Effects of pleasant visual stimulation on attention, working memory, and anxiety in college students.

Abstract

Different emotional reactions can be induced by the presentation of visual stimuli with affective content. Emotional stimuli are processed and linked with cognitive functions, such as attention, memory, and anxiety, and have implications in the mental health field. Previous studies have reported that positive and negative emotions tend to change cognitive processes in individuals, ultimately resulting in better and worse performance, respectively. Many studies have emphasized the crucial role of affect in directing attention to relevant stimuli, enhancing learning and memory, facilitating decision making, selecting goals, and conflict resolution. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of pleasant visual stimuli on memory, focused attention, and anxiety and further understand the effects of emotional induction. The study investigated the effects of presenting a pleasant visual stimulus in a 1.5 min video to a sample of 145 college students on focused attention, working memory (Personnel Selection Testing, memory subtest), and anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). Nonsignificant differences were observed in focused attention, working memory, and anxiety state. Statistically significant differences were found in trait anxiety and the comparison between men and women with regard to memory and anxiety. The positive stimulus was not sufficient to alter cognition or emotion in our research participants.

Analyzing Factors Affecting Cognitive Function in the Elderly using Computerized Neurocognitive Tests

“…This result is similar to previous research findings that depressive patients had lower language learning and memory test results than those without depression and showed the most consistent lack especially in cognitive tasks involving concentration, work memory and decision-making [28]. Since emotions can reinforce the selection of a behavior negatively or positively and play an important role in memory [25], depression is thought to have influenced visual memory. Thus, more active development and application of an intervention program to improve executive function and memory need to be carried out in the future research on depression and cognitive function.…”

“…This was an unexpected result given that previous studies reported that anxiety weakened thinking or concentration, and as a result, patients with anxiety were easily distracted and had difficulty in concentrating [25], and it is contradictory to the reports of decreases in executive function and anecdotal memory [29]. In addition, it is not consistent with previous studies which reported that individuals' anxiety levels had a significant impact on psychological test results, the influence was more prominent in older people, and thus, excessive anxiety or psychological strain led to lower intelligence test results [4].…”

“…In this study, the mean BDI was 10.38±9.28 points, which may be attributed to the fact that the subjects were not anxious enough to be diagnosed with anxiety, and it is possible that moderate anxiety helped the subjects to perform the task by making them become tense. In addition, because emotions are not the only factors that influence cognitive function, but cognitive, social, and physiological factors such as prior knowledge, personal history, and environmental culture have an important impact [25], factors other than anxiety may have an effect. Therefore, repeated research is required to confirm the clear relationship between emotions and specific cognitive functions, and further research on various factors other than emotions is considred necessary.…”

“…The emotional aspect is an important factor that influences the process of recall and cognition according to the encoding process [25]. In this study, regression analysis was conducted to identify emotional factors affecting cognitive function.…”

Comparison of Intelligence based on Short-term Memory Test between Urban and Rural Children

“…Moreover, positive emotions will also activate the amygdala and when activated, the amygdala will mediate connections with the cortex and facilitate the processes of memory formation such as encoding, recalling, and recognition. 19 On the contrary, if the aversive visual stimulations are exposed, high levels of anxiety are presented and there will be a decline in working memory and attention. 20 Also, less technological advances in a rural areas, such as Internet access or ownership of computers which also provide visual stimulation would make the children in rural areas to not use visuospatial memory as often as children in the urban areas.…”