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Meyer T, Otgaar H, Smeets T. Flashbacks, intrusions, mind-wandering - Instances of an involuntary memory spectrum: A commentary on Takarangi, Strange, and Lindsay (2014). Conscious Cogn. 2014;33:24-9doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2014.11.012.
Meyer, T., Otgaar, H., & Smeets, T. (2015). Flashbacks, intrusions, mind-wandering - Instances of an involuntary memory spectrum: A commentary on Takarangi, Strange, and Lindsay (2014). Consciousness and cognition, 3324-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2014.11.012
Meyer, Thomas, et al. "Flashbacks, intrusions, mind-wandering - Instances of an involuntary memory spectrum: A commentary on Takarangi, Strange, and Lindsay (2014)." Consciousness and cognition vol. 33 (2015): 24-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2014.11.012
Meyer T, Otgaar H, Smeets T. Flashbacks, intrusions, mind-wandering - Instances of an involuntary memory spectrum: A commentary on Takarangi, Strange, and Lindsay (2014). Conscious Cogn. 2015 May;33:24-9. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2014.11.012. Epub 2014 Dec 16. PMID: 25528493.
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Conscious Cogn. 2015 May;33:24-9. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2014.11.012. Epub 2014 Dec 16.

Flashbacks, intrusions, mind-wandering - Instances of an involuntary memory spectrum: A commentary on Takarangi, Strange, and Lindsay (2014).

Consciousness and cognition

Thomas Meyer, Henry Otgaar, Tom Smeets

Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Electronic address: [email protected].
  2. Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.

PMID: 25528493 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2014.11.012

Abstract

In their paper, Takarangi, Strange, and Lindsay (2014) showed in two experiments that participants who had witnessed a shocking film frequently "mind-wandered without awareness" about the content of the film. More importantly, they equated this effect with the occurrence of traumatic intrusions. In this commentary, we argue that the authors adhered to conceptually ambiguous terms, and thereby unintentionally contribute to an already existing conceptual blur in the trauma-memory field. We postulate that clear definitions are urgently needed for phenomena such as intrusions, flashbacks, and mind-wandering, when using them in the context of trauma memory. Furthermore, our proposal is that these phenomena can fall under a spectrum of different involuntary memory instances. We propose that by adopting stricter definitions and viewing them as separate, but interrelated phenomena, different lines of trauma-memory research can be reconciled, which would considerably advance the field.

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Intrusions; Involuntary autobiographical memories; Meta-awareness; Mind-wandering; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Trauma; Trauma film paradigm

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