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Negative emotion reduces visual working memory recall variability: A meta-analytical review.
Weizhen Xie1, Chaoxiong Ye2, Weiwei Zhang2
1National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|August 11, 2022
Summary
Negative emotion modestly improves working memory (WM) precision by reducing recall variability but increases recall failures. Individual negative experiences during emotion induction moderate these effects on memory.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Emotional Processing
Background:
- Negative emotion is theorized to enhance deliberate cognitive processing.
- Evidence is mixed on whether working memory (WM) representations are affected by emotional states.
- Previous studies lack consensus on emotion's impact on WM precision and recall.
Approach:
- A meta-analysis of 13 experiments involving 491 participants was conducted.
- Participants completed a delay-estimation working memory task under induced negative and neutral emotional states.
- WM recall variability and recall failures were measured to assess emotional impact.
Key Points:
- Induced negative emotional states modestly reduce working memory recall variability.
- Negative emotions also increase the rate of working memory recall failures.
- The degree of self-reported negative experience during emotion induction moderates these effects.
Conclusions:
- Negative emotion influences both the quality (precision) and quantity (failures) of information held in working memory.
- Findings suggest emotion modulates cognitive control and memory encoding/retrieval processes.
- Individual differences in emotional experience play a role in emotion-cognition interactions.
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