Year: 2018
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Some research has shown that induced affective states that vary in valence have \ndifferential effects on verbal and spatial working memory performance, such that positive affect \nimproves verbal working memory and impairs spatial working memory, while negative affect \nimproves spatial working memory and impairs verbal working memory. However, other research \nusing similar mood induction and working memory tasks, has supported a nonspecific influence \nof affect on working memory performance where fear impairs, and positive affect improves, both \nverbal and spatial working memory. The present study investigated whether individual \ndifferences in naturally occurring trait and state affect could predict verbal and spatial working \nmemory performance across six working memory tasks. Valence uniquely predicted working \nmemory performance over and above arousal and the interaction of valence and arousal which \nwere not significant predictors. Positive affect was associated with better WM performance, \nwhile negative affect was associated with worse working memory performance. This pattern held \nacross both verbal and spatial working memory tasks, but was observed more strongly with 2- \nback working memory tasks than with complex span working memory tasks. These findings \nsuggest that, in contrast to research demonstrating differential effects of affective states on verbal \nand spatial working memory performance, naturally occurring affect demonstrates a modality \nindependent effect on working memory.
Author: Andrew Chung
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2889705413