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Look at the scary dentist image! Now you'll remember everything in this post.
If you want to remember new information, looking at photographs that stir up negative emotions may do the trick, suggests new research from Psychological Science.
Yeah, we know that sounds counterintuitive -- but it appears to work.
When study participants viewed color images of a dead cat, a pointed gun, or a person getting a dental exam -- pictures that evoke negative feelings -- it actually improved their recall of recently learned information.
In this case, 40 college students were asked to bone up on 100 vocabulary words in Swahili along with their English translations. (Example: "Mashua" means "boat" in Swahili, if you're going to east Africa.)
Volunteers were then tested on the vocabulary pairs, 10 words at a time. After they gave a correct answer, participants were shown a negatively arousing photo, a neutral image, such as a fork or shoelaces, or a blank screen. If they gave the wrong response, they saw a blank screen or neutral image.
Later they had a final exam on all 100 words.
Recall was much better for words after viewing the emotional image than it was following the neutral ones or a blank screen.
"The negative picture might have enhanced later recall because emotion, in particular negative emotion, can enhance memory," says Bridgid Finn, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in psychology at Washington University in St. Louis. Researchers suspect this occurs because the emotional centers of the brain are closely linked to the ones involved in memory.
What about positively arousing images -- wouldn't they put you in a better frame of mind to learn Swahili? Finn says they tried using photos that were exciting, such as a ski jumper or sky diver, or even some that were sexually arousing in follow-up studies.
"We haven't found that retention is better using the positive pictures compared to the neutral pictures," explains Finn, the study's lead author.
But she is quick to admit that showing a classroom of students a picture of an awful dental exam or a cat that has been run over, as they did to study participants, probably isn't the best way for kids to learn.
And that wasn't the point of this research, either. The scientists had wanted to find out if after you retrieve something from memory, you continue to process the information. And they discovered that the time period right after you retrieve new information from your memory is key for strengthening its retention.
Instead of looking at dead cat photos, Finn offers this advice, "If you want to maximize retention, test yourself. Restudying is not going to get you as far."
She says taking practice tests is a great way to prepare. And if you get the wrong answer, finding out the correct response will benefit your learning.
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Leave a Comment:
Why pick on dentists as being the only negative image doctor. Medical doctors are rude, expensive, cause great pain and for the most part - look at you as an "ongoing disease" that doesn't deserve to ask questions or receive an explaination of a major medical problem. Conjure them up too.
Way to give people the impression that the dentist is scary!
Thanks a lot,
Future dentist
Why is this a surprise? Much research has already proven that adreneline causes the subject to recall things - creates / improves synaptic receptors. Ergo... seeing something "negative" gross, or anything that will increase one's adrenaline production will cause the memory to stick. Come on Cari Nierenberg - help move science along. Connect the dots. Why to people remember terrifying events like being mugged? Because the adrenaline kicks in. That memory won't be lost. And PTSD. Hmmm.... traumatic events; adrenaline overproduction galore; you can't forget the war/the rape/etc. The memory sticks. This is nothing new. Doesn't even scratch new turf.
IP1, the article states that the purpose of the study was to investigate memory processing, not to confirm that epinephrine enhances memory. The latter is presumed to be independent of the former; however, the use of negative photos (i.e. dead cats and the dentist) in the protocol was considered interesting by the reporter. I certainly agree that studies exist in all disciplines which may, at least on the surface, appear frivilous; however, many neurobiologists agree that this is not one of them.
Advice from the same folks who only a few years ago listed homosexuality as a mental illness. I suppose now that so many of them are gay that's why they removed it.
And they haven't a clue and are not even able to figure Jerrod Laughner (shot the rep. in AZ) Worthless waste of time, "psychology".
I agree with InterestedPerson 1, when you experience traumatic situations you never forget them. I remember every detail of a robbery 10 years ago,the adrenaline just keep flowing.
Insurance or not, Most Dentist are ripping off the people and the insurance companies on a mass scale threw total manipulation of pricing for all procedures.
Since when is a dead cat an unpleasant image? That's the best kind of cat.
How is this news? Who doesn't know that negative experinces are seared into your memory?