Does RIF keep the doctor away? Evaluating health-relevant cognitive biases via retrieval-induced forgetting

Abstract

Abstract Retrieval-Induced Forgetting (RIF) is a cognitive paradigm demonstrating that engagement in retrieval processes can lead to subsequent forgetting of competing information. Across two experiments we evaluated whether those with self-reported health anxiety exhibit impaired memory control for health-related material. In the initial phase, participants studied category-word pairs (e.g., HEART-break), after which they practiced retrieving half of the targets from half of the categories using a word-stem (e.g., HEART-br). Finally, they were asked to recall the target words associated with each category. In Experiment 1 (E1), a reduced RIF effect (i.e., worse memory for unpracticed items from practiced categories compared to unpracticed categories) was observed for health-related (e.g., HEART-blockage) word pairs compared to neutral (e.g., CARD-letter) word pairs, but this difference was not statistically significant. Likewise, Experiment 2 (E2) failed to observe a significant difference in the RIF effect between health-related and neutral word pairs, despite the inclusion of a supervised tasked and improved stimulus set. The RIF effect did not significantly correlate with scores from a validated measure of health anxiety in either E1 or E2. Therefore, our hypotheses were not supported. Potential explanations for these conflicting results are discussed, and future directions are provided.