A facilitative effect of negative affective valence on working memory

Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
Fumiko GotohUlrich Olofsson

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that negatively valenced information impaired working memory performance due to an attention-capturing effect. The present study examined whether negative valence could also facilitate working memory. Affective words (negative, neutral, positive) were used as retro-cues in a working memory task that required participants to remember colors at different spatial locations on a computer screen. Following the cue, a target detection task was used to either shift attention to a different location or keep attention at the same location as the retro-cue. Finally, participants were required to discriminate the cued color from a set of distractors. It was found that negative cues yielded shorter response times (RTs) in the attention-shift condition and longer RTs in the attention-stay condition, compared with neutral and positive cues. The results suggest that negative affective valence may enhance working memory performance (RTs), provided that attention can be disengaged.

References

Sep 1, 1991·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·F Pratto, O P John
Feb 1, 1995·Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance·M M Chun, M C Potter
Jun 17, 1998·Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance·E AwhP A Reuter-Lorenz
Aug 29, 1998·Cognitive Psychology·P Jolicoeur, R Dell'Acqua
Mar 10, 2001·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·E Awh, J Jonides
Sep 8, 2001·The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. A, Human Experimental Psychology·J Yiend, A Mathews
Aug 31, 2002·Perception & Psychophysics·Brandon K SchmidtSteven J Luck
Apr 28, 2005·Psychological Research·Michael F Bunting, Nelson Cowan
May 5, 2005·Journal of Experimental Psychology. General·Adam K Anderson
Dec 6, 2005·Neuroscience·E AwhS-H Oh
Feb 2, 2006·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Nilli Lavie, Jan De Fockert
Feb 17, 2006·The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience·Florin Dolcos, Gregory McCarthy
Feb 25, 2006·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·Nelson Cowan, Candice C Morey
Jun 14, 2006·Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience·Mara MatherMarcia K Johnson
Dec 13, 2006·Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance·Edward K VogelSteven J Luck
May 10, 2008·Behavioural Brain Research·Thomas StraubeWolfgang H R Miltner
Feb 1, 2008·International Journal of Psychology : Journal International De Psychologie·Fumiko Gotoh

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

May 7, 2019·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Joseph A Mikels, Patricia A Reuter-Lorenz
Mar 13, 2020·Journal of Neural Engineering·Yuanyuan ZhangXiaorong Gao

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology : QJEP
Mareike AltgassenMatthias Kliegel
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology
Mareike AltgassenMatthias Kliegel
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
Ivan C Griffin, Anna C Nobre
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved