Remembering Can Cause Forgetting—but Not in Negative Moods

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01857.x
• Publication Date: 2007-04-05T21:54:20Z
• Authors: Karl-Heinz Bäuml; Christof Kuhbandner
• Keywords: Retrieval-induced forgetting; Motivated forgetting; Affect; Negative information

Repeated retrieval of a subset previously observed events can cause forgetting the nonretrieved events. We examined how affective states experienced during modulate such retrieval-induced by inducing positive, negative, and neutral moods in subjects immediately before they attempted to retrieve studied items. On basis recent work, we hypothesized that positive encourage relational processing, which should increase interference from related thus enhance forgetting. By contrast, negative item-specific reduce Our results are consistent with these predictions. When were moods, repeated did not material, whereas when showed reliable findings suggest emotions involved interrogation witness affect result interrogations.