Adaptive working memory training reveals a negligible effect of emotional stimuli over cognitive processing. (February 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Román, Francisco J.; García-Rubio, María J.; Privado, Jesús; Kessel, Dominique; López-Martín, Sara; Martínez, Kenia; Shih, Pei-Chun; Tapia, Manuel; Serrano, Juan Manuel; Carretié, Luis; Colom, Roberto
• Is Part Of: Personality and individual differences. Volume 74(2015)
• Page Start: 165
• Page End: 170
• Publication Date: 2015-02
• Subjects: n-Back task -- Adaptive training -- Faces -- Scenes -- Emotion; Personality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Personality Development -- Periodicals; Personnalité -- Périodiques; Individualité -- Périodiques; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.10.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-8869

Abstract

Highlights: The interaction between adaptive cognitive training and emotion was analyzed. Emotional valence failed to interact with cognitive performance. RTs interacted with negative face stimuli for the less complex conditions. Abstract: Here we analyze how performance differences in an adaptive cognitive training regime based on the n -back task interact with emotional stimuli (scenes and faces) varying in their valence (negative, positive, and neutral). One hundred and three participants completed four training sessions across 2 weeks showing remarkable improvements from time to time. Results revealed similar results for faces and scenes regarding accuracy levels across increased complexity levels. However, reaction times (RTs) were sensitive to emotional conditions to some extent. Observed faster RTs to negative faces (disgust) were consistent with the negativity bias phenomenon, but this effect vanished for the highest levels of processing complexity. It is suggested that emotional information contents fail to interact with cognition when there are no cognitive resources left after the primary task is addressed.