Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
Published on: May 19, 2015
The relationship between thought suppression and retrieval-induced forgetting: an analysis of witness memories
Gennaro Pica1, Antonio Pierro, Annamaria Giannini
1Facoltà di Psicologia, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy, gennaro.pica@uniroma1.it.
Abstract:
The aim of the present research was to examine the relationship between individual differences in thought suppression and retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) in witness-like situations. We predicted that people who are more prone to suppress undesired thoughts and memories would demonstrate a stronger RIF effect. Consistent with findings obtained in a US sample (Blumberg in Personal Individ Differ 29:943-950, 2000), results of a preliminary study (Study 1) confirmed the three-factor structure of the white bear suppression inventory (WBSI): the tendency to rely on thought suppression (suppression dimension), the frequency of experiencing intrusive thoughts (intrusion dimension), and the frequency of using self-distraction to avoid undesired thoughts (self-distraction dimension). Consistent with our hypotheses, Study 2 found that only the suppression sub-dimension of the WBSI was positively and significantly related to RIF. Theoretical expectations of these findings and implications for witness research are discussed.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Repressed Memory
Eyewitness Memory
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function...
Interference and Decay
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Forgetting
Encoding...
False Memories
One primary source of false memories is misattribution, where individuals incorrectly associate external information...
Traumatic Memory

