Effect of an induced negative emotion on working memory task performance: The moderating effect of emotional state on storage and executive processes

A shortage of cognitive resources is generally assumed to account for poor working memory (WM) performance in people experiencing a negative emotional state. However, no specific hypothesis explains how this shortage is mediated. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of an experimentally induced negative emotion on WM storage and executive processes. A running span task of different complexity levels, according to the memory span and updating rate conditions, was completed by two groups of participants : a negative mood group and a neutral mood group. The results demonstrate an interaction effect between mood condition and complexity factors, showing the detrimental effect of a negative mood on WM performance. The discussion raises the question of whether the effect of negative mood impairs only WM executive functions or, in addition, the quality of memory traces, WM storage.