The effects of arousal and valence on children's judgment of learning in directed forgetting

Item-method directed forgetting judgment of learning task was used to investigate how arousal and valence affects children's judgment of learning (JOL) in directed forgetting (DF). Results showed that JOL value of to-be-remembered (TBR) items was significantly higher than that of to-be-forgotten (TBF) items. The absolute accuracy of JOL in 5th grade was significantly better than that in 3th grade. The JOL value of high arousal TBR items was significantly higher than that of low arousal TBR items. Arousal had no effect on the JOL of TBF items. The JOL value of neutral photographs was significantly higher than that of negative photographs in 5th grade. Valence had no effect on the JOL in 3th grade. Results show that children's JOL is affected by DF instructions, material arousal and valence, and increases with age.