scholarly journals Post-retrieval Distortions of Self-Referential Negative Memory: Valence Consistency Enhances Gist-Directed False, While Non-negative Interference Generates More Intrusive Updates

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Ni Pan ◽  
Xuebing Li
Keyword(s):  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Episodic Simulation ◽  
New Learning ◽  
Behavioral Paradigm ◽  
Negative Memory ◽  
Retrieval Interference ◽  
Functional Mechanisms ◽  
Negative Memories

According to the theory of reconsolidation, the contents of an original memory can be updated after reactivation with subsequent new learnings. However, there seems to be a lack of an appropriate behavioral paradigm to study the reconsolidation of explicit self-related memory, which is of great significance to further explore its cognitive neural mechanism in the future. In two separate experiments, we adapted a trial-by-trial interfering paradigm with a self-episodic simulation process and investigated (1) whether it is possible to reconsolidate negative memories under the new behavioral paradigm and (2) how the emotional valence of post-retrieval interference material affects the reconsolidation of negative memories. The results showed that the negative memories under trial-by-trial self-simulation can be degraded and updated via post-retrieval interference processes. Individuals whose original memories were reactivated by initial background cues and who were then presented with new interference situations were less able to recall original scenes and showed more memory intrusions on these scenes than those who had experienced new learning without reactivation or only reactivation without interference. Furthermore, the extent and manner of memory change/updating were greatly influenced by the characteristics of interference information. For memories with negative valences, new learning materials with the same valence produced superior interference effects in the form of lower correct recalls and more integrated false; whereas the neutral interference materials can cause more memory intrusion. Post-retrieval memory distortions of negative self-memory may underlie different functional mechanisms.

Emotional Impact Feedback Changes How We Remember Negative Autobiographical Experiences

2010 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 354-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie K. T. Takarangi ◽  
Deryn Strange
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
The Other ◽  
Personal Perspective ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Potential Mechanism ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Negative Memory ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Negative Memories ◽  
Over Time

When people are told that their negative memories are worse than other people’s, do they later remember those events differently? We asked participants to recall a recent negative memory then, 24 h later, we gave some participants feedback about the emotional impact of their event – stating it was more or less negative compared to other people’s experiences. One week later, participants recalled the event again. We predicted that if feedback affected how participants remembered their negative experiences, their ratings of the memory’s characteristics should change over time. That is, when participants are told that their negative event is extremely negative, their memories should be more vivid, recollected strongly, and remembered from a personal perspective, compared to participants in the other conditions. Our results provide support for this hypothesis. We suggest that external feedback might be a potential mechanism in the relationship between negative memories and psychological well-being.

Do childhood memories colour social judgements of today? The case of repressors

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 321-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn B. Myers ◽  
Nazanin Derakshan
Keyword(s):  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Repressive Coping ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Childhood Memories ◽  
Comparative Optimism ◽  
High Anxious ◽  
Negative Memory ◽  
Negative Memories ◽  
Repressive Coping Style

Previous research has shown that individuals who possess a repressive coping style have significantly poorer recall of negative childhood memories and also exhibit more comparative optimism for negative events than nonrepressors. The current study investigated whether there is a relationship between recall of childhood memories and comparative optimism. Repressors (REP, low trait anxiety–high defensiveness, N = 20) were compared with specific nonrepressor groups on trait anxiety and defensiveness: low anxious (LA, N = 16), high anxious (HA, N = 16) defensive high anxious (DHA, N = 13), and a non‐extreme group (NE, N = 15) chosen from an initial pool of 163 female participants. For REP compared with all non‐REP, age of earliest negative memory recalled was significantly older and REP recalled significantly fewer negative childhood memories. For REP only there was a significant correlation between number of negative memories recalled and comparative optimism, with high comparative optimism correlated with a low number of negative childhood memories recalled. There were no other significant correlations with comparative optimism, overall, or for any of the sub‐groups. These results indicate a link between childhood and adult measures of social judgements for REP only. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

scholarly journals Autobiographical memory increases pupil dilation

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 280-287
Author(s):  
Mohamad El Haj ◽  
Steve M. J. Janssen ◽  
Karim Gallouj ◽  
Quentin Lenoble
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Pupil Diameter ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Pupil Dilation ◽  
Control Task ◽  
Negative Memories

