Emotional arousal and episodic memory

• Applicant: Dr. Christian Dennis Boywitt
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: from 2014 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 260637093

The goal of the present research program is the comprehensive study of the impact of emotional arousal on episodic memory using recent stochastic models. Emotional arousal refers to heightened physiological activation in combination with feelings of nervousness and alertness. This research program thus aims at answering the still open question whether arousal leads to more coherent memories of the contextual details of the arousal inducing episode - a question of high relevance not only to basic research but also to applied areas such as traumatic memory and eyewitness testimony. By focusing attention on certain aspects of the episode, arousal is assumed to lead to better memory for these aspects and remembering these aspects should, in turn, lead to a heightened feeling of vividness for those memories. Recent theoretical frameworks assume that especially memory for central aspects of the episode should benefit from emotional arousal whereas memory for more peripheral aspects should not benefit from arousal. In contrast with this general view, some studies suggest that the feeling of vivid recollection associated with arousal-inducing events could be dissociated from actual memory for contextual details of such events. Previous research, however, has only considered single context features and their relation to subjective memory experiences and the central hypothesis regarding the coherence of central vs. peripheral aspects thus has not been tested duly. Therefore, the present research program decisively advances theorizing in this domain by extending the empirical basis to several simultaneous context features and by utilizing recent stochastic models. Furthermore, theoretical accounts unequivocally assume a monotonic relationship between arousal and memory for context features - either such that increased arousal is associated with increased memory for certain context features or such that increased arousal is associated with decreased memory for certain context features. However, a non-monotonic relationship between arousal and context memory is equally likely. For example, a widening of attention could occur for medium levels of arousal whereas high levels of arousal could lead to a focusing of attention. Testing the shape of the relationship between arousal and context memory thus represents yet another novel aspect in the study of arousal and memory, enabling the refinement of present theoretical accounts. In sum, the comprehensive study of the role of arousal for episodic memory can help answer the question whether arousal leads to a focusing of attention and thus to more coherent episodic memories. Accordingly, the present research program makes an important contribution to present theorizing in the domain of memory and emotional arousal.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants