Of Different Evoked Emotion On Working Memory

In order to explore the different effects of different stimuli evoking positive and neutral emotion on Spatial and Verbal Working Memory, we applied the DSMT paradigm ("picture-target-delay-probe" 4 stages for an experiment unit) with the positive and neutral pictures and faces from the CAPS, using cognitive behavioral experiments. The results revealed that the effects of pictures and faces evoking positive emotion on Spatial and Verbal Working Memory is different, that is in the face inducing emotional conditions, positive emotion in a certain extent facilitates high load Verbal Working Memory, but impaired high and low load Spatial Working Memory task. In the conditions of pictures evoking emotion, positive emotion promoted high and low load Verbal Working Memory, and impaired the high and low load Spatial Working Memory. Compared with pictures, positive emotion evoking by faces impaired high load Spatial Working Memory, while in the neutral emotional condition, faces impaired high load Spatial Working Memory, high and low load of Verbal Working Memory.The concrete results are as followed:(1) In the face inducing emotional conditions, the facilitation of positive emotion on high load Verbal Working Memory is revealed by the shorter task reaction time, and the impairment effect on Spatial Working Memory is revealed by a longer reaction time. In the picture inducing emotional conditions, the facilitation of positive emotion on Verbal Working Memory is revealed by the shorter task reaction time, and the impairment effect on Spatial Working Memory is revealed by a longer reaction time.(2) In the positive emotion, the reaction time of high load Verbal Working Memory is longer in the face evoking conditions compared with picture conditions. In the neutral emotion, the reaction time of high load Spatial Working Memory and Verbal Working Memory is longer in the face conditions compared with picture.Research showed that different emotions evoked by different materials had a different effect on working memory. Positive emotion had a selective affect on working memory, and working memory task load had the interaction in the effect. The special processing of face played a important role in the influence between emotion and working memory.