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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

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Positive affect improves working memory: implications for controlled cognitive processing.

Hwajin Yang¹, Sujin Yang, Alice M Isen

¹School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, Singapore 178903. hjyang@smu.edu.sg

Cognition & Emotion

|August 25, 2012

Summary

Positive affect significantly boosts working memory (WM), which involves complex cognitive processing. This emotional state has a weaker effect on short-term memory (STM), highlighting its impact on controlled cognitive functions.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Affective Science

Background:

Working memory (WM) integrates storage and controlled processing.
Short-term memory (STM) primarily involves storage.
The impact of positive affect on cognitive functions is an area of ongoing research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the differential effects of positive affect on WM and STM.
To determine if positive affect enhances controlled processing.

Main Methods:

Participants completed WM and STM tasks under conditions of positive or neutral affect.
The operation span task was used to measure WM.
Recall times, processing times, and accuracy were analyzed.

Main Results:

Positive affect significantly enhanced WM performance compared to neutral affect.
The effect of positive affect on STM was less pronounced.
Performance improvements were not linked to motivational factors but to cognitive processing.

Conclusions:

Positive affect enhances WM, particularly the controlled processing component.
The findings suggest that positive affect facilitates complex cognitive operations rather than simple storage.