Post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with better performance on a delayed match-to-position task
Many individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report experiencing frequent intrusive memories of the original traumatic event (e.g., flashbacks). These memories can be triggered by situations or stimuli that reflect aspects of the trauma and may reflect basic processes in learning and m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2018-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/4701.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797422163588808704 |
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| author | Meghan D. Caulfield Catherine E. Myers |
| author_facet | Meghan D. Caulfield Catherine E. Myers |
| author_sort | Meghan D. Caulfield |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report experiencing frequent intrusive memories of the original traumatic event (e.g., flashbacks). These memories can be triggered by situations or stimuli that reflect aspects of the trauma and may reflect basic processes in learning and memory, such as generalization. It is possible that, through increased generalization, non-threatening stimuli that once evoked normal memories become associated with traumatic memories. Previous research has reported increased generalization in PTSD, but the role of visual discrimination processes has not been examined. To investigate visual discrimination in PTSD, 143 participants (Veterans and civilians) self-assessed for symptom severity were grouped according to the presence of severe PTSD symptoms (PTSS) vs. few/no symptoms (noPTSS). Participants were given a visual match-to-sample pattern separation task that varied trials by spatial separation (Low, Medium, High) and temporal delays (5, 10, 20, 30 s). Unexpectedly, the PTSS group demonstrated better discrimination performance than the noPTSS group at the most difficult spatial trials (Low spatial separation). Further assessment of accuracy and reaction time using diffusion drift modeling indicated that the better performance by the PTSS group on the hardest trials was not explained by slower reaction times, but rather a faster accumulation of evidence during decision making in conjunction with a reduced threshold, indicating a tendency in the PTSS group to decide quickly rather than waiting for additional evidence to support the decision. This result supports the need for future studies examining the precise role of discrimination and generalization in PTSD, and how these cognitive processes might contribute to expression and maintenance of PTSD symptoms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:28:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-64e40b51214147ecac5b66e5ad780191 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:28:13Z |
| publishDate | 2018-05-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-64e40b51214147ecac5b66e5ad7801912023-12-03T06:48:25ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592018-05-016e470110.7717/peerj.4701Post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with better performance on a delayed match-to-position taskMeghan D. Caulfield0Catherine E. Myers1Department of Psychology, Lafayette College, Easton, PA, United States of AmericaNeurobehavioral Research Laboratory, VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange, NJ, United States of AmericaMany individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report experiencing frequent intrusive memories of the original traumatic event (e.g., flashbacks). These memories can be triggered by situations or stimuli that reflect aspects of the trauma and may reflect basic processes in learning and memory, such as generalization. It is possible that, through increased generalization, non-threatening stimuli that once evoked normal memories become associated with traumatic memories. Previous research has reported increased generalization in PTSD, but the role of visual discrimination processes has not been examined. To investigate visual discrimination in PTSD, 143 participants (Veterans and civilians) self-assessed for symptom severity were grouped according to the presence of severe PTSD symptoms (PTSS) vs. few/no symptoms (noPTSS). Participants were given a visual match-to-sample pattern separation task that varied trials by spatial separation (Low, Medium, High) and temporal delays (5, 10, 20, 30 s). Unexpectedly, the PTSS group demonstrated better discrimination performance than the noPTSS group at the most difficult spatial trials (Low spatial separation). Further assessment of accuracy and reaction time using diffusion drift modeling indicated that the better performance by the PTSS group on the hardest trials was not explained by slower reaction times, but rather a faster accumulation of evidence during decision making in conjunction with a reduced threshold, indicating a tendency in the PTSS group to decide quickly rather than waiting for additional evidence to support the decision. This result supports the need for future studies examining the precise role of discrimination and generalization in PTSD, and how these cognitive processes might contribute to expression and maintenance of PTSD symptoms.https://peerj.com/articles/4701.pdfPTSDPTSSGeneralizationHippocampusDiscriminationDiffusion drift modeling |
| spellingShingle | Meghan D. Caulfield Catherine E. Myers Post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with better performance on a delayed match-to-position task PeerJ PTSD PTSS Generalization Hippocampus Discrimination Diffusion drift modeling |
| title | Post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with better performance on a delayed match-to-position task |
| title_full | Post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with better performance on a delayed match-to-position task |
| title_fullStr | Post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with better performance on a delayed match-to-position task |
| title_full_unstemmed | Post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with better performance on a delayed match-to-position task |
| title_short | Post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with better performance on a delayed match-to-position task |
| title_sort | post traumatic stress symptoms are associated with better performance on a delayed match to position task |
| topic | PTSD PTSS Generalization Hippocampus Discrimination Diffusion drift modeling |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/4701.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT meghandcaulfield posttraumaticstresssymptomsareassociatedwithbetterperformanceonadelayedmatchtopositiontask AT catherineemyers posttraumaticstresssymptomsareassociatedwithbetterperformanceonadelayedmatchtopositiontask |