Emotional event Flashcards
(15 cards)
Introduction
o Explain link between memory and emotion
o Emotional memories linked to being better remembered however forgetting is also common, especially specific details
o Essay will explore theories of attention, psychological mechanisms and forgetting
Para 1: Emotion narrows attention
o Easterbrook (1959) cue-utilisation hypothesis
Emotion narrows attention, reduces utilisation of cues
o Cristianson (1992)
Attention for non central details often poor in emotional contexts
* Late conceptual processing - rehearsal of central info only
o Loftus and burns (1982)
Ppts in violent conditions forget contextual details
o This helps to explain selective forgetting
para 2: biological mechanisms
Amygdala and hippocampus interactions under emotional arousal modulate encoding and consolidation.
Mild to Moderate stress enhances memory, extreme stress hinders memory(McGaugh, 2004).
Cahill (1996) – Amygdala activity during encoding of emotionally arousing film clips predicted better memory recall 3 weeks later.
Stronger correlation for emotional (vs. neutral) stimuli.
Dolcos et al. (2004) – fMRI showed heightened amygdala activity during emotional encoding. emotional pictures remembered better than neutral
para 3: suppression
Modern cognitive perspective: Effortful suppression and lack of rehearsal contribute to forgetting.
Porter, Spencer & Birt (2003) – false emotional memories can be created, sometimes replacing real ones.
Heuer & Reisberg (1990) – central emotional narrative remembered, peripheral elements often omitted.
Talarico & Rubin (2003) – vivid emotional memory maintained, but with reduced consistency over time.
para 4: retreival failure
Forgetting may result not from memory loss but from retrieval failure.
Emotion can affect retrieval context, making some memories inaccessible (Tulving’s encoding specificity, retrieval most effective with cues that match cues at time of encoding).
Brewin, Andrews, & Gotlib (1993) - Emotion can both facilitate and hinder retrieval, depending on the congruence between encoding and retrieval mood.
Parrott and Sabini (1990) Offers a nuanced view, showing that mood-congruent retrieval failure is not inevitable, but often occurs unless countered by other factors (like coping goals).
conclusion
Recap: Emotion enhances some memories while impairing others.
Forgotten aspects may be due to:
Emphasize that forgetting is not necessarily dysfunctional — can serve a protective role.
Conclude: Memory is adaptive, and forgetting parts of emotional events may reflect the brain’s attempt to manage overload or trauma.
Dolcos et al 2004 crit ev
Strengths:
Biological grounding: Provided neuroimaging evidence linking emotional memory enhancement to amygdala activation.
Objective measures: Used fMRI data rather than relying solely on self-reports, which adds scientific rigor.
Limitations:
Correlational: fMRI identifies areas of activation but cannot establish causation — activation doesn’t prove it caused better memory.
Artificial stimuli: Emotional photos may not reflect real-life emotional complexity (e.g., personal trauma or crime).
Small sample sizes: Typical of neuroimaging studies, which limits generalizability.
CONC: Highly valuable for understanding why emotional memories feel vivid — supports biological models.
Heuer & Reisberg 1990 crit ev
Strengths:
Controlled manipulation: Identical narratives were used, differing only in emotional content — isolates the effect of emotion.
Supports differential encoding: Found that emotional versions led to better memory for central details, but worse recall for peripheral elements.
Practical insight: Echoes real-world testimony — witnesses may vividly recall key events but forget surrounding context.
Limitations:
Narrative-based design: Reading or listening to stories doesn’t replicate the emotional immersion or stress of witnessing real events.
Short-term recall: Memory was tested soon after exposure; doesn’t reflect long-term memory dynamics or forgetting curves.
Emotion induction may have been moderate, limiting generalizability to traumatic events.
Christianson (1992) crit ev
Strengths:
Comprehensive: Synthesised multiple studies — broader conclusions than individual experiments.
Consistent findings: Demonstrated a reliable pattern: emotional arousal improves memory for central details, impairs peripheral information.
Supports theoretical models: Reinforces attentional narrowing as a key mechanism in emotionally charged memory encoding.
Limitations:
Heterogeneity: Meta-analysis included studies with different methodologies, stimuli, and populations — can reduce interpretability.
Publication bias: Studies with significant findings are more likely to be published and included.
Lack of long-term data: Many included studies focused on immediate or short-term recall, not on memory decay over time.
gist vs detail
Emotion increases the likelihood that the ‘gist’ of an emotional experience will be remembered, but impairs memory for the specific visual details of the experience.
gist vs detail evidence
Adolphs, Denburg & Tranel 2001
-ppts view highly negative and neutral photographs
- GIST memory BEST with the MOST aversive images
- DETAIL memory WORST with the MOST aversive images
problems for Gist-Detail explanation
Sometimes, emotion seems to enhance memory for visual detail rather than impairing it
Kensinger, Garoff-Eaton & Schacter (2006)
What are central details (Levine and Edelstein, 2009)
Attention magnets - features that capture a person’s attention; car accident, bloody face, weapon
Spatially integrated features - perceptually or spatially part of emotional event; colour of injured persons clothes
Temporally integral features - features that occur during event; pictures of a car accident
Conceptually integral features - features that cannot be changes without changing basic nature of event; picture of surgeon operating on victim, childs experience being injured
Goal-relevant features - features that increase or decrease likelihood of goal attainment; person who causes project to fail, consequences of failure, images signalling loss or threat
Eye movements
Chipchase & Chapman 2013
associate with attention narrowing
Clear attention focusing in eye movements towards negative central objects
Explains memory trade-offs for negative stimuli, but not positive enhancements.
Yerkes and Dodson (1908)
Inverted U
