How Does Allocation of Emotional Stimuli Impact Working Memory Tasks? An Overview

Task-irrelevant decorative pictures increase cognitive load during text processing but have no effects on learning or working memory performance: an EEG and eye-tracking study

Decorative pictures (DP) are often used in multimedia task materials and are commonly considered so-called seductive details as they are commonly not task-relevant. Typically, DP result in mixed effects on behavioral performance measures. The current study focused on the effects of DP on the cognitive load during text reading and working memory task performance. The theta and alpha frequency band power of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and pupil dilation served as proxies of cognitive load. The number of fixations, mean fixation durations, and the number of transitions served as proxies of the attentional focus. For both, text reading and n-back working memory tasks, the presence and congruency of DP were manipulated in four task conditions. DP did neither affect behavioral performance nor subjective ratings of emotional-motivational factors. However, in both tasks, DP increased the cognitive load as revealed by the EEG alpha frequency band power and (at least to some extent) by subjective effort ratings. Notably, the EEG alpha frequency band power was a quite reliable and sensitive proxy of cognitive load. Analyzing the EEG data stimulus-locked and fixation-related, the EEG alpha frequency band power revealed a difference in global and local cognitive load. In sum, the current study underlines the feasibility and use of EEG for multimedia research, especially when combined with eye-tracking.

Posttraumatic stress, visual working memory, and visual imagery in military personnel

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by disruptions to cognitive functioning. Two studies were conducted to examine the relevance of military-related PTSD to two cognitive functions - visual working memory and visual imagery. Participants were military personnel who reported their PTSD diagnosis history and completed a self-administered screening tool for PTSD, the PTSD Checklist - Military Version. In Study 1, 138 personnel also completed a memory span task and a 2-back task using colored words in which Stroop interference was introduced via the semantic content of the words. In Study 2, a separate group of 211 personnel completed measures of perceived imagery vividness and spontaneous use of visual imagery. Interference effects on working memory in PTSD-diagnosed military personnel were not replicated. However, ANCOVA and structural equation modelling revealed that PTSD-intrusions were associated with poorer working memory whereas PTSD-arousal was associated with spontaneous use of visual imagery. We interpret these results as evidence that intrusive flashbacks disrupt working memory performance not by limiting memory capacity nor by interfering directly with memory functions such as inhibition, but by adding internal noise in the form of task-irrelevant memories and emotions. Visual imagery appears to be unrelated to these flashbacks but with arousal symptoms of PTSD, perhaps in the form of flashforwards about feared/anticipated threats.

Tai Chi exercise improves working memory capacity and emotion regulation ability

Purpose

The study aimed to research the promoting effects of Tai Chi exercise on working memory capacity and emotional regulation ability among college students.

Methods

Fifty-five participants were recruited and randomly divided into the Tai Chi group and control group. The Tai Chi group had a 12-week Tai Chi training to implement intervention, while the control group performed non-cognitive traditional sports with the same exercise intensity as the Tai Chi group. The visual 2-back test of action pictures and the Geneva emotional picture system test were performed before and after the trial, which aimed to examine whether the action memory of Tai Chi training can improve individuals' working memory capacity and emotion regulation ability.

Results

After 12 weeks, a significant difference was observed in Accuracy Rate (AR) (F = 54.89, p ≤ 0.001) and Response Time (RT) (F = 99.45, p ≤ 0.001) of individuals' Visual Memory Capacity between the Tai Chi group and the control group. Significant effects in Time (F = 98.62, p ≤ 0.001), Group (F = 21.43, p ≤ 0.001), and Interaction (Groups × time; F = 50.81, p ≤ 0.001) on Accuracy Rate (AR) of the Visual Memory Capacity were observed. The same effect was observed again on the Response Time (RT) of the Visual Memory Capacity, Time (F = 67.21, p ≤ 0.001), Group (F = 45.68, p ≤ 0.001), Interaction (groups × time; F = 79.52, p ≤ 0.001). Post-hoc analysis showed that at the end of 12 weeks, the participants in the Tai Chi group had significantly higher Visual Memory Capacity than those in the control group (p < 0.05).After 12 weeks, valence difference (F = 11.49, p ≤ 0.001), arousal difference (F = 10.17, p ≤ 0.01), and dominance difference (F = 13.30, p ≤ 0.001) in the emotion response were significantly different between the control group and the Tai Chi group. The effect of valence differences in Time (F = 7.28, p < 0.01), Group (F = 4.16, p < 0.05), and Time*Group (F = 10.16, p < 0.01), respectively, was significant in the Tai Chi group after 12-week intervention. Post hoc analysis showed valence swings in the Tai Chi group were significantly lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05); The effect of arousal difference in Time (F = 5.18, p < 0.05), Group (F = 7.26, p < 0.01), Time*Group (F = 4.23, p < 0.05), respectively, was significant in the Tai Chi group after 12-week intervention. Post hoc analysis showed arousal fluctuations in the Tai Chi group was significantly lower than that in the control group too (p < 0.01); As the same, the effect of dominance differences in Time (F = 7.92, p < 0.01), Group (F = 5.82 p < 0.05) and Time*Group (F = 10.26, p < 0.01), respectively was significant in the Tai Chi group. Dominance swings in the Tai Chi group were significantly lower than that in the control group (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The data support our speculation that action memory training in Tai Chi exercise may improve individuals' working memory capacity, and then improve their emotion regulation ability, which has provided insightful information for customized exercise programs for emotion regulation in adolescents. Thus, we suggest those adolescents who are experiencing volatile moods and poor emotion regulation attend regular Tai Chi classes, which could contribute to their emotional health.

