The influence of cognitive resource availability on evaluative conditioning consolidation

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that engaging visuospatial cognitive resources during the memory consolidation window can reduce the frequency of involuntary memories, without affecting voluntary recall. This study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying this effect. Through evaluative conditioning (EC) paradigm, we investigated whether such an intervention disrupts the consolidation of emotional valence acquired. Seventy-three participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (visuospatial, verbal, control) and completed a visual EC procedure in which neutral faces (CS) were paired with emotionally valenced images (US). Between CS-US pairings, participants completed one of the three tasks. Valence ratings were collected immediately after conditioning (short-term memory, STM) and again 24 h later (long-term memory, LTM), followed by a recognition task. Results showed robust EC effects in STM across all conditions. In LTM, EC effects persisted in control and verbal conditions but were eliminated in the visuospatial condition. Recognition performance did not differ across conditions, suggesting that associative memory was preserved. These findings support the hypothesis that mobilizing visuospatial resources during the consolidation window selectively disrupts the emotional aspect of memory without impairing associative memory content. Implications are discussed.