Emotional memory in the lab: Using the Trier Social Stress Test to induce a sensory-rich and personally meaningful episodic experience

• DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105971
• Publication Date: 2022-11-09T16:53:57Z
• Authors: Inga Marie Freund; Jacqueline Peters; Merel Kindt; Renée M. Visser
• Keywords: Stimulus modality; Olfactory memory; Stimulus (psychology); Autobiographical Memory

A myriad of clinical theories places emotional memory or mental representations at the root disorders. Various cognitive-behavioural interventions are based on assumption that targeting underlying is working mechanism treatment efficacy. To test assumptions about role in development, maintenance, and disorders, we first need to establish ecologically valid paradigms can induce lab. For this, used Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a standardized protocol elicit social distress, paired with neutral unfamiliar ambient odour, create sensory-rich personally meaningful episodic experience. Seven days later, participants (N = 132) reactivated TSST aid auditory, olfactory, visual retrieval cues, during which their heart rate self-reported affective responses were collected. Although increases only observed encoding, not retrieval, self-report ratings showed cues directly referred aversive experience evoked more negative valence, arousal, feelings lack control reactivation compared across sensory modalities. These findings indicative successful induction corroborate utility odours as aids. Moreover, response correlated individual differences indices (social) anxiety depression. Thereby, provide preliminary evidence translational significance this paradigm offers potential for being model