How does emotion affect cognition?

Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.

Flashbulb Memories• Highly accurate and vivid

memory of a moment a person first hears a shocking event.

• Types of episodic memories (explicit)

• It is assumed that they are highly resistant to forgetting because of the emotional arousal at the time of encoding.

• It is a controversial idea.

Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.

Flashbulb Memories

• The term “flashbulb” indicates the event registers like a photograph (great detail).

• It is often rehearsed because the event is important to us.

Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.

Flashbulb Memories6 features that people will remember…

1. Place2. Ongoing activity (what

they were doing)3. Informant (who learned

it from)4. Own Affect (how you

felt)5. Other Affect (how

others felt)6. Aftermath (the

importance of the event)

Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.

Brown and Kulik (1977)Research on Flashbulb Memories (FM)

Aim:• To investigate whether

shocking events are recalled more vividly and accurately than other events.

Procedure:• Questionnaire asked 80

participants to recall circumstances where they have learned of shocking events.

Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.

Brown and Kulik (1977)Research on Flashbulb Memories (FM)

Results• Participants had vivid

memories about where they were and what they were doing when the event occurred (like JFK Assassination).

• Results indicated that FM is more likely when the event is unexpected and personal.

Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.

Brown and Kulik (1977)Research on Flashbulb Memories (FM)

• They suggest it is caused by physiological emotional arousal (amygdala).

• However, these ideas have been challenged….

Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.

Neisser and Harsch 1992 Aim:• To see if FM really exists

after a big ass event.• Would they really

remember it.Procedure:• 106 Intro to Psych

students were given questionnaire less than 24hrs after the Challenger disaster and asked 7 questions.

Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.

Neisser and Harsch 1992 • Then 44 of the students

were contacted 2 ½ years later.

Results• Only 11 of the 44 even

remembered they answered a survey.

• The mean score of the 7 questions was 2.95 out of 7.

• 11 of them scored a 0, and for 22 of them it was 2 or less out of 7.

Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.

Neisser and Harsch 1992

Evaluation:• It had high ecological

validity (real event).• Really challenges FM

theory.• BUT…maybe the

challenger disaster was not personal enough.

Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.

Happiness Theories• Social comparison

theory (Festinger): Ppl learn about & assess themselves in comparison to others

• Level of aspiration theory (Rotter): Action = based on potential gain; never truly happy

How does cognition affect happiness?

• Social comparison theory belief that our happiness is affected by others

• Aspirational people can never truly be happy bc they always set new goals

How does cognition affect happiness?

• Social comparison theory: ppl are unhappy bc they compare themselves to others

• Aspirational theories: ppl are unhappy bc they always have a new goal to meet