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We investigated whether stimulus‐processing in sensory or semantic memory influenced affective responses after repeated exposures. This entailed exploring whether activating sensory memory by comparing odor strength