The Influence of Pre- and Intratask Emotional Experiences on Affective Working Memory Maintenance

In two studies conducted in 2022, we examined the effect of images that elicit incidental emotions and the timing of exposure to these images, on the maintenance of positive and negative emotions in affective working memory (AWM). In Study 1, participants viewed a negative, positive, or neutral image while maintaining the emotional intensity of positive or negative emotions in AWM (intratrial). The results showed that experiencing a negative or positive incidental emotion (but not neutral states) improved the maintenance of negative (but not positive) emotions induced by another stimulus. In Study 2, participants were randomly assigned to experimental conditions. In the first condition, they viewed an emotion-eliciting image while maintaining an emotion elicited by a different image (replicating Study 1). In the second condition, they viewed the emotion-eliciting image before maintaining an emotion elicited by a different image. The results replicated those of Study 1 and showed that the timing of experiencing the incidental emotion (before or during the task) did not affect AWM. They also suggest that maintenance of negative emotions increases irrespective of the emotional context surrounding them. These findings offer valuable theoretical insights into the role of emotional contexts in intensifying negative emotions, potentially guiding future research on interventions designed to modulate negative emotions.