Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
Well, slap my thigh: expression of surprise facilitates memory of surprising material
Michal Parzuchowski1, Aleksandra Szymkow-Sudziarska
1Institute of Psychology, Warsaw School of Social Psychology, Faculty in Sopot, Sopot, Poland.
Abstract:
Two studies examined the general prediction that one's emotional expression should facilitate memory for material that matches the expression. The authors focused on specific facial expressions of surprise. In the first study, participants who were mimicking a surprised expression showed better recall for the surprising words and worse recall for neutral words, relative to those who were mimicking a neutral expression. Study 2 replicated the results of Study 1, showing that participants who mimicked a surprised expression recalled more words spoken in a surprising manner compared with those that sounded neutral or sad. Conversely, participants who mimicked sad facial expressions showed greater recall for sad than neutral or surprising words. The results provide evidence of the importance of matching the emotional valence of the recall content to the facial expression of the recaller during the memorization period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).
Related Concept Videos
Eyewitness Memory
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...
Implicit Memories
One key aspect of implicit...
Flashbulb Memory
Explicit Memories
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Traumatic Memory

