The effect of emotion on false memories of events under a unified misinformation interference paradigm

Abstract

This research examines how emotions influence the creation of false memories regarding events. Utilizing the misinformation interference framework, it investigates how the emotional characteristics of materials, as well as emotional states during both the encoding and retrieval stages, affect false memory formation. The study consists of three experiments, each designed with a 3 (emotional nature of target events: positive, neutral, negative) × 2 (information type: control information, misleading information) mixed approach. In the first experiment, participants viewed videos depicting events with varying emotional characteristics while in a neutral emotional state. The findings indicated that the emotional characteristics of the events did not significantly alter memory error rates; however, the type of information presented did have a notable effect on these rates. The second experiment manipulated emotional states during the encoding phase, revealing that these emotional conditions significantly impacted error rates, alongside a considerable influence from the type of information. The third study focused on emotional states during the retrieval phase, discovering that these emotions did not significantly affect error rates, while the type of information did, showing a notable interaction between the two factors. The results indicate a significant misleading effect in the false memory of events, with the emotional state during the encoding phase exerting a substantial influence on false memory formation. This study provides empirical evidence for understanding the relationship between emotion and false memory.