Web of Emotions: Threat-Relevant Contexts Create a Downstream Memory Bias for Individuals with Spider Phobia

We examined participants’ incidental recognition of foils intermixed amongst words encoded in threat-relevant (spider) or neutral (animals) visual contexts. Individuals classified as spider-phobics showed enhanced memory for foils contained within the threat-relevant, compared to neutral, recognition test. Results suggest anxiety-provoking contexts create downstream memory biases for otherwise neutral information.