A prospective investigation of the vulnerability of memory for positive and negative emotional scenes to the misinformation effect.

This study examined (prospectively) the impact of the emotional content of visual scenes on memory accuracy and susceptibility to misinformation over time. After viewing a highly positive and highly negative photographic image, half of participants (N = 80) were exposed to misinformation concerning the images and later responded to a series of questions about the details of each. After 1 week or 1 month, participants returned and were asked (unexpectedly) about the images. Overall, memories of misled participants were substantially less accurate than nonmisled participants, a pattern persisting at 1-week and 1-month follow-up, although the passage of time decreased accuracy of all participants. Relative to positive images, negative images were associated with a greater susceptibility to false memories for a major misleading detail at both sessions. Thus, relative to positive emotion, negative emotion specifically heightens suggestibility in the presence of major misinformation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)