Suppression‐Induced Forgetting as a Model for Repression

Abstract

AbstractThe Think/No‐Think (T/NT) task was designed to test whether the deliberate avoidance of retrieving a memory (i.e., suppression) hinders the subsequent recall of that memory. Forgetting effects obtained with the T/NT‐task (Suppression‐Induced Forgetting) are thought to result from memory inhibition: the deactivation of the representation of the to‐be‐suppressed memory. Memory inhibition can be specifically inferred from decreased performance on a test using Independent Probes—cues that are unrelated to the initial study phase in the T/NT‐procedure. The present contribution explores the evidence for the idea that Suppression‐Induced Forgetting obtained with such Independent Probes may provide a viable model for repression.A review of the literature on Suppression‐Induced Forgetting with Independent Probes (SIF‐IP) suggests that reliable estimates of the overall effect size are unavailable, that the extent to which the literature suffers from publication bias is unknown and that reporting bias may obstruct a clear view of the percentage of studies that find a statistically significant effect. In addition, it is difficult to study SIF‐IP in autobiographical memories, due to their complexity and idiosyncrasy. All in all, it seems questionable whether suppression‐induced forgetting obtained with independent probes provides a viable model of repression.