18 research outputs found
Priming for Performance: Valence of Emotional Primes Interact with Dissociable Prototype Learning Systems
Arousal Biased Competition theory suggests that arousal enhances competitive attentional processes, but makes no strong claims about valence effects. Research suggests that the scope of enhanced attention depends on valence with negative arousal narrowing and positive arousal broadening attention. Attentional scope likely affects declarative-memory-mediated and perceptual-representation-mediated learning systems differently, with declarative-memory-mediated learning depending on narrow attention to develop targeted verbalizable rules, and perceptual-representation-mediated learning depending on broad attention to develop a perceptual representation. We hypothesize that negative arousal accentuates declarative-memory-mediated learning and attenuates perceptual-representation-mediated learning, while positive arousal reverses this pattern. Prototype learning provides an ideal test bed as dissociable declarative-memory and perceptual-representation systems mediate two-prototype (AB) and one-prototype (AN) prototype learning, respectively, and computational models are available that provide powerful insights on cognitive processing. As predicted, we found that negative arousal narrows attentional focus facilitating AB learning and impairing AN learning, while positive arousal broadens attentional focus facilitating AN learning and impairing AB learning.This research was supported by a National Institutes of Health Grant R01 MH077708 and NIDA grant DA032457 to WTM. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Psycholog
Spinoza’s error: Memory for truth and falsity
Two theoretical frameworks have been proposed to
account for the representation of truth and falsity in human
memory: the Cartesian model and the Spinozan model. Both
models presume that during information processing a mental
representation of the information is stored along with a tag
indicating its truth value. However, the two models disagree
on the nature of these tags. According to the Cartesian model,
true information receives a “true” tag and false information
receives a “false” tag. In contrast, the Spinozan model claims
that only false information receives a “false” tag, whereas
untagged information is automatically accepted as true. To
test the Cartesian and Spinozan models, we conducted two
source memory experiments in which participants studied true
and false trivia statements from three different sources differing
in credibility (i.e., presenting 100% true, 50% true and
50% false, or 100% false statements). In Experiment 1, half of
the participants were informed about the source credibility
prior to the study phase. As compared to a control group, this
precue group showed improved source memory for both true
and false statements, but not for statements with an uncertain
validity status. Moreover, memory did not differ for truth and
falsity in the precue group. As Experiment 2 revealed, this
finding is replicated even when using a 1-week rather than a
20-min retention interval between study and test phases. The
results of both experiments clearly contradict the Spinozan
model but can be explained in terms of the Cartesian model
The right to an impartial hearing trumps the social imperative of bringing accused to trial even \u27down under\u27
Accused persons who are subjected to a saturation level of negative media coverage may be denied an impartial hearing, which is perhaps the most important aspect of the right to a fair hearing. Despite this, the courts have generally held that the social imperative of prosecuting accused trumps the interests of the accused. The justification for an impartial hearing stems from the repugnance of convicting the innocent. Viewed dispassionately, this imperative is not absolute, given that every legal system condones procedures which result in the conviction of some innocent people. While the importance of guarding against wrongful convictions has been overstated, the imperative to bring to trial all accused has been even more exaggerated. The legal system has displayed a capacity to deal with cases where the guilty walk free. The institutional integrity of the criminal justice system would be significantly compromised by convictions that are tarnished by pre-judgment. Confidence in the criminal justice system is more important than individual criminal accountability. The inability to receive an impartial hearing should result in a permanent stay. The only exception is where the alleged crime has the capacity to cause widespread fear or social unrest. This only applies in relation to serious acts of terrorism. This article focuses on recent legal fair trial developments in Australia, however, the analysis, reasoning and conclusion applies in relation to all jurisdictions where juries determine guilt and innocence. <br /
The effects of valence and arousal on associative working memory and long-term memory
Contains fulltext :
109817.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)9 p