The role of executive function and attachment styles on autobiographical memories of relationships

1. The role of executive function and attachment styles on autobiographical memories of relationships Sezin Oner & Sami Gulgoz KocUniversity Istanbul.Turkey ESCOP 2013 Budapest. Hungary

2. Attachment theory (Bowlby. 1980) • Internal working models develop from interactions with “significant others” and form the relational schemas that act as mental codes. • Attachment-behavioral system: “from the cradle to grave”. • Guide individuals’ information-processing and self-regulation in relational experiences • An overall self-regulation system involving cognitive, affective, and behavioral strategies (e.g. Mikulincer & Shaver, 2003; 2007).

3. Attachmentbehavior (By R. ChrisFraley. copiedfromhttp://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~rcfraley/attachment.htm)

4. Previous evidence • Biased attention towards attachment-related stimuli (Edelstein, 2006) - positive or negative, or both? -specifictoattachment-relatedinformation? • Suppression of attachment-related information no longer works under cognitive load – the spill-over effect (or rebound) is observed on automatic or effortful processing. or both? (Mikulincer et al., 20004; Edelstein & Gillath, 2008)

5. The way of reflecting on thoughtprocesses contributes one to purposefully direct future actions and also make meaning of experiences. • Considering functions of autobiographical memories (e.g. Bluck & Alea. 2003; Bluck et al.. 2005), metacognitive processes were investigated. • Metacognitivetendencies(Wells & Cartwright-Hatton, 2004) • the need to control thoughts • positive beliefs • cognitive confidence (metamemory) • uncontrollability and danger • cognitive self-consciousness

6. CurrentResearch Specific focus on the attachment related mechanisms on the phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical memories.

7. CurrentResearch Goal: • to investigate the role of attachment anxiety/attachment avoidance in how we remember relational experiences. • to test whether metacognitive strategies and executive function are involved in the association between attachment and memory

8. CurrentResearch • Attachment anxiety: “hyperactivating” self regulation strategy – underregulation of affect taxing cognitive functioning • High anxiety is associated with higher reliving higher rehearsal higher emotionality • High anxiety is associated with lower performance on executive tasks. specifically affecting the attachment-related information • Particular aspects of metacognition contribute to the effect of attachment variables (especially thought control and uncontrollability)

9. CurrentResearch • Attachmentavoidance: “deactivating” self regulationstrategy – overrregulation of affect. but stilltaxingcognitivefunctioning • Highavoidance is associatedwithlowerreliving. lowerrehearsal. loweremotionality • Highavoidance y is associatedwithlowerperformance on executivetasks. specificallyaffectingtheattachment-relatedinformation

10. Method • Participants (N = 104) were recruited from Koc University in exchange for course credit • Participants were excluded if they • have not been involved in any romantic relationship • did not provide appropriate autobiographical memory reports • performed less than 85% accuracy criteria in AOSPAN

11. Method All the measures were completed online in the lab. • Experiences in Close Relationships-II (ECR-II) • Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance • Metacognition Questionnaire-30 • Demographic information • Relationship status • Are you currently in a romantic relationship? • If yes how long? • If no. have you been in any romantic relationship? • If yes. how long ago?

12. Method • Two negative and two positive memories • Memory Characteristics Questionnaire • Event qualities at retrieval such as intensity. vividness. importance. rehearsal. • Emotional Stroop • Attachment-related. non-attachment related positive and negative words. also neutral words in random order. • Automated Operation Span (AOSPAN)

13. SampleOverview

14. ES and AOSPAN scores were correlated with each other. • Their association seems tobe independent of attachment variables and anyeventqualities.

15. Hierarchical regression analyses; • Step 1: Memory age • Step 2: Relationship Status (Current) • Step 3: Anxiety and Avoidance • Step 4: Metacognitive Strategies • Positive beliefs. Uncontrollability. Thought Control. Cognitive awareness. Metamemory subscale scores were entered in stepwise regression

16. Negative memories • The model was not significantforonlyforintentional remembering

17. Positive memories • The effect of relationship status was observed that memories of current relationships were more likely to be remembered and reexperienced, and rated as more emotionally intense.

18. Discussion • Individuals with high attachment anxiety tend to report • more reliving • more involuntary remembering • more voluntary rehearsal • Individuals with high attachment avoidance tend to report • less intense emotions at the time of the event • less involuntary remembering • less voluntary rehearsal • attributedlessimportancetorelationalexperiences

19. Discussion • Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were found to be associated with how we remember experiences in romantic relationships independent of the passage of time. • Highanxiety : negativememorieswereperceived as alarm states • Increasedreliving • Increasedemotionalintensity • Highimportance • Avoidancewasmorelikelytoinfluencepositiveremembering • Preventingcorreectivefeedback in relatonships • Not all memory characteristics were influenced!

20. Discussion Current vs previous relationship • Why only on positive memories? • Current relationship might provide the context, attachment issues are real! • Intimacy function (Bluck & Alea, 2010) • More related to current goals (Conway,, Singer, & Tagini, 2004) Positive vs negative memories • If highly anxious, positive memories were more likely to retrieved, however, at the time of the retrieval, emotional intensity is independent of anxiety. • Positive memories, retrieved with blunted affect. • High avoidance, associated with low consequentiality, and emotional intensity • prevents the resolution, or emotional processing of negative events • less likely to make meaning of positive experiences.

21. Discussion • Attachment-related differences were reflected to metacognitive style. • Involuntaryretrievalwasdifferentiallyassociatedwithmetacognitivetendenciesforpositiveandnegativememories • Thoughts about self-cognitive processes might feedback attachment-based expectations. • Memorymistrust, feelings of uncontrollabilityresulted in moreknowjudgments • Possibletoinhibiteffectivedecision-making

22. Questionsforfutureresearch • Attachment styles and future projections • linking past to future: moderating role of attachment and relationship satisfaction on imagining future of the relationship. • Does reporting order influence the effect of attachment anxiety or/and attachment avoidance? • Does the emotional state at retrieval elevate/decrease the influence of attachment anxiety vs. attachment avoidance? • Underlying mechanisms should be defined to explain the the association between executive function. and autobiographical remembering linked to attachment.

23. Questions & Comments? For any questions. suggestions. please email to: seoner@ku.edu.tr