{"id":{"repo_id":"massey","oai_identifier":"oai:mro.massey.ac.nz:10179/18093"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/massey/oai:mro.massey.ac.nz:10179/18093","repository":{"repo_id":"massey","name":"Massey University","base_url":"https://mro.massey.ac.nz/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Media exposure to trauma, psychotherapy, and false memories : a recipe for disaster? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand","abstract":"The proliferation of social media use in recent years has meant individuals are at increased risk of being exposed to images of real-life violence and trauma. This issue, along with growing concerns about the inaccessibility of formal psychological therapy, raises questions about the demand for computer-delivered therapeutic interventions. However, previous research has raised concerns about the potential for some therapeutic techniques to increase susceptibility to misinformation (e.g., Houben et al., 2018). In this thesis, I aimed to test the effects of a computerised trauma intervention on trauma memory vividness, emotional intensity, and susceptibility to misinformation. Experiment One describes novel procedures and materials for investigating misinformation effects in an online context. Participants (N = 99) completed the study online. They first watched a 10-minute video of a fictional school shooting. Between five and ten days later, they were randomly assigned to receive misinformation or no misinformation about the video before completing a recognition test. Misinformed participants were less accurate at discriminating between misinformation and true statements than control participants. This effect was most strongly supported by ROC analyses (Cohen’s d = 0.59, BF10 = 8.34). The study showed the misinformation effect can be established in an online experiment using candid violent viral-style video stimuli. The novel materials developed in Experiment One were employed in a second experiment to test the misinformation potential of Cognitive Bias Modification – Appraisal (CBM-App) training; a computerised trauma intervention. In Experiment Two, participants viewed the school shooting video and rated the vividness and emotionality of the video. They then received a post-trauma debrief via video before being randomly assigned to either complete the CBM-App training intervention or a control task. Participants again rated their memory vividness and emotionality. Five to ten days later, all participants re-rated their memory vividness and emotionality and then received misinformation about the trauma video. Lastly, participants completed a recognition test. Results showed CBM-App training successfully instilled a positive cognitive bias; however, the intervention had no effect on trauma memory vividness or emotionality. ROC analyses also demonstrated no effect of CBM-App training on susceptibility to misinformation. The present research raises questions about the efficacy of CBM-App training for reducing trauma-related distress. Moreover, findings suggest that while there is the potential for memory distortion in many therapeutic interventions, this may not be the case for CBM-App training. This research has implications for the CBM-App, misinformation, and trauma literature. It is hoped the present research provides a foundation for further research investigating therapeutic interventions and misinformation effects in an online trauma context.","abstract_html":"The proliferation of social media use in recent years has meant individuals are at increased risk of being exposed to images of real-life violence and trauma. This issue, along with growing concerns about the inaccessibility of formal psychological therapy, raises questions about the demand for computer-delivered therapeutic interventions. However, previous research has raised concerns about the potential for some therapeutic techniques to increase susceptibility to misinformation (e.g., Houben et al., 2018). In this thesis, I aimed to test the effects of a computerised trauma intervention on trauma memory vividness, emotional intensity, and susceptibility to misinformation. Experiment One describes novel procedures and materials for investigating misinformation effects in an online context. Participants (N = 99) completed the study online. They first watched a 10-minute video of a fictional school shooting. Between five and ten days later, they were randomly assigned to receive misinformation or no misinformation about the video before completing a recognition test. Misinformed participants were less accurate at discriminating between misinformation and true statements than control participants. This effect was most strongly supported by ROC analyses (Cohen’s d = 0.59, BF10 = 8.34). The study showed the misinformation effect can be established in an online experiment using candid violent viral-style video stimuli. The novel materials developed in Experiment One were employed in a second experiment to test the misinformation potential of Cognitive Bias Modification – Appraisal (CBM-App) training; a computerised trauma intervention. In Experiment Two, participants viewed the school shooting video and rated the vividness and emotionality of the video. They then received a post-trauma debrief via video before being randomly assigned to either complete the CBM-App training intervention or a control task. Participants again rated their memory vividness and emotionality. Five to ten days later, all participants re-rated their memory vividness and emotionality and then received misinformation about the trauma video. Lastly, participants completed a recognition test. Results showed CBM-App training successfully instilled a positive cognitive bias; however, the intervention had no effect on trauma memory vividness or emotionality. ROC analyses also demonstrated no effect of CBM-App training on susceptibility to misinformation. The present research raises questions about the efficacy of CBM-App training for reducing trauma-related distress. Moreover, findings suggest that while there is the potential for memory distortion in many therapeutic interventions, this may not be the case for CBM-App training. This research has implications for the CBM-App, misinformation, and trauma literature. It is hoped the present research provides a foundation for further research investigating therapeutic interventions and misinformation effects in an online trauma context.