The present study tested whether emotional stimuli can compensate for the detrimental memory effects of exhausted cognitive control. Toward this goal, we used a task-switching procedure in which we induced negatively or positively connoted emotional and neutral stimuli. The emotional stimuli were placed on switch trials and the neutral stimuli on repeat trials, or vice versa. In two experiments, the participants performed an animacy and an even/odd classification task on compound stimuli consisting of a picture and a number in the center. Afterwards, the participants completed a surprise recognition memory task for the pictures. The results indicated that emotional stimuli on switch trials can improve memory, but only when they are negatively connoted. In two further experiments with the same stimulus materials, participants had to switch between two different number tasks (even/odd, bigger/smaller than 5), the pictures were presented in the background. Again, the results showed that emotional stimuli can compensate for the detrimental effects of task switching on memory. Thus, emotions can boost memory in situations of exhausted cognitive control.
