Recall bias for emotions and pain: Consistency, stability, and predictors
(2019) Emotions 2019: 7th International conference on emotions, well-being, and health
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Walentynowicz, Marta 
- et. al.
- Abstract
- Background When asked to report on their experiences in the past week, patients often recall them as more intense than initially reported. However, until now the cross-domain consistency and temporal stability of recall bias have not been investigated. This study addresses this gap by exploring recall bias for pain, negative affect (NA), and positive affect (PA) in chronic pain patients. Methods Secondary analyses included two ecological momentary assessment studies. Chronic pain patients (Study 1, n=116; Study 2, n=68) rated the intensity of momentary pain, PA, and NA several times a day for two weekly periods, either 3 months apart (Study 1) or administered consecutively (Study 2). Recall ratings were collected at the end of each week. Recall bias was defined as the discrepancy between the 7-day recall and the mean real-time ratings. Findings On average, the 7-day recall was higher than the mean momentary ratings for all measures. The recall bias was moderately stable over time. The correlations between recall bias for pain, PA, and NA were mostly not significant. Variability, peak experience, and state at the moment of recall predicted recall bias for pain and NA. Recall bias for PA and NA was related to trait anxiety and depression in Study 1. Discussion Individual differences in recall bias were not consistent across domains suggesting that it is not a general phenomenon. However, the predictors of recall bias were similar for emotions and symptoms. The current study opens important avenues for future research regarding mechanisms underlying recall bias.
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Walentynowicz, M., & et al. (2019). Recall bias for emotions and pain: Consistency, stability, and predictors. Emotions 2019: 7th International conference on emotions, well-being, and health. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/110432