Abstract
The current study developed as a means to demonstrate the effects of negative emotional valence on word recall. The researchers’ prediction was that negative emotional words would be better remembered than neutral words. Previous research has produced conflicting findings, thus it is important to further investigate the methods used to examine negative emotional words and their influence on memory (Doerksen & Shimamura, 2001; Hertel & Parks, 2002; Kensinger & Corkin, 2003; Madan, 2012; Talmi & Moscovitch, 2004). The results revealed no statistically significant difference between the negative word condition scores and the neutral word condition scores. A limitation skewed the data, thus the findings could not support previous research. Future directions should focus on controlling instructions to avoid future results from being skewed.
Keywords: Negative emotional words, recall, memory, online, college students