Testing whether implicit emotion regulation mediates the association between discrimination and symptoms of psychopathology in late childhood: An RDoC perspective

Discrimination has been associated with adverse mental health outcomes, though it is unclear how early in life this association becomes apparent. Implicit emotion regulation, developing during childhood, is a foundational skill tied to a range of outcomes. Implicit emotion regulation has yet to be tested as an associated process for mental illness symptoms that can often emerge during this sensitive developmental period. Youth aged 9-11 were recruited for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Associations between psychotic-like experiences, depressive symptoms, and total discrimination (due to race, ethnicity, nationality, weight, or sexual minority status) were tested, as well as associations with implicit emotion regulation measures (emotional updating working memory and inhibitory control). Analyses examined whether associations with symptoms were mediated by implicit emotion regulation. Discrimination related to decreased implicit emotion regulation performance, and increased endorsement of depressive symptoms and psychotic-like experiences. Emotional updating working memory performance partially mediated the association between discrimination and psychotic-like experiences, while emotional inhibitory control did not. Discrimination and implicit emotion regulation could serve as putative transdiagnostic markers of vulnerability. Results support the utility of using multiple units of analysis to improve understanding of complex emerging neurocognitive functions and developmentally sensitive periods.

The effect of an induced negative mood on the updating of affective information

Updating is an important executive function that is vital for the attainment of goals such as cognitive tasks, daily activities, and the regulation of emotion. The ability to update affective content in working memory is said to be influenced by mood. However, little is known regarding the influences of mood on the valence of affective content. We hypothesized that first, a negative mood would impair the updating of affective information. Second, this impeding impact would be weaker for the updating of negative information due to the mood congruence effect. Sixty-three Russian-speaking participants were recruited for the experiment. Half of the participants were induced into a negative mood by negative pictures; the other half were presented with neutral pictures. All participants performed the affective 2-back task before and after mood induction. The results showed that negative mood impaired the accuracy rates of updating. However, the mood congruence effect was not observed in the updating of positive and negative materials. We recommend that more experiments be conducted with varied affective stimuli.

The Influence of Stimuli Valence and Arousal on Spatio-Temporal Representation of a Route

This study assesses the influence of valence and arousal of element/landmarks along a route on the spatio-temporal representation of the route itself. Participants watched a movie of a virtual route containing landmarks with high arousal and positive (HP) or negative valence (HN), or landmarks with low arousal and positive (LP) or negative valence (LN). Afterwards, they had to (a) imagine walking distances between landmarks, (b) indicate the position of the landmarks along the route, (c) judge the spatial and temporal length of the route, and (d) draw the route. Results showed that the tasks were differentially influenced by the valence and arousal levels. Specifically, participants were more accurate in representing distances between positive, rather than negative, landmarks and in localizing positive high arousing landmarks. Moreover, the high arousing landmarks improved performance at the route drawing task. Finally, participants in the negative and low arousing conditions judged the route as being metrically and temporally longer than participants in positive and high arousing conditions. These results are interpreted in the light of theories about the effects of emotions on memory processes and the “feelings-as-information” theory. In brief, the results support the idea that representations of a route reflect a combination of cognitive and emotional processes.

Affective Modulation of Working Memory Maintenance: The Role of Positive and Negative Emotions

The present study investigated the impact of task-irrelevant emotional images on the retention of information in spatial working memory (WM). Two experiments employed a delayed matching to-sample task where participants had to maintain the locations of four briefly presented squares. After a short retention interval, a probe item appeared and participants were required to indicate whether the probe position matched one of the previously occupied square positions. During the retention interval, task-irrelevant negative, positive, or neutral emotional pictures were presented. The results revealed a dissociation between negative and positive affect on the participants' ability to hold spatial locations in WM. While negative affective pictures reduced WM capacity, positive pictures increased WM capacity relative to the neutral images. Moreover, the specific valence and arousal of a given emotional picture was also related to WM performance: While higher valence enhanced WM capacity, higher levels of arousal in turn reduced WM capacity. Together, our findings suggest that emotions up- or down-regulate attention to items in WM and thus modulate the short term storage of visual information in memory.

The Relationship between Emotionally Laden Landmarks, Spatial Abilities, and Personality Traits: An Exploratory Study

Separate research lines have shown that the way we process spatial information is influenced by individual factors, such as personality traits and basic spatial abilities. Alongside, recent studies suggest that environmental landmarks can be represented differently depending on their emotional content. However, to our knowledge, no study has addressed so far the issue of whether there is a relationship between individual factors and the way we represent and use spatial information that conveys emotional content. Therefore, this exploratory study aimed to (i) investigate the relationship between personality traits and the use of spatial strategies in relation to emotional stimuli; (ii) investigate if a different pattern emerges according to a body- or object-based spatial encodings. After watching movies of routes characterized by positive, negative, or neutral landmarks, participants performed a "route continuation" (RC, i.e., left/right decision) and a "distance comparison" task (DC, i.e., what was the landmark closest to X?). Furthermore, participants performed a mental rotation task (MR), the Corsi block tapping (CBT), and the Bergen right-left discrimination tests (B-RL). Personality traits were assessed through the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI). Results showed that a better performance at the RC task was associated with higher scores at CBT tasks in the positive condition and at B-RL test and agreeableness scale from TIPI in both positive and neutral conditions. Instead, the MR task positively correlated with the DC task in all conditions. In sum, individuals' spatial abilities, personality traits, and task requests influenced the way emotionally laden landmarks were memorized.