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Sievwright, Olivia"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022","date_published":"2022","updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:17:00Z","subjects":["Psychic trauma","Psychic trauma and mass media","Misinformation","Computer-assisted psychotherapy","False memory syndrome"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["hdl:10179/18093"],"render_values":[{"text":"hdl:10179/18093","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2022"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Psychic trauma","Psychic trauma and mass media","Misinformation","Computer-assisted psychotherapy","False memory syndrome"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["hdl:10179/18093"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.other","label":"Dc Description Other","values":["The proliferation of social media use in recent years has meant individuals are at increased risk of being exposed to images of real-life violence and trauma. This issue, along with growing concerns about the inaccessibility of formal psychological therapy, raises questions about the demand for computer-delivered therapeutic interventions. However, previous research has raised concerns about the potential for some therapeutic techniques to increase susceptibility to misinformation (e.g., Houben et al., 2018). In this thesis, I aimed to test the effects of a computerised trauma intervention on trauma memory vividness, emotional intensity, and susceptibility to misinformation. Experiment One describes novel procedures and materials for investigating misinformation effects in an online context. Participants (N = 99) completed the study online. They first watched a 10-minute video of a fictional school shooting. Between five and ten days later, they were randomly assigned to receive misinformation or no misinformation about the video before completing a recognition test. Misinformed participants were less accurate at discriminating between misinformation and true statements than control participants. This effect was most strongly supported by ROC analyses (Cohen’s d = 0.59, BF10 = 8.34). The study showed the misinformation effect can be established in an online experiment using candid violent viral-style video stimuli. The novel materials developed in Experiment One were employed in a second experiment to test the misinformation potential of Cognitive Bias Modification – Appraisal (CBM-App) training; a computerised trauma intervention. In Experiment Two, participants viewed the school shooting video and rated the vividness and emotionality of the video. They then received a post-trauma debrief via video before being randomly assigned to either complete the CBM-App training intervention or a control task. Participants again rated their memory vividness and emotionality. Five to ten days later, all participants re-rated their memory vividness and emotionality and then received misinformation about the trauma video. Lastly, participants completed a recognition test. Results showed CBM-App training successfully instilled a positive cognitive bias; however, the intervention had no effect on trauma memory vividness or emotionality. ROC analyses also demonstrated no effect of CBM-App training on susceptibility to misinformation. The present research raises questions about the efficacy of CBM-App training for reducing trauma-related distress. Moreover, findings suggest that while there is the potential for memory distortion in many therapeutic interventions, this may not be the case for CBM-App training. This research has implications for the CBM-App, misinformation, and trauma literature. It is hoped the present research provides a foundation for further research investigating therapeutic interventions and misinformation effects in an online trauma context."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Media exposure to trauma, psychotherapy, and false memories : a recipe for disaster? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:date.issued":["2022"],"dc:description.other":["The proliferation of social media use in recent years has meant individuals are at increased risk of being exposed to images of real-life violence and trauma. This issue, along with growing concerns about the inaccessibility of formal psychological therapy, raises questions about the demand for computer-delivered therapeutic interventions. However, previous research has raised concerns about the potential for some therapeutic techniques to increase susceptibility to misinformation (e.g., Houben et al., 2018). In this thesis, I aimed to test the effects of a computerised trauma intervention on trauma memory vividness, emotional intensity, and susceptibility to misinformation. Experiment One describes novel procedures and materials for investigating misinformation effects in an online context. Participants (N = 99) completed the study online. They first watched a 10-minute video of a fictional school shooting. Between five and ten days later, they were randomly assigned to receive misinformation or no misinformation about the video before completing a recognition test. Misinformed participants were less accurate at discriminating between misinformation and true statements than control participants. This effect was most strongly supported by ROC analyses (Cohen’s d = 0.59, BF10 = 8.34). The study showed the misinformation effect can be established in an online experiment using candid violent viral-style video stimuli. The novel materials developed in Experiment One were employed in a second experiment to test the misinformation potential of Cognitive Bias Modification – Appraisal (CBM-App) training; a computerised trauma intervention. In Experiment Two, participants viewed the school shooting video and rated the vividness and emotionality of the video. They then received a post-trauma debrief via video before being randomly assigned to either complete the CBM-App training intervention or a control task. Participants again rated their memory vividness and emotionality. Five to ten days later, all participants re-rated their memory vividness and emotionality and then received misinformation about the trauma video. Lastly, participants completed a recognition test. Results showed CBM-App training successfully instilled a positive cognitive bias; however, the intervention had no effect on trauma memory vividness or emotionality. ROC analyses also demonstrated no effect of CBM-App training on susceptibility to misinformation. The present research raises questions about the efficacy of CBM-App training for reducing trauma-related distress. Moreover, findings suggest that while there is the potential for memory distortion in many therapeutic interventions, this may not be the case for CBM-App training. This research has implications for the CBM-App, misinformation, and trauma literature. It is hoped the present research provides a foundation for further research investigating therapeutic interventions and misinformation effects in an online trauma context."],"dc:identifier":["hdl:10179/18093"],"dc:subject":["Psychic trauma","Psychic trauma and mass media","Misinformation","Computer-assisted psychotherapy","False memory syndrome"],"dc:title":["Media exposure to trauma, psychotherapy, and false memories : a recipe for disaster? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:17:00Z"}