PDF (PhD Thesis Susan Chipchase) - Nottingham eTheses ...

Levine & Bluck, 2004; Storbeck & Clore, 2005). Whilst there is some
empirical support for this idea, for example from research into memory for
autobiographical life events (e.g. Berntsen, 2002), it is not consistent with a
number of studies which have shown an enhanced memory for positive items
(Dewhurst & Parry, 2000; Dolcos et al., 2005; for a different interpretation see
Dougal & Rotello, 2007; Ochsner, 2000). There are therefore inconsistencies in
the literature on the effects that negative and positive emotions have on
memory.
Section 2. Experiment 5: Visual memory specificity for negative and
Section 2.1. Introduction
positive objects
Kensinger et al. found an effect of enhanced visual memory specificity
in a series of experiments (Kensinger et al., 2006, 2007a, 2007b) using the
same set of stimuli. The aim of this experiment is to test the effect of either
valence of emotion and establish the findings of this paradigm before
beginning a series of experiments to investigate the processes underlying this
effect. According to Kensinger et al. we would expect to see enhanced visual
memory specificity for negative, but not positive stimuli.
Section 2.2. Method
Design
In this experiment the effect of a factor of emotion with three levels
(negative, positive, neutral) is examined on two measures of visual memory:
specific recognition and general recognition. Participants were shown negative,
positive and neutral stimuli in a within-participant mixed-list design.
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