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Worrying about the future: an episodic specificity induction impacts problem solving, reappraisal, and well-being
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Previous research has demonstrated that an episodic specificity induction--brief training in recollecting details of a recent experience--enhances performance on various subsequent tasks thought to draw upon episodic memory processes. Existing work has also shown that mental simulation can be beneficial for emotion regulation and coping with stressors. Here we focus on understanding how episodic detail can affect problem solving, reappraisal, and psychological well-being regarding worrisome future events. In Experiment 1, an episodic specificity induction significantly improved participants' performance on a subsequent means-end problem solving task (i.e., more relevant steps) and an episodic reappraisal task (i.e., more episodic details) involving personally worrisome future events compared with a control induction not focused on episodic specificity. Imagining constructive behaviors with increased episodic detail via the specificity induction was also related to significantly larger decreases in anxiety, perceived likelihood of a bad outcome, and perceived difficulty to cope with a bad outcome, as well as larger increases in perceived likelihood of a good outcome and indicated use of active coping behaviors compared with the control. In Experiment 2, we extended these findings using a more stringent control induction, and found preliminary evidence that the specificity induction was related to an increase in positive affect and decrease in negative affect compared with the control. Our findings support the idea that episodic memory processes are involved in means-end problem solving and episodic reappraisal, and that increasing the episodic specificity of imagining constructive behaviors regarding worrisome events may be related to improved psychological well-being.
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“following ESI versus a control induction, participants generated more constructive steps to address a future worrisome event, were better able to reappraise the event, and showed improvements on several measures of subjective well-being (85).”
From Episodic Future Thinking: Mechanisms and Functions (2017) · cites this paper as [85]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Jing, H. G., Madore, K. P., & Schacter, D. L.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
- Published
- 2016-04
- Volume
- 145
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 402-418
- ISSN
- 0096-3445 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-2222
- PMC
- PMC4792686
- OpenAlex
- W2413945233
- Cited by
- 214
- References
- 73
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 7
- FWCI
- 16.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Experimental Psychology General (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH060941)
- National Institute on Aging (AG08441)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Keywords
- episodic memory, mental simulation, worry, future events, cognitive reappraisal, emotion regulation, coping, anxiety, positive affect, negative affect, psychological well-being
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Affect, Anxiety, Female, Humans, Imagination, Male, Personal Satisfaction, Problem Solving, Young Adult, Memory, Episodic
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