If remembering the past requires a cue to stimulate mental reactivation of an experience (i.e., a memory), then the nature of the retrieval cue should bias how that experience is recalled. Based on the established link between emotion and memory, we tested how two emotional properties of a cue - valence (positive and negative) and arousal (high and low) - influence different phases of autobiographical memory retrieval: searching/accessing an autobiographical episode, and then elaborating on the associated memory representation. Young, healthy participants completed two experimental sessions that were separated by 24 to 48 h. In session one, participants used musical retrieval cues that varied in emotional valence and arousal to access autobiographical memories. Cue-evoked physiological arousal and valence responses were measured via skin conductance and facial electromyography, respectively, as were the reaction times to access each memory. In session two, participants reactivated and then described (elaborated) the details of the memories that were accessed in session one. The resultant descriptions were scored for the number of specific episodic (internal) and non-episodic (external) details. While arousal and valence levels of the retrieval cues, as well as the evoked physiological responses, significantly predicted the reaction time to access a memory, only cue arousal predicted how detailed the representations were constructed. Memories that were initially accessed to high-arousing cues were later described with more episodic details than memories accessed to low-arousing cues. These data provide new insights into how emotional valence and arousal levels of retrieval cues distinctly bias the accessibility and detailed elaboration of autobiographical memories.

中文翻译：

---

情绪线索对访问和阐述自传体记忆的影响。

如果记住过去需要一个线索来刺激某种经历（即记忆）的精神再激活，那么提取线索的性质应该偏向于回忆该经历的方式。基于情感和记忆之间已建立的联系，我们测试了线索的两种情感属性——效价（积极和消极）和唤醒（高和低）——如何影响自传记忆检索的不同阶段：搜索/访问自传情节，以及然后详细说明相关的内存表示。年轻、健康的参与者完成了两个相隔 24 到 48 小时的实验课程。在第一节中，参与者使用不同情绪效价和唤醒的音乐检索线索来访问自传体记忆。线索诱发的生理唤醒和价态反应分别通过皮肤电导和面部肌电图测量，以及访问每个记忆的反应时间。在第二阶段，参与者重新激活并描述（详细说明）在第一阶段访问的记忆的细节。根据特定情节（内部）和非情节（外部）细节的数量对由此产生的描述进行评分。虽然检索线索的唤醒和效价水平，以及诱发的生理反应，显着预测了访问记忆的反应时间，但只有线索唤醒预测了表征的构建程度。最初访问高唤醒线索的记忆后来被描述为比访问低唤醒线索的记忆更多的情节细节。