Examining Retrograde Emotional Arousal Effects on Episodic Memory Open Access
Cai, Monica (Spring 2025)
Abstract
Emotional arousal has been shown to enhance memory for emotionally salient events, but its influence on temporally adjacent neutral events remains debated. The retrograde memory enhancement (RME) effect, as termed by Anderson et al. (2006), suggests that emotional arousal can retroactively enhance memory for preceding neutral items. However, subsequent studies have yielded mixed results, with some failing to replicate the effect or even reporting opposite findings. The present study aimed to conceptually replicate the initial findings of Anderson et al. (2006) by investigating the impact of emotional arousal on episodic memory for preceding neutral events. Additionally, the study extended prior research by examining whether the RME effect applies to relational and associative memory, as measured through source memory tests. Participants encoded neutral faces, each followed by either a negative or neutral picture modulator stimulus, and their memory was tested through a surprise recognition test after a 24-hour delay. Contrary to predictions, results indicated no effect of emotional arousal on item or source memory for preceding neutral items. A Bayesian analysis indicated strong evidence in favor of the null hypothesis, suggesting that the RME effect observed by Anderson et al. (2006) may not be robust under conditions similar to those in the present study. Despite this null finding, the expected emotional enhancement of memory (EEM) effect was observed for the emotional stimuli themselves, indicating that the lack of RME was unlikely to be due to ineffective emotional manipulation. We also found that participants with higher susceptibility to arousal exhibited significantly better item memory and picture memory, an intriguing finding that suggests individual differences in arousal predisposition may play a role in modulating memory performance. These findings call into question the generalizability of the RME effect and highlight the need for further research to clarify the conditions under which emotional arousal retroactively influences memory for preceding neutral events.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Method
Participants
Materials and Measures
Procedure
Figure 1. Sequence of trial events in the encoding and retrieval phases
Statistical Analysis
Results
Picture Modulator Ratings
Figure 2. Average emotional arousal ratings
Emotion Category and Memory Performance
Figure 3. Memory performance as a function of emotion categories
Emotional Arousal and Memory Performance
Emotions and Recollective Experience
Figure 5. Familiarity and recollection estimates based on emotion categories
Figure 6. Familiarity and recollection estimates based on arousal level categories
Individual Differences
Figure 7. Relationship between APS score, arousal ratings, and memory performance
Discussion
References
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