Abstract

Memory distrust has been found to be both associated with repeated checking behaviour in individuals with OCD (Radomsky, Rachman, & Hammond, 2001) and a product of repeated checking in non-clinical samples (van den Hout & Kindt, 2003a, 2003b). Interventions designed to target memory distrust could attenuate declines in confidence in memory following repeated checking, and thus the urge to check again. Mindfulness training has been defined as including processes such as the self-regulation of attention and metacognitive awareness (Bishop et al., 2004; Shapiro, Schwartz, & Bonner, 2006; Teasdale, 1999). It was hypothesized that a brief mindfulness intervention would attenuate decreases in metamemory following repeated checking. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups in which they listened to a short tape-recording of: (1) mindfulness instructions, (2) relaxation instructions or (3) a song selection (control group). Participants then completed a single and a repeated checking task. Participants were asked to provide memory, metamemory, and mood ratings. It was found that memory accuracy and metamemory scores decreased for all participants, but no differences between the groups were revealed. However, participants who scored high on a trait-measure of mindfulness exhibited greater declines in metamemory while reporting significantly lower anxiety and negative affect than those who scored high on the trait-measure. These findings are discussed in relation to a cognitive approach to compulsive checking.