Negative Arousing Images Impair Working Memory Encoding Kimberly

Negative Arousing Images Impair Working Memory Encoding Kimberly M. Wingert, B. Hunter Ball, Chris Blais, & Gene A. Brewer MACLab Arizona State University The Memory & Attention Control Laboratory 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 be predictive of differences in the ability to regulate attention in emotional contexts. To address this hypothesis, a complexspan working memory task (symmetry span) was modified so that negative arousing images or neutral images subtended the background during the encoding phase. Across 3 experiments, negative arousing images impaired working memory encoding relative to neutral images, resulting in impoverished symmetry span scores. Contrary to our hypothesis, individual differences in working memory capacity derived from two additional complex span tasks failed to moderate the effect of negative arousing images on working memory encoding across two large scale studies. Implications for theories of working memory and attention control in emotional contexts will be discussed. Experiment 1 Methods and Results Experiment 1: N = 44 Experiment 3 Results There was an interaction between valence and arousal, F(1, 180) = 3. 789, MSE = 25. 461, p =. 053, partial 2 =. 021. 1 Factor Repeated Measures ANOVA v Conditions: Negative-Arousing vs. Neutral-Not Arousing Partial-Unit span scores were lower when negative-arousing images served as distractors, F(1, 43) = 4. 112, MSE = 25. 471, p =. 049, partial 2 =. 087. WMC did not moderate the effect of Valence or Arousal on attention at encoding, Fs < 1. WMC did not moderate the interaction between Valence and Arousal on partial-unit span scores, F < 2. 074. Networks of Attention v Alerting Experiment 2 Methods and Results v Orienting Experiment 2: N = 206 v Executive Control Attentional Network Test v Measures efficiency in each network of attention 1 Working Memory Capacity, Emotion, and Attention v Working memory capacity predicts performance in the executive control network. v Primarily driven by response times on incongruent trials. 2 1 Factor Repeated Measures ANCOVA v Span Factor Score Covariate: Shortened Complex Span Tasks. 8 High valence images were remembered better than low valence images, F(1, 180) = 54. 654, MSE = 0. 018, p <. 001, partial 2 =. 233. v Conditions: Negative-Arousing vs. Neutral-Not Arousing Partial-Unit span scores were lower when negative-arousing images served as distractors, F(1, 204) = 76. 711, MSE = 31. 641, p <. 001, partial 2 =. 273. High arousal images were remembered better than low arousal images, F(1, 180) = 10. 314, MSE = 0. 023, p =. 002, partial 2 =. 054. v Emotion also interacts with the executive control attention network. v Primarily driven by response times on congruent trials. 3 High and low working memory capacity participants should differ when controlled processing is needed, but not when automatic processing is needed to perform a task. 4, 5 WMC did not moderate the effect of emotional content on attention at encoding, F < 1. Discussion v Arousal is automatically processed and activates an amygdalahippocampal network. 6 Valence is processed in a controlled manner and activates a prefrontalhippocampal network. 6 v Valence is processed in a controlled manner and activates a prefrontal-hippocampal network. 6 v The present study indicates that valence and arousal both impact attention at encoding relatively automatically. The Present Investigation The present study manipulated emotional content at encoding using images from the International Affective Picture System database. 7 The goal of this study was to determine if top-down attention control can be used to suppress the effect of emotional content on attention at encoding. Experiment 3 Methods Experiment 2: N = 182 An alternative explanation is that in the present study the effect emotion had on attention occurred in a different attentional network such as orienting. v This could have occurred due to the simultaneous presentation of the emotional content and the to-be-remembered stimuli. References 1. Fan, J. , Mc. Candliss, B. D. , Sommer, T. , Raz, A. , & Posner, M. I. (2002). Testing the efficiency and independence of attentional networks. Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 14(3), 340 -347. 2. Redick, T. S. , & Engle, R. W. (2006). Working memory capacity and attention network test performance. 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