Attention and memory bias for positive emotional words.

摘要

The current study examined the relationship between attention and memory for emotional words. Theories of "basic emotion" divide emotions into positive and negative classifications, and propose that discrete categories exist within the larger positive negative dichotomy. Previous research on emotion has yet to investigate the areas of attention and memory by dividing positive/negative words into discrete emotional categories. Participants included 30 undergraduate students between the ages 18--40. Attention and Memory were examined using an Emotional Stroop task, The Emotional Verbal Learning Test, and the California Verbal Learning Test-II, respectively. Stimuli for emotional tasks are divided into five emotional word categories of: happiness, sadness, anger, anxiety, and disgust. Results support the existence of the Pollyanna Principle in memory and attention; however, attention and memory were not significantly correlated within discrete emotion conditions.