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 Memories
6 features that people will remember…
1. Place
2. 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