1. The Effect of Emotion on Memory What happens to memory under emotional or distressing conditions? Can we still assume people’s memories to be accurate and valid?

2. The Effect of Emotion on Memory Does emotional arousal enhance or impair memory? Everyday memories – flashbulbs and functional amnesia Emotion and the structure of our memories Explanations for the effects of emotion on memory

3. Memory Impairments Levinger & Clark (1961) Kleinsmith & Kaplan (1963; 1964) Kuehn (1974) Loftus & Burns (1982) Newhagen & Reeves (1992)

4. Memory Enhancements Howes, Siegal & Brown (1993) Conway (1990) Pillemar, Rhinehart & White (1986) Yuille & Cutshall (1986) Christiansen & Hubinette (1993)

5. Impairment or Enhancement? Flashbulb Memories (Brown & Kulik, 1977) Functional Amnesia (Christiansen & Nilsson, 1984)

6. Explanations of the effect of Emotion on Memory The Yerkes-Dodson Function (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908)

7. The Yerkes-Dodson Function performance Emotional arousal abcdabcd

8. Explanations of the effect of Emotion on Memory The Yerkes-Dodson Function (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908) Cue-Utilisation Theory (Easterbrook, 1959)

9. Summary Emotional arousal can facilitate memory – leading to ‘flashbulbs’ Emotional arousal can impair memory – leading to ‘functional amnesia’ Central details seem to be relatively spared, whilst peripheral details are perhaps more affected by emotional arousal The functional significance of memory perhaps explains the effect of emotion on recall.

10. Stevenage, Sutherland & Wyatt performanc e positiveneutralnegative central peripheral