“Keep That in Mind!” The Role of Positive Affect in Working Memory for Maintaining Goal-Relevant Information

Frontiers in Psychology

Isabela Lobo¹  Leticia de Oliveira²  Mirtes G. Pereira²  Luiza B. Pacheco²  Isabel A. David²  Jessica S. B. Figueira²  Eliane Volchan³ 

[1] Group of Psychobiology, Nucleo em Ecologia e Desenvolvimento Socio-Ambiental de Macae, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Macae, Brazil;Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology, Physiology and Pharmacology Department, Biomedical Institute, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, Brazil;Laboratory of Neurobiology II, Biophysics Institute, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;

关键词: Positive Affect;    PANAS;    emotion;    working memory;    event-related potential (ERP);    contralateral delay activity (CDA);   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01228

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Some studies have demonstrated a beneficial role of Positive Affect on working memory (WM) by either applying protocols of mood induction or assessing naturally occurring state Positive Affect. However, there are no studies directly linking Positive Affect as a stable personality-like trait with WM. We aimed to address this potential relationship using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule scale and contra-lateral delay activity (CDA) as measures of trait Positive Affect and WM Capacity, respectively. We also sought to investigate the impact of a neutral or unpleasant emotional state on this relationship. Participants performed a change detection task, while a neutral or an unpleasant emotional state was induced. Our results showed a positive robust correlation between trait Positive Affect and WM Capacity for both neutral and unpleasant emotional states, as revealed by the neuroelectrophysiological gold-standard measure of WM, namely, CDA. These data suggest a tangible role of trait Positive Affect in the cognitive ability of maintaining goal-relevant information in WM, such that even a highly disruptive state is not sufficient to corrupt this relationship.

【 授权许可】

Unknown