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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

Emotion processing facilitates working memory performance.

Björn R Lindström¹, Gunilla Bohlin

¹Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. bjorn.lindstrom@ki.se

Cognition & Emotion

|July 7, 2011

Summary

Emotional stimuli, both positive and negative, enhance working memory performance. This study found that processing emotional content improved accuracy and reaction times in a visual task.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

The impact of emotional stimuli on working memory is debated, with studies reporting both performance enhancements and impairments.
Understanding this relationship is crucial for cognitive function research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effect of highly arousing positive and negative emotional stimuli on working memory performance.
To clarify conflicting findings in the existing literature regarding emotion and working memory.

Main Methods:

Fifty-two adult participants completed a modified visual 2-back task.
Stimuli included highly arousing positive (sexual), highly arousing negative (violent), and neutral content.
Performance was assessed via response accuracy and reaction times.

Main Results:

Emotional stimulus processing significantly facilitated task performance compared to neutral stimuli.
Improvements were observed in both response accuracy and reaction times.
No significant differences in false-alarm rates were found across emotional conditions.

Conclusions:

Emotional information can enhance working memory maintenance and information processing.
Arousal, rather than valence, may be a key factor in emotional facilitation of working memory.