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Updated: Jul 11, 2025
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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
Published on: May 4, 2011
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Are multiple types of associative memory differently impacted by emotion?
Emilie de Montpellier1, Deborah Talmi1
1Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Cognition & Emotion
|November 13, 2023
Summary
Emotion impacts associative memory, specifically decreasing contextual memory but not other forms. This suggests emotion’s effect on memory depends on the type of associative memory tested.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The influence of emotion on associative memory remains unclear, with inconsistent findings across studies.
- Previous research suggests emotion may affect different types of associative memory differently or be influenced by encoding processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of negative emotional content on various forms of associative memory.
- To determine if emotion differentially impacts recognition memory, order memory, temporal source memory, and contextual memory using a controlled encoding task.
Main Methods:
- Two parallel registered experiments were conducted with random participant allocation.
- Participants encoded neutral text interleaved with neutral or negative images, with images controlled for visual and semantic properties.
- Memory was assessed using recognition, Remember/Know, order, temporal source, and contextual memory tests.
Main Results:
- Negative emotion significantly decreased contextual memory.
- Emotion did not affect order memory or temporal source memory.
- Recognition accuracy and subjective recollection remained unaffected by emotional content, though participants reported difficulty integrating negative images with text.
Conclusions:
- Emotion does not universally impair all types of associative memory when stimuli are carefully controlled.
- Contextual memory is particularly vulnerable to negative emotional content, while other associative memory forms are more resilient.
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