EMOTIONAL WORDS WILL

TAKE LONGER TIME TO

RESPONSE THAN NEUTRAL
WORDS.
PSYL.101 Report Draft

Submitted to:
SUBMITTED BY
Najiyah
KAMILAfrin Khan
AL ASHIK
ID:1610289630
Contents
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................2

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2

Method........................................................................................................................................................4

Participants:.............................................................................................................................................4

Materials/ Measures...............................................................................................................................4

Procedure:...............................................................................................................................................4

Result:..........................................................................................................................................................5

Limitations:..................................................................................................................................................6

Discussion:...................................................................................................................................................6

Reference:...................................................................................................................................................7

Appendix:....................................................................................................................................................8
Abstract
The experiment is about which type of word needs more time to get response, the emotional one
or the neutral one. To find the answer, I have conducted an experiment with the help of my
exceptional faculty member Najiyah Afrin Khan. Here this report contains all the details about
the experiment such as, the work process, participant type along with the essential materials
needed for the experiment.
Here, with the help of stopwatch I have managed to write down the exact time that were taken by
participant in respond of the words I gave to her. After the data collection complete, this report
contains about the result of the experiment and discussion. Here, the details of experiment can be
founded at appendix part.
Introduction
Several researches explored possible associations between emotion and memory, with an
emphasis on accuracy and reaction bias analyses. Typically, these studies show a greater
accuracy and less reaction to emotional in comparison with neutral words. Fewer research,
however, looked at emotion-memory relationships by concentrating on reaction time. Here we
present an experiment on the identification of emotional terms, neutral words, and neutral words
that are linked to semantics used as examples. Participants opposed fresh, emotional terms rather
than neutral words, while the responses to the emotionally and neutrally tested words were
similar. Research has shown that these slower dismissals of emotionally novel terms is restricted
to slower responses, indicating possible correlations between emotion and higher order processes
during identification. Such results are understood in the context of emotional perception theories
and emotional processing theories. Quantitative research has demonstrated that any slower
rejection of emotionally novel expressions is restricted to slower responses, indicating possible
associations between emotions and higher order mechanisms during identification. Such results
are viewed in the context of the cognitive theory of perception and the philosophy of emotional
regulation.

Emotional data is more commonly recalled than rational knowledge, a trend usually
demonstrated through manipulations that require subjects to identify previously acquired
emotional stimuli. (Christianson, 1992; Guy & Cahill, 1999; Hertel & Parks, 2002; Kensinger,
Brierley, Medford, Growdon, & Corkin, 2002; Kensinger & Corkin, 2003). These memory
benefit for emotional items, though, is not compatible with the understanding in memory tests.
While some studies suggest such a benefit, others indicate a downside for emotional materials
while some suggest no variations in memory between emotional while neutral materials.
(Hamann, 2001; Dougal & Rotello, 2007; Ochsner, 2000). Emotional information also increases
the acceptance of laxer response criteria. That is, emotional items are more often labeled as "old"
than neutral items in memory-recognition experiments (Dougal & Rotello, 2007; Grider &
Malmberg, 2008). While the results of these precision and response bias have been important to
extend existing understanding about how motivation and memory communicate, more insight
may be obtained from concentrating on certain behavioral variables. No attention has been given,
for example, to time-response results in memory-recognition trials that use emotional terms as
prompts, even though reaction time has been considerably insightful in emotion and word-
processing research. A theoretical approach that makes clear predictions about response time and
emotion processing, the biphasic model of emotion processing, proposed by Lang, Bradley, and
Cuthbert (1990), argues that emotional processing is motivated by either appetizing or defensive
mechanisms. If appetizing mechanisms usually engage in emotionally positive stimuli, protective
mechanisms typically engage in emotionally negative stimuli (i.e., threats). According to this
model, the cognitive processing of emotional input appears to be quicker than the cognitive
processing of rational knowledge, since the former is necessary for survival and/or fight or flight
responses. Many studies which examined the production of emotional words through lexical
decision-making tasks provided support for this account, while other studies show the opposite
trend. Research showing such an opposite trend (i.e. quicker responses to negative than neutral
stimuli) are compatible with the unconscious avoidance account of emotion regulation (Pratto &
John, 1991; Wentura, Rothermund, & Bak, 2000). Compared to this narrative, emotional
experiences provide greater devotion to focus during the initial stages of cognitive function. Such
early reaction interaction requires time and energy to be put to an end and thus speeds down
response times.
Therefore, we study here a memory recall experiment in which emotionally destructive and
emotionally neutral terms have been used as memory probes. Because emotion effects are
sometimes considered to be confounded by a greater semantic association between emotional
terms than between neutral words, we have introduced a third condition composed of
semantically similar neutral words in an effort to regulate this possible confounding impact.
Overall, slower responses to emotional than neutral stimuli were expected and believed by our
hypothesis. Throughout the following pages, we 're going to talk all about the process.
Method
Participants: Therefore, due to Covid-19 and unwanted scarcity of physical sample or
participant, I had to conduct the experiment with only one participant from my home, who is
around 18 years old, and a current student of college. The participant is originated from
Bangladesh, grew up in a small Zilla and is a female by sex.

