The role of attention in the associative binding of emotionally arousing words

Abstract

In the present study, we examined the role of attention in modulating the memory benefit of emotional arousal for same-valence word pair associations. To assess the role of attention either at encoding or at retrieval, participants studied lists of positive, neutral, and negative words pairs under full attention, divided attention at encoding, or divided attention at retrieval, and then were tested on the single words and on the associations between words. Consistent with past studies, memory accuracy was higher for emotional items than for neutral items, and no memory difference was observed across emotional arousal conditions for associations when encoding occurred under full attention. In contrast, memory accuracy was higher for emotionally arousing items and associations relative to neutral items when encoding occurred under divided attention. Finally, dividing attention at retrieval revealed similar effects across emotion conditions, suggesting that retrieval of emotional stimuli relative to neutral stimuli, unlike encoding, does not benefit from automatic processing. The discussion emphasizes the role of automatic processing during encoding in producing the benefit of emotionally enhanced memory, as well as the extent to which controlled attention is responsible for eliminating or reversing (relative to neutral materials) emotionally enhanced memory for associations. Additionally, the implications of the divided-attention-at-retrieval manipulation include consideration of the way in which emotional items may be consciously processed during encoding.

The effects of negative emotion on encoding-related neural activity predicting item and source recognition

“…Early (pre-400 ms) Dm effects have been associated with early onset attentional processes that can benefit encoding (Mangels et al, 2001) and which are more likely to be automatic and stimulus-driven (Watts et al, 2014). Therefore, this result could mean that pre-attentive processes also play a role in EEM, as some authors have suggested previously (Maddox et al, 2012), although our findings suggest that this is the case only for stimuli with high levels of emotional intensity. The apparent co-existence of emotional effects on both early and late Dm activity argues in favour of a hybrid model suggesting that both pre-attentive and overt attentional processes contribute to EEM (Pottage and Schaefer, 2012).…”

Negative affect impairs associative memory but not item memory

“…For example, attentional accounts propose that emotional aspects of a scene capture attentional resources to enhance memory for the emotional item at the expense of nonemotional peripheral information (e.g., Easterbrook 1959;Christianson 1992;Reisberg and Heuer 2004). Although increased attention toward an emotional stimulus might play some role in reduced memory for associations (e.g., Maddox et al 2012), we highlight that such accounts are insufficient. By using a threat of shock, we were able to generate an increase in arousal that was predicted by contextual information and not specific to the valence of item images.…”

Association learning for emotional harbinger cues: When do previous emotional associations impair and when do they facilitate subsequent learning of new associations?

“…Indeed, people tend to show enhanced memory binding for features of emotionally arousing stimuli compared with features of neutral stimuli (D’Argembeau & Van der Linden, 2004; Doerksen & Shimamura, 2001; Kensinger & Corkin, 2003; Kensinger et al, 2006; Kensinger & Schacter, 2007; Mather, 2007; Mather & Nesmith, 2008; Nashiro & Mather, 2011). Intra-item associations are also sometimes learned better for emotionally arousing items than for neutral items (Maddox, Naveh-Benjamin, Old, & Kilb, 2012; Pierce & Kensinger, 2011). …”