A current line of my research leverages stable between-person differences in vivid memory to ask whether these pretraumatic factors predict PTSD risk versus resilience. My previous work has shown that more vivid and detailed memories are more likely to recur intrusively (Yeung & Fernandes, 2020); as such, it stands to reason that people who naturally generate more vivid and detailed memories (e.g., those with strong trait visual imagery) might be more prone to developing PTSD in the aftermath of trauma exposure. Conversely, individuals who generally experience more abstract or gist-like memories (e.g., those with strong trait spatial imagery) might be protected against vivid recollection of intrusive memories. Indeed, my work has found large-scale evidence of stronger trait visual imagery being related to significantly more PTSD symptoms in individuals exposed to Criterion A traumatic events. In contrast, stronger spatial-schematic processing was related to fewer PTSD symptoms, arguing that some forms of trait imagery are risk factors, whereas others may be protective (Yeung et al., 2025).
I am currently extending this work to longitudinal design, examining whether baseline trait imagery predicts future PTSD symptoms within-person. I am currently recruiting paramedic students at the beginning of enrolment (prior to occupational trauma exposure), collecting baseline data on their cognitive profiles (e.g., trait imagery), and following them for up to two years as they are inevitably exposed to potentially traumatic events on the job. I have helped secure CIHR funding to support this work ($810,900 as a co-investigator), and participants are currently being recruited from over five paramedic colleges in Ontario. This work has critical implications for the PTSD literature, which has largely abandoned research on pretraumatic, cognitive individual differences. The autobiographical memory literature will also benefit from testing longstanding hypotheses about memory’s relationship to imagery. My work argues that basic cognitive neuroscience principles can—and should—inform understanding of clinical outcomes, since being able to identify who is at greater risk for developing PTSD can improve prevention, more accurate prediction, and earlier, targeted intervention.
References
2025
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The curse of imagery: Trait object and spatial imagery differentially relate to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder
Ryan C Yeung, H Moriah Sokolowski, Carina L Fan, Myra A Fernandes, and Brian Levine
Clinical Psychological Science, 2025
Imagery is integral to autobiographical memory (AM). Past work has highlighted the benefits of high trait imagery on episodic AM, including faster, more detailed, and more vivid retrieval. However, these advantages may come with drawbacks: Following potentially traumatic events, strong visual imagery could promote the intrusions characteristic of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Conversely, spatial imagery could schematize potentially traumatic events, countering vivid recollection and reducing distress. We examined relationships between trait object imagery (e.g., color, shape), spatial imagery (e.g., abstract representations, locations), and PTSD symptoms in two independent samples: trauma-exposed adults (n = 806) and undergraduates (n = 493). As predicted, higher object imagery was associated with more PTSD symptoms in both samples. Higher spatial-schematic processing was associated with fewer PTSD symptoms in the trauma-exposed sample, although this effect was confined to men in the undergraduate sample. Different forms of imagery have different—or even opposing—relationships with episodic AM that affect PTSD symptoms.
2020
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Recurrent involuntary autobiographical memories: Characteristics and links to mental health status
Ryan C Yeung and Myra A Fernandes
Memory, 2020
Memories of events from one’s personal past that come to mind unintentionally and effortlessly are termed involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs). Recurrent IAMs are known as relevant to many disorders within clinical literature. However, less is known about their links with mental health status in the general population. In the current study, 2184 undergraduate students completed surveys assessing occurrence of any recurrent IAMs. Participants also wrote a description of their most frequently recurring IAM and rated it on phenomenological characteristics, such as frequency, valence, vividness, and centrality. Results showed that the majority of our sample experienced recurrent IAMs, replicating previous findings, but most of these memories were emotionally negative, unlike past work. Importantly, negative recurrent IAMs were associated with significantly more mental health concerns, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. We also found that frequency of IAM recurrence was predicted by the memory’s age, level of completeness/detail, emotional intensity, and centrality to one’s life story. Further, descriptions of positive recurrent IAMs contained significantly more episodic detail compared to negative or neutral ones, suggesting that emotional regulation may play a role in how recurrent IAMs are recounted. Recurrent IAMs, and their characteristics, serve as a window into mental health status.