Modulation of performance during executive function tasks by emotional salience of stimuli ( Modulación del desempeño en tareas de funciones ejecutivas por saliencia emocional de los estímulos )

Abstract

Because emotional salience has a critical effect on cognitive processing, its effect on core executive functions has not been considered much. This study compares reaction time and accuracy of the response in the three core executive functions. The 92 students who participated in the study were assigned to two groups and performed a variety of core executive functions tests: inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility tests in versions where the stimuli had high emotional salience and low emotional salience. Each test evaluated performance according to accuracy of the response and reaction times. The results showed that high emotional salience is a characteristic of the stimuli that, in general, favours the speed and accuracy of answers in visual WM tasks and in IC processes but affects CF tasks depending on the level.