Abstract: Dual-processing theory assumes that recognition memory involves two distinct memory processes, familiarity and recollection. Familiarity refers to a fast-acting retrieval process without the retrieval of any contextual details of the past event, whereas recollection involves the conscious retrieval of specific temporal and spatial information of past experiences. Emotional stimuli differ not only in respect to the valence polarity, but also in respect to emotional intensity. Although the effects of different negative emotional intensity on recognition memory have been investigated, it is unknown how different levels of negative emotional intensity influence familiarity and recollection. In the present study, we used modified “remember/know” paradigm to investigate how negative emotional intensity influences familiarity and recollection. In the study phase, subjects were instructed to learn the pictures of different levels of emotional intensity including neutral, highly negative (HN), moderate negative (MN), and low negative (LN). In the test phase, they made “remember/know/guess/new” recognition judgments towards stimuli intermixed with learnt and new pictures. According to attention narrowing hypothesis, negative valence leads individuals to focus attention on local details. We hypothesized that the negative item will engage more detail processing with the increase in the negative emotional intensity during encoding. In retrieval phase, individual memory more depends on recollection with the increase in the negative emotional intensity during encoding. The discrimination Pr was measured as the hit rate of old picture minus new picture. A repeated measures ANOVAs were performed with emotional intensity (LN, MN, HN and Neutral ) and item type (remember, know, guess) as factors. The results showed there was a significant difference among emotional intensity in the “remember” judgments, presenting the following pattern: HN > MN > LN > Neutral. As for the “remember” judgments, there was a significant difference among emotional intensity，presenting the following pattern： HN < MN < LN < Neutral. A repeated measures ANOVA on RT were performed with emotional intensity (LN, MN, HN and Neutral ) and item type (remember, know, guess, new) as factors. The results showed that the "remember" judgments were significantly faster than the "know" judgments. Moreover, there was a significant interaction effect between emotional intensity and item type. There was a significant difference among emotional intensity in the “remember” judgments, presenting the following pattern: HN < MN < Neutral and no significant difference between MN sand LN. There was a significant difference among emotional intensity in the “know” judgments, presenting the following pattern: HN < MN < LN < Neutral. These findings have further supported and developed attention narrowing hypothesis and suggests that negative emotional intensity influences recognition memory in two ways. One is that recollection-based retrieval increases with an increase in the magnitude of negative emotional value. The other is familiarity-based retrieval decreases with an increase in the magnitude of negative emotional value.

Key words: negative emotional intensity, recognition retrieval, recollection, familiarity

摘要： 双加工理论认为再认提取存在回想和熟悉性两种认知加工过程。本研究采用修正的“记得/知道”范式，考察不同强度的负性情绪对这两种再认提取过程的影响。结果发现：（1）在记得反应上不同负性情绪强度的材料呈现出以下模式：高度负性 > 中度负性 > 轻度负性 > 中性；（2）在知道反应上，不同负性情绪强度的材料呈现出以下模式：中性 > 轻度负性 > 中度负性 > 高度负性。这些结果表明，不同强度的负性材料对情绪记忆的影响表现为两条途径：依赖于回想的再认随着负性情绪强度的增加而逐步提高，另外一个依赖于熟悉性的再认随着负性情绪强度的增加而逐步降低。

关键词: 负性情绪强度, 再认提取, 回想, 熟悉性