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Improving adaptive response to negative stimuli through non-emotional working memory training
Quanshan Long1, Linlin Yu2, Yancheng Tang2
1Faculty of Education, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China.
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
|January 23, 2023
Summary
Non-emotional working memory (WM) training can improve emotional regulation. A 15-day training regimen significantly reduced emotional responses, suggesting WM training enhances adaptive emotional control.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Emotional Regulation
Background:
- High working memory (WM) capacity is linked to proactive emotional responses and reduced negative emotions.
- While emotional WM training impacts emotional control, the effects of non-emotional WM training on emotional responses are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the far-transfer effects of non-emotional WM training on emotional responses.
- To determine if WM training can enhance emotional control and adaptive emotional responses.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with participants undergoing 7-day and 15-day non-emotional WM training.
- A preliminary experiment ensured comparable training task gains between experimental and active control groups.
- Emotional responses were measured to assess the impact of WM training.
Main Results:
- A 7-day WM training showed a marginal reduction in emotional responses compared to controls.
- A significant reduction in emotional responses was observed after 15 days of WM training.
- Training gains in WM performance correlated significantly with reduced emotional responses, indicating a dose-dependent effect (r = -0.359).
Conclusions:
- Non-emotional working memory training is a safe and effective method for enhancing adaptive emotional responses.
- Extended WM training (15 days) leads to significant improvements in emotional regulation.
- The findings support the role of WM capacity in modulating emotional reactivity.
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