Emotional valence boosts partial and specific source memory

Previous research has shown that source memory is enhanced for emotionally valenced sources. However, it remains unclear whether this enhancement relies on better memory for specific source details or merely improved memory for the source-valence category. The present study addresses this question and disentangles emotion-based effects on partial and specific source memory using multinomial modeling. Participants (N =67) encoded neutral words paired with positive, negative, or neutral source images with three similar images per valence (all matched on arousal). At test, participants were presented with all nine source images and, for each test word, identified the specific corresponding source image or indicated that the word was new. Results revealed that both partial (valence category) and specific (particular image) source memory were superior for emotionally valenced sources compared to neutral ones. Further notable, specific source memory was higher for positive than for negative sources, indicating a positivity effect. These findings extend prior research by demonstrating that source emotionality not only enhances the recollection of partial source information but also of specific source details. The observed positivity effect is further discussed in terms of a potentially greater associative potential of positive stimuli, and methodological considerations for future research are outlined.