Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Traumatic Memory01:20

Traumatic Memory

136
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual...
136
Role of Amygdala in Memory01:16

Role of Amygdala in Memory

299
The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped structure responsible for processing and storing memories, particularly those linked to emotions like fear and stress. It plays an essential role in the brain's response to emotionally significant events and often enhances memory formation by triggering stress hormone release. The amygdala is vital for encoding and retrieving memories associated with fear or stress, a process that is adaptive by helping organisms avoid dangerous situations.
One of the...
299
Psychological Responses to Stress01:20

Psychological Responses to Stress

79
Psychological responses to stress encompass the various cognitive and emotional reactions individuals experience when faced with challenging or threatening situations, such as a job loss. Prolonged exposure to stressors can disturb emotional balance, increasing negative emotions (e.g., anxiety and sadness) and diminishing positive emotions (e.g., joy and satisfaction). These persistent emotional shifts are associated with an increased risk of both physical illness and mental health issues, such...
79
Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory01:22

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

251
Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of...
251
Components of Stress01:23

Components of Stress

245
Stress analysis under multiple loading conditions is intricate, necessitating a comprehensive grasp of normal and shearing stresses. Consider a small cube at point O, subjected to stress on all six faces, visible or not. Normal stress components σx, σy, σz act perpendicularly to the x, y, and z axes. Shearing stress components τxy and τxz are exerted on faces perpendicular to these axes.
Interestingly, the hidden cube faces also experience these stresses, equal and...
245
Eyewitness Memory01:22

Eyewitness Memory

138
Eyewitness memory refers to the recollection of events by someone who has directly witnessed them, often serving as critical evidence in legal settings. This type of memory is commonly used in criminal cases where a witness describes details like a suspect's appearance, clothing, or behavior during a crime. However, despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness memory is prone to significant errors.
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function...
138

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Multi-session CBM-I for social anxiety: examining psychopathology, cognitive, neural, and psychophysiological effects in a randomized controlled trial.

Translational psychiatry·2026
Same author

The effects of rumination and reappraisal on repeated exposure to stress.

Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology·2026
Same author

Approach-avoidance tendencies in problematic usage of the internet: Evidence from a multisite study.

Journal of behavioral addictions·2026
Same author

Timing Matters: Providing Contingency Instructions to Modify Fear Extinction Memories in Anxiety Disorders.

Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging·2026
Same author

Hair testosterone and cortisol interactively predict problematic pornography use in a male sample.

Journal of behavioral addictions·2026
Same author

Cortisol treatment impairs path integration and alters grid-like representations in the male human entorhinal cortex.

PLoS biology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 26, 2025

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory
07:59

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Published on: June 14, 2019

8.0K

Enhanced memory for central visual and auditory elements experienced during a stressful episode.

Tobias Rüttgens1, Oliver T Wolf1

  • 1Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.

Behavioural Brain Research
|June 17, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Acute psychosocial stress enhances memory for central visual details and factual information about stressors. However, stress did not improve memory for peripheral visual stimuli, faces, or objects.

Keywords:
Acute stressCortisolEncodingRecognition memoryTSST

More Related Videos

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
15:57

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

16.7K
Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
08:17

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

Published on: July 19, 2017

7.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 26, 2025

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory
07:59

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Published on: June 14, 2019

8.0K
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
15:57

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

16.7K
Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
08:17

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

Published on: July 19, 2017

7.6K

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Acute psychosocial stress can improve memory for central elements of stressful events.
  • The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used method to induce acute stress.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if stress enhances visual memory for committee members (faces, accessories) and factual information (name, age, position) during a modified TSST.
  • To examine stress effects on memory for the exact wording of verbal interactions.
  • To determine if stress impacts memory for central vs. peripheral visual stimuli.

Main Methods:

  • A counterbalanced 2x2 design with 77 participants undergoing either a stressful or non-stressful TSST.
  • Assessment of recognition memory for committee members' faces and body accessories.
  • Evaluation of memory for factual details and verbatim recall of verbal interactions.

Main Results:

  • Stressed participants showed improved memory for factual information about committee members.
  • No significant differences were found in memory for the exact wording of phrases.
  • Stressed individuals better remembered central visual stimuli but not peripheral stimuli, faces, or accessories.

Conclusions:

  • Stress enhances memory for central visual elements and associated factual information.
  • The findings support theories of enhanced memory binding under stress.
  • Stress effects on memory are specific to certain types of information and stimuli.