Abstract
Individual differences in working memory capacity partly arise from variability in attention control, a process influenced by negative emotional content. Thus, individual differences in working memory capacity should predict differences in the ability to regulate attention in emotional contexts. To address this hypothesis, a complex-span working memory task was modified so that negative arousing images or neutral images subtended the background during the encoding phase. Across three experiments, negative arousing images impaired working memory encoding relative to neutral images, resulting in impoverished symmetry span scores. Contrary to the primary hypothesis, individual differences in working memory capacity derived from three complex span tasks failed to moderate the effect of negative arousing images on working memory encoding across two large scale studies. Additionally, in Experiment 3, both negative and arousing images captured attention and were processed despite their incongruence with task goals which led to increased memory for the images in a subsequent recognition task. Implications for theories of working memory and attention control in emotional contexts will be discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 52-64 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Acta Psychologica |
| Volume | 185 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 1 2018 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Cite this
Working memory cannot regulate overt emotional capture. / Wingert, Kimberly M.; Blais, Christopher; Ball, B. Hunter; Brewer, Gene.
In: Acta Psychologica, Vol. 185, 01.04.2018, p. 52-64.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Working memory cannot regulate overt emotional capture
AU - Wingert, Kimberly M.
AU - Blais, Christopher
AU - Ball, B. Hunter
AU - Brewer, Gene
PY - 2018/4/1
Y1 - 2018/4/1
N2 - Individual differences in working memory capacity partly arise from variability in attention control, a process influenced by negative emotional content. Thus, individual differences in working memory capacity should predict differences in the ability to regulate attention in emotional contexts. To address this hypothesis, a complex-span working memory task was modified so that negative arousing images or neutral images subtended the background during the encoding phase. Across three experiments, negative arousing images impaired working memory encoding relative to neutral images, resulting in impoverished symmetry span scores. Contrary to the primary hypothesis, individual differences in working memory capacity derived from three complex span tasks failed to moderate the effect of negative arousing images on working memory encoding across two large scale studies. Additionally, in Experiment 3, both negative and arousing images captured attention and were processed despite their incongruence with task goals which led to increased memory for the images in a subsequent recognition task. Implications for theories of working memory and attention control in emotional contexts will be discussed.
AB - Individual differences in working memory capacity partly arise from variability in attention control, a process influenced by negative emotional content. Thus, individual differences in working memory capacity should predict differences in the ability to regulate attention in emotional contexts. To address this hypothesis, a complex-span working memory task was modified so that negative arousing images or neutral images subtended the background during the encoding phase. Across three experiments, negative arousing images impaired working memory encoding relative to neutral images, resulting in impoverished symmetry span scores. Contrary to the primary hypothesis, individual differences in working memory capacity derived from three complex span tasks failed to moderate the effect of negative arousing images on working memory encoding across two large scale studies. Additionally, in Experiment 3, both negative and arousing images captured attention and were processed despite their incongruence with task goals which led to increased memory for the images in a subsequent recognition task. Implications for theories of working memory and attention control in emotional contexts will be discussed.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.actpsy.2017.12.007
DO - 10.1016/j.actpsy.2017.12.007
M3 - Article
C2 - 29407245
AN - SCOPUS:85044265020
VL - 185
SP - 52
EP - 64
JO - Acta Psychologica
JF - Acta Psychologica
SN - 0001-6918
ER -