Enhanced Source Memory for Emotional Sources: What Is the Role of Encoding Instructions?
Tue-HS3-Talk V-03
Presented by: Nikoletta Symeonidou
Previous research on whether source memory is enhanced for emotional sources yielded inconclusive results. To clarify these inconsistencies, we examined whether encoding instructions moderate source-emotionality effects. In both experiments, we used neutral words as items superimposed on emotional (negative or positive) or neutral pictures as sources. Source memory was measured with a multinomial model. In Experiment 1 (N = 68), we applied an affective, item-focused orienting task (i.e., word-pleasantness ratings) during encoding and found enhanced source memory for emotional (positive and negative) compared to neutral sources. In Experiment 2 (N = 216), we systematically manipulated encoding instructions and found that emotionality effects in source memory only occur with an affective orienting task (as in Experiment 1) but do not occur with an integrative orienting task (item-source-fit judgments), a purely item-focused orienting task (living-non-living judgments), or with intentional (vs. incidental) item (vs. source) learning. Thus, our research overall suggests that emotional sources per se are not remembered better. Rather, source-emotionality effects might unfold only if affective item processing takes place.
Keywords: source memory, emotion-enhanced memory, orienting task, multinomial modeling