title: Temporal memory of emotional experience.
abstract: The few studies that have investigated judgments of time have suggested that the memory of duration is distorted more for emotional events than for neutral events, while in contrast there is abundant evidence that other aspects of memories of emotional events are more accurate. To reconcile this apparent discrepancy, we used a procedure in which the participants learned a standard duration over several trials under three emotional conditions: a threatening, a nonthreatening, and a neutral control condition. They were then tested either immediately or 24 h after learning. In this test phase, they had to indicate whether presented comparison durations were or were not the same as the previously learned standard duration. We found that durations were recalled better in the emotional than in the neutral condition, and that this occurred to a greater extent in the threatening than in the nonthreatening condition. Arousing emotions thus enhanced temporal memory, just as they enhance memory for other aspects of emotional events.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Avenida dos Bandeirantes 3900, 14040930 Ribeirão Preto SP, Brazil. raquelcocenas@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cocenas-Silva
authors.forename: José Lino Oliveira
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bueno
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Droit-Volet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology*; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013998:Time Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult