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Typically, therapists treat anxiety disorders by urging clients to face their fears. But Radomsky tried a new approach, zeroing in on participants’ beliefs about memory. When study participants saw that they were actually very good at remembering things, they stopped checking so much.For Radomsky, the study revealed how our beliefs about ourselves can create a self-reinforcing cycle that can feed either positive or negative patterns.
“The more you check something, the less sure you become, which is kind of counterintuitive. But in fact, the more you check, although your memory accuracy is unaffected, your confidence in memory falls,” Radomsky said. “By checking, you actually make your memory foggier, so you trust it less.”
This study is already changing how the two clinics operated by Concordia’s psychology department treat patients with anxiety disorders. By incorporating therapies designed to increase a person’s confidence in the ability to remember things and stay in control, therapists are able to help people who failed to benefit from previous therapy.