Mere exposure effect(s) in the context of explicit memory search

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Affective Science

Background:

• Prior stimulus exposure typically enhances positive affect ratings, a phenomenon known as the mere exposure effect (MEE).
• The MEE is well-established for subliminal and incidental exposures but its influence on explicit memory judgments is less understood.
• Investigating the MEE within memory retrieval contexts is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of its effects on affective responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how memory judgments moderate the mere exposure effect.
• To determine if conclusions about prior exposure (e.g., "studied" vs. "unstudied") influence subsequent pleasantness ratings.
• To explore the relationship between memory retrieval outcomes and affective evaluations.

Main Methods:

• Four experiments combined memory and pleasantness ratings.
• Methods included basic recognition, recognition with incentives, source memory, and paired-associate recall.
• Participants made judgments about their memory for stimuli and rated their pleasantness.

Main Results:

• Items confirmed by memory judgments (recognized, correct source, successful recall) were rated as more pleasant than baseline.
• Items disconfirmed by memory judgments (unrecognized, incorrect source, failed recall) were rated as less pleasant than baseline.
• The outcome of memory search, rather than mere exposure, appeared to drive pleasantness changes.

Conclusions:

• Memory retrieval outcomes significantly modulate affective responses, extending the mere exposure effect.
• The confirmation of search (COS) hypothesis explains how memory judgments influence pleasantness ratings.
• This research highlights the interplay between memory, cognition, and emotion in shaping subjective experiences.