Abstract
Vivid or detailed memories are reliably associated with the recollection of emotional events. However, the mechanism through which emotionality has this impact remains unspecified. Our results indicate that the character of the emotion does not influence memory vividness; instead, vividness seems to be dependent only on the quantity of emotion that accompanies the event. We consider the implications of this for accounts of emotion’s effects.
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We with to express our thanks to Joseph Greenbaum and Peter Monk for their extensive discussion of these issues.
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Reisberg, D., Heuer, F., Mclean, J. et al. The quantity, not the quality, of affect predicts memory vividness. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 26, 100–103 (1988). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334873
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334873