the misinformation effect than controls. Our finding suggests EMDR may have risky drawbacks in an eyewitness context and therefore urgently needs follow-up research.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)610-616
Number of pages7
JournalClinical Psychological Science
Volume6
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2018

Keywords

  • eye movements
  • EMDR
  • false memory
  • misinformation paradigm
  • EMOTIONAL MEMORIES
  • MISINFORMATION
  • MALLEABILITY
  • INFORMATION
  • CHILDRENS
  • ILLUSIONS
  • PARADIGM
  • EVENTS
  • RECALL

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