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Updated: May 13, 2026
15:57
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
Published on: May 4, 2011
Examining an emotion enhancement effect in working memory: evidence from age-related differences
Nicola Mammarella1, Erika Borella, Barbara Carretti
1Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy. n.mammarella@unich.it
Neuropsychological Rehabilitation
|March 5, 2013
Summary
Emotional words may help older adults maintain working memory function. This study found that negative and positive words, unlike neutral words, reduced age-related declines in memory tasks for older individuals.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
Background:
- Working memory capacity declines with age.
- Emotional stimuli can influence cognitive processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related differences in working memory using an affective task.
- To determine if emotional content in words affects age-related working memory decline.
Main Methods:
- An affective Working Memory Operation Span Test was administered to young, young-old, and old-old adults.
- The test included neutral, negative, and positive words.
Main Results:
- Young adults outperformed older groups with neutral words.
- Age-related differences diminished with positive words and were nullified with negative words.
Conclusions:
- Emotional content in working memory tasks can mitigate age-related decline.
- Older adults may benefit from emotionally salient information during memory tasks.
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