title: Working memory affects false memory production for emotional events.
abstract: Whereas a link between working memory (WM) and memory distortions has been demonstrated, its influence on emotional false memories is unclear. In two experiments, a verbal WM task and a false memory paradigm for negative, positive or neutral events were employed. In Experiment 1, we investigated individual differences in verbal WM and found that the interaction between valence and WM predicted false recognition, with negative and positive material protecting high WM individuals against false remembering; the beneficial effect of negative material disappeared in low WM participants. In Experiment 2, we lowered the WM capacity of half of the participants with a double task request, which led to an overall increase in false memories; furthermore, consistent with Experiment 1, the increase in negative false memories was larger than that of neutral or positive ones. It is concluded that WM plays a critical role in determining false memory production, specifically influencing the processing of negative material.
authors: a Department of General Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy.
authors: Chiara
authors: C
authors: Mirandola
authors: a Department of General Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy.
authors: Enrico
authors: E
authors: Toffalini
authors: a Department of General Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy.
authors: Alfonso
authors: A
authors: Ciriello
authors: a Department of General Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy.
authors: Cesare
authors: C
authors: Cornoldi
mesh_terms: D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Working memory; emotional content; false memories