The impact of physiological arousal on negative and neutral episodic memories in young and middle-aged adults.

). Steeper HRD was linked to an increased negative memory trade-off, while higher SCR amplitude was associated with a decrease in the neutral trade-off effect. Parasympathetically driven HRD may be a more robust predictor of arousal-related memory enhancement than sympathetically driven SCR, especially in middle-aged adults. These findings highlight the importance of considering early age-related changes in autonomic function when examining changes in memory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).