Non-monotonic relationships between emotional arousal and memory for color and location

Abstract

Recent research points to the decreased diagnostic value of subjective retrieval experience for memory accuracy for emotional stimuli. While for neutral stimuli rich recollective experiences are associated with better context memory than merely familiar memories this association appears questionable for emotional stimuli. The present research tested the implicit assumption that the effect of emotional arousal on memory is monotonic, that is, steadily increasing (or decreasing) with increasing arousal. In two experiments emotional arousal was manipulated in three steps using emotional pictures and subjective retrieval experience as well as context memory were assessed. The results show an inverted U-shape relationship between arousal and recognition memory but for context memory and retrieval experience the relationship was more complex. For frame colour, context memory decreased linearly while for spatial location it followed the inverted U-shape function. The complex, non-monotonic relationships between arousal and memory are discussed as possible explanations for earlier divergent findings.

Keywords:

• Emotion
• Arousal
• Memory
• Context memory
• Subjective retrieval experience
• Remember/know

This research was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under [grant number BO 4226/2-1].

This research was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under [grant number BO 4226/2-1].

Notes

¹ In this study pictures appeared in one of three locations on the screen (left, center, right) and chance performance is thus at 33% correct location attributions.

² The number of degrees of freedom is smaller for the context memory analyses than for the RK analyses because due to the repeated measures design only those participants enter into the analyses who contribute observations to all three factorial levels of arousal.

³ One participant did not indicate their gender.