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emotional groups in Experiment 9 than in Experiment 10, although these
differences were not statistically significant they do suggest that this may be a
viable explanation for these results (see Appendix 5.2 for means and analysis).
Secondly, there was a shorter average fixation duration on the object
than background in Experiments 7 and 8, but this was not the case in
Experiments 9 and 10. This may suggest that the object was more difficult to
visually process in Experiments 7 and 8 because it was the source of emotion
within the scene but this emotion was unexpected, compared to Experiments 9
and 10 where the emotion was expected and therefore perhaps easier to
visually process.
Section 5.4. Discussion
In summary, in this meta-analysis of the memory and eye movement
results from Experiments 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 we have found clear evidence in the
memory results of an emotional enhancement of memory for negative and
positive objects and an impairment in memory for the background of scenes
with a negative object, with a clear pattern of results across all experiments.
The results of the eye movements are not so straightforward. We have clear
evidence that there is focusing of visual attention on to a negative object in a
scene but not on to a positive object. There was a dramatically different pattern
of eye movements in Experiment 9 when emotional and neutral stimuli were
blocked but despite this the enhancement of memory for negative and positive
objects remained.
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