The influence of emotions on working memory performance, a meta-analysis

From the current literature, it is evident that emotions influence working memory performance. However, based on the current literature, it seems that the direction of the influence of emotion depends on the situation. Specifically, it seems that the epoch (the moment when an emotional stimulus was present) is a determining factor for the variability in how emotions influence working memory. To examine whether this is the case, this meta-analysis was conducted using data from healthy, young participants. Subsequently, the data were filtered based on a priori determined factors to achieve greater homogeneity. Ultimately, this meta-analysis encompasses 32 articles, contributing 109 effect sizes. To account for the expected high variance, the following a priori determined factors, in addition to epoch, were incorporated in the analyses: the valence of the emotional stimulus (positive or negative), the type of working memory task (verbal or visuospatial) and the type of type of metric ...Show moreFrom the current literature, it is evident that emotions influence working memory performance. However, based on the current literature, it seems that the direction of the influence of emotion depends on the situation. Specifically, it seems that the epoch (the moment when an emotional stimulus was present) is a determining factor for the variability in how emotions influence working memory. To examine whether this is the case, this meta-analysis was conducted using data from healthy, young participants. Subsequently, the data were filtered based on a priori determined factors to achieve greater homogeneity. Ultimately, this meta-analysis encompasses 32 articles, contributing 109 effect sizes. To account for the expected high variance, the following a priori determined factors, in addition to epoch, were incorporated in the analyses: the valence of the emotional stimulus (positive or negative), the type of working memory task (verbal or visuospatial) and the type of type of metric (e.g., reaction time or accuracy). The analyses revealed that none of these moderators could account for the variance; neither the main effects nor the interaction effects were significant (p > 0.05). Exploratory analyses, however, indicated that when an emotional stimulus was present in the epoch “before encoding”, emotions negatively impacted working memory capacity and positively influenced the precision of working memory. In conclusion, the a priori determined factors in this meta-analysis cannot explain the variance of the influence of emotions on working memory. Nonetheless, these results offer valuable insights for guiding future research. Furthermore, the exploratory analyses provide valuable insights into the complex relationship between emotion and working memory, emphasizing the potential trade-off between capacity and quality of working memory in the context of an emotional stimulus. More clarity into the relationship of emotion and working memory (when and how emotions intervene in working memory) can contribute to and improve the efficacy of interventions for psychopathologies.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

The influence of emotions on working memory performance, a meta-analysis