title: Visuospatial Working Memory Capacity Predicts Physiological Arousal in a Narrative Task.
abstract: Physiological arousal that occurs during narrative production is thought to reflect emotional processing and cognitive effort (Bar-Haim et al. in Dev Psychobiol 44:238-249, 2004). The purpose of this study was to determine whether individual differences in visuospatial working memory and/or verbal working memory capacity predict physiological arousal in a narrative task. Visuospatial working memory was a significant predictor of skin conductance level (SCL); verbal working memory was not. When visuospatial working memory interference was imposed, visuospatial working memory was no longer a significant predictor of SCL. Visuospatial interference also resulted in a significant reduction in SCL. Furthermore, listener ratings of narrative quality were contingent upon the visuospatial working memory resources of the narrator. Potential implications for educators and clinical practitioners are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P-217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada. smithson@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Smithson
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nicoladis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D033262:Narration; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Narrative production; Physiological arousal; Visuospatial working memory