Abstract

The significance of emotions are seldom the focus of studies especially those concerning implicit memory. As a result, little is known about the effects of emotions on such memory. In two experiments, perceptual identification test was used to investigate the effects of emotional words and pictures on implicit memory. In Experiment 1, participants viewed lists of positive, negative and neutral words and in Experiment 2, participants saw lists of positive, negative and neutral pictures. Perceptual identification test was conducted after a 30 minute interval. Results showed that participants remembered better on implicit memory when information was with positive valence rather than negative valence: positive pictures and words were remembered more than negative pictures and words. However, the difference in types of information only emerged when the valence was positive. In this case, participants had an advantage for words over pictures only when these were presented with positive emotions, not with negative ones. The findings provide evidence for the significant mediating role of valence on implicit memory retrieval processes.

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