North Carolina Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) State Practice Exam

What term refers to a word or smell that triggers memories of a traumatic event?

1. Stressor

2. Trigger

3. Stimulus

4. Response

The correct answer is: Trigger

The term that refers to a word or smell that triggers memories of a traumatic event is "trigger." In psychological contexts, a trigger is often associated with stimuli that evoke strong emotional responses or recollections of past trauma. These can include specific words, sounds, or smells that remind an individual of the distressing experience, leading to various emotional reactions, such as anxiety, fear, or distress. While "stressor" describes anything that causes stress and could contribute to trauma, it is a broader term that does not specifically relate to the act of recalling memories. "Stimulus" is a more general term used to describe anything that elicits a response, not exclusively tied to memories of trauma. Similarly, "response" refers to the reaction of an individual to a stimulus and does not specifically point to the triggering aspect of recalling traumatic events. Therefore, the term "trigger" is the most precise choice for describing the phenomenon of a word or smell that brings back memories of past trauma.