Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
07:09
Virtual Reality Experiments with Physiological Measures
Published on: August 29, 2018
Anxiety, stress, and affective modulation on object-location memory: A systematic review in virtual environments
Lucía Solares1,2,3,4, Sara García-Navarra1,2,3,4, Marta Mendez5,6,7,8
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience
|June 10, 2026
Summary
This review shows how emotions like stress and anxiety affect object-location memory (OLM) in digital tasks. Findings reveal sex-specific differences and highlight the importance of emotional valence and timing on spatial memory performance.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Object-location memory (OLM) involves encoding and retrieving spatial object relationships using egocentric or allocentric frames.
- Emotional memory systems, involving the amygdala-hippocampus and arousal mechanisms, can influence OLM encoding.
- The precise impact of emotion on OLM, especially in digital environments, requires further clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review how emotional valence, stress, and anxiety modulate OLM performance in computer-based and virtual/augmented reality tasks.
- To investigate sex-specific effects and the influence of stress timing and emotional valence on OLM.
- To identify key cognitive resources and physiological markers associated with emotion-modulated OLM.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search following PRISMA guidelines across major scientific databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, PubMed).
- Inclusion of twelve empirical studies published up to 2025 examining emotional modulation of OLM in digital contexts.
- Analysis of behavioral outcomes, cognitive resources (spatial working memory, mental rotation), and physiological stress markers.
Main Results:
- Sex-specific effects observed: anxious women favored egocentric strategies; stressed men exhibited greater allocentric flexibility.
- Stress timing was critical, often impairing encoding but sometimes aiding retrieval.
- Positive stimuli improved spatial accuracy, while negative stimuli increased response times; physiological markers showed weak behavioral correlations.
Conclusions:
- Emotional states significantly modulate OLM in digital environments, with distinct sex-specific patterns.
- Spatial working memory and mental rotation are crucial for flexible spatial learning under emotional influence.
- Future research needs standardized paradigms, diverse populations, and clearer theoretical distinctions for emotion-arousal-stress in spatial memory.