Abstract Background Pupil activity has been widely considered as a “summed index” of physiological activities during cognitive processing. Methodology We investigated pupil dilation during retrieval of autobiographical memory and compared pupil diameter with a control condition in which participants had to count aloud. We also measured pupil diameters retrieval of free (i.e., first memory that comes to mind), positive, and negative memories (memories associated, respectively, with the words “happy” and “sad”). Results Analyses demonstrated larger pupil diameters during the free, positive, and negative autobiographical memory retrieval than during the control task. Analyses also demonstrated no significant differences in pupil diameters across the three autobiographical memory conditions. Conclusion These outcomes demonstrate that, compared with counting, autobiographical retrieval results in a larger pupil size. However, the emotional valence of memories yields non-significant effect on pupil diameters. Our findings demonstrate how autobiographical memory retrieval yields pupil dilation.

scholarly journals Valence-dependent Disruption in Processing of Facial Expressions of Emotion in Early Visual Cortex—A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 906-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Guo ◽  
Lauren Calver ◽  
Yoshi Soornack ◽  
Patrick Bourke
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Structure Information ◽  
Early Visual Cortex

Our visual inputs are often entangled with affective meanings in natural vision, implying the existence of extensive interaction between visual and emotional processing. However, little is known about the neural mechanism underlying such interaction. This exploratory transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study examined the possible involvement of the early visual cortex (EVC, Area V1/V2/V3) in perceiving facial expressions of different emotional valences. Across three experiments, single-pulse TMS was delivered at different time windows (50–150 msec) after a brief 10-msec onset of face images, and participants reported the visibility and perceived emotional valence of faces. Interestingly, earlier TMS at ∼90 msec only reduced the face visibility irrespective of displayed expressions, but later TMS at ∼120 msec selectively disrupted the recognition of negative facial expressions, indicating the involvement of EVC in the processing of negative expressions at a later time window, possibly beyond the initial processing of fed-forward facial structure information. The observed TMS effect was further modulated by individuals' anxiety level. TMS at ∼110–120 msec disrupted the recognition of anger significantly more for those scoring relatively low in trait anxiety than the high scorers, suggesting that cognitive bias influences the processing of facial expressions in EVC. Taken together, it seems that EVC is involved in structural encoding of (at least) negative facial emotional valence, such as fear and anger, possibly under modulation from higher cortical areas.

scholarly journals How emotional memory affects face remembering: an ERP investigation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Mado Proverbio ◽  
Maria Elide Vanutelli ◽  
Simone Viganò
Keyword(s):  
Memory Trace ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Study Phase ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Frontal Negativity ◽  
Eeg Recordings

AbstractIt is known that the longer an information has been memorized, the stronger is its memory trace. At the same time it is known that the emotionally-valenced information has a stronger memory trace than neutral one. Interactive effects between these factors are largely unknown. In this study electrical neuroimaging signals were recorded in healthy controls to explore the neural mechanism of memory for faces of different emotional valence, sex, learning context and temporal recency. In a study phase participants familiarized with the fictional police dossier of 10 victims of dramatic deaths including homicide or earthquake (depicted as attractive and nice persons of about 45 years), twice a day for seven days before EEG recordings. Hundreds of famous movie stars (overlearned), victims (recent) and new faces were presented in an old/new recognition task. ERP responses showed a modulation of anterior N2 and FN400 as a function of face familiarity (with no differences between overlearned and recent faces), while parietal late positivity was sensitive to engram temporal recency (it was much larger to overlearned than recent faces, paralleling behavioral data). However, LP amplitude did not differ to overlearned vs. recent same-sex faces, showing how emotional memory can enhance faces remembering. A late frontal negativity revealed sensitive to source memory.

scholarly journals The primacy of behavioral research for understanding the brain

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael Niv
Keyword(s):  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Behavioral Research ◽  
Mechanistic Models ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Neural Data ◽  
Behavioral Paradigm ◽  
The Brain

Understanding the brain requires us to answer both what the brain does, and how it does it. Using a series of examples, I make the case that behavior is often more useful than neuroscientific measurements for answering the first question. Moreover, I show that even for “how” questions that pertain to neural mechanism, a well-crafted behavioral paradigm can offer deeper insight and stronger constraints on computational and mechanistic models than do many highly challenging (and very expensive) neural studies. I conclude that behavioral, rather than neuroscientific research, is essential for understanding the brain, contrary to the opinion of prominent funding bodies and scientific journals, who erroneously place neural data on a pedestal and consider behavior to be subsidiary.

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