Study shows memories can be suppressed

BOULDER – A new University of Colorado at Boulder study shows people have the ability to suppress emotional memories with practice, which has implications for those suffering from conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to depression. 

The study is lead by Boulder doctoral candidate Brendan Depue. Co-authors of the study include CU-Boulder Associate Professor Tim Curran and Professor Marie Banich of the psychology department.

During the training phase, subjects were asked to learn 40 different pairs of pictures, each pair consisting of a neutral human face and a disturbing picture such as a car crash, a wounded soldier, a violent…