Materials/ Measures: The participant was asked 30 random words that contained both
emotional, and neutral words. Here, a stop watch was also required to measure the response time
accordingly, where the measured time was written in a sheet from where the required words were
being asked. Therefore, the words list had 15 emotional words and the rest 15 were neutral
words.
Here, a consent form was also required to get approval from the participant that this experiment
was being conducted in her full consent.

Procedure: Here I have done the experiment in following process:

At first, I gave the participants the consent form and asked to read it properly. Here, a sign of the
participant was required and the participant signed the form accordingly as she was willing to do
the experiment. Later on, read out the instructions later to make it easy for her.
Then I start telling the words accordingly and the participant was replying with any word that
was coming in her head in response to the word I was giving her.
After getting each response, I wrote down the response time with the help of stopwatch and
moved to the next word.
In final step I close the experiment with an end statement and asked the participant about her
feelings.
Here the experiment happened in my own home and I had to turn on my video cam to make sure
my honorable instructor is observing my experiment.
Result:

Here, you will find that, the total response time of these emotional words are:
Emotional= 62.9 seconds
N=15
and Average= 62.9/15 = 4.19
Where, total response time of neutral words:
Neutral= 43.61
Average= 43.61/15 = 2.91

So, the result is suggesting that, emotional words (4.19 seconds) are taking longer time to
response than the neutral ones (2.91 seconds).

Limitations:
Throughout the process, I’ve found few problems, of them one is the limitation of my
participants, such as good vocabulary. There she repeated few words several time, and often I
had to tell her the Bengali meaning of my given words.

It’s also an underlying fact that, I’ve done the experiment with one particular participants. If the
number of sample size increases, then the result could be bigger.

Discussion:
Throughout the research, our hypothesis was ‘Emotional words will take longer time to response
than the neutral words’, where our participant is around 18 years old female grew up in a sub-
urban area. During the test, we have got an average of 4.19 seconds from the 15 words that are
emotional, whereas, in the case of neutral words, it was taking 2.91 second that is lesser.

It is hard to trust these emotional words actually takes more time than neutral one based on one
participant. Here, if the participant’s number was higher then the testing would be more valid to
me. Although, with this testing data, it’s clear that emotional words actually take longer time to
respond than the neutral ones.
Reference:
1. Christianson, S. Å. (1992). Emotional stress and eyewitness memory: A critical review.
Psychological Bulletin, 112, 284–309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.2.284

2. Kensinger, E. A., & Corkin, S. (2003). Memory enhancement for emotional words: Are
emotional words more vividly remembered than neutral words? Memory & Cognition,
31, 1169–1180. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03195800
3. Kensinger, E. A., Brierley, B., Medford, N., Growdon, J. H., & Corkin, S. (2002). Effects
of normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease on emotional memory. Emotion, 2, 118 –134.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.2.2.118
4. Dougal, S., & Rotello, C. M. (2007). “Remembering” emotional words is based on
response bias, not recollection. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14, 423–429.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03194083
5. Ochsner, K. N. (2000). Are affective events richly recollected or simply familiar? The
experience and process of recognizing feelings past. Journal of Experimental Psychology:
General, 129, 242–261. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.129.2.242
6. Lang, P. J., Bradley, M. M., & Cuthbert, B. N. (1990). Emotion, attention, and the startle
reflex. Psychological Review, 97, 377–395. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-
295X.97.3.377
7. Wentura, D., Rothermund, K., & Bak, P. (2000). Automatic vigilance: The attention-
grabbing power of approach- and avoidance-related social information. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 1024–1037. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-
3514.78.6.1024
8. Adolphs, R., DM. Amodio, S. M., FG. Ashby, A. I., M. Balconi, G. M., Beninger, R., M.
Braun, A. J., . . . S. Windmann, I. D. (1970, January 01). Individual differences in
emotion word processing: A diffusion model analysis. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13415-016-0408-5
Appendix:

E-A = 62.9/15 = 4.19

N-A = 43.61/15 = 2.91