Influence of affective valence on working memory processes

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Affective Science

Background:

• Emotion significantly impacts cognitive functions like memory.
• The specific influence of affective valence on working memory remains under-researched.
• Negative stimuli are hypothesized to capture and retain attention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of affective valence on working memory updating.
• To test if negative words increase attention-switching costs in working memory tasks.
• To explore the role of anxiety-related attention bias in affective valence effects on working memory.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments involved participants performing concurrent word recognition and digit updating tasks.
• Participants switched between tasks, and switching costs were measured.
• Experiment 2 included a self-report anxiety measure to assess attention bias.

Main Results:

• Negative words significantly increased attention-switching costs compared to neutral words.
• Attention-switching costs were also observed for positive words.
• Anxiety-related attention bias did not mediate the observed switching costs.

Conclusions:

• Affective valence, both negative and positive, influences working memory updating through attention-switching costs.
• Findings clarify why affective valence effects on working memory have been elusive in prior research.
• Emotional content demonstrably affects the efficiency of short-term memory processes.