Does emotional valance impact the recall of central and pheripheral details in interpersonal conflict scenarios

This study aims to examine how emotional valence influences memory for central and peripheral details of scenarios of interpersonal conflict. Previous studies have shown that emotion can enhance memory for central or emotionally salient details, while sometimes impairing recall for peripheral or contextual information. However, less is known about how this pattern applies to memories of repeated scenarios of interpersonal conflict, which are common in everyday and forensic settings. In this experiment, participants aged 18–45 will be exposed to either negative or neutral virtual reality scenarios. After viewing the scenarios on Days 1 and 2. On Day 3, participants will complete a written free recall task in which they describe what they remember from each scenario, and subsequently compete either a free recall or timeline-enhanced interview on Day 8 or 9. Their recall (written statement and transcribed interview) will be coded using a predefined checklist that categorizes details as central (emotionally or situationally critical) or peripheral (background or contextual). This experiment is related to Rubínová et al. (2024, osf.io/at5f2) - we use the same data with an new coding schedule focused on central and peripheral details. It is expected that participants exposed to negative valence stimuli will correctly recall more central and fewer peripheral details compared to participants in the neutral condition. This pattern would support the idea that emotional discomfort narrows attention toward core elements of an event while reducing memory for peripheral context. The findings will contribute to ongoing research on emotion and memory, particularly in relation to how emotional experiences shape recall of scenarios of interpersonal conflict.