Exposure to and recall of violence reduce short-term memory and cognitive control.

ABSTRACT: Previous research has investigated the effects of violence and warfare on individuals' well-being, mental health, and individual prosociality and risk aversion. This study establishes the short- and long-term effects of exposure to violence on short-term memory and aspects of cognitive control. Short-term memory is the ability to store information. Cognitive control is the capacity to exert inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Both have been shown to affect positively individual well-being and societal development. We sampled Colombian civilians who were exposed either to urban violence or to warfare more than a decade earlier. We assessed exposure to violence through either the urban district-level homicide rate or self-reported measures. Before undertaking cognitive tes

SUBMITTER: Bogliacino F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5559026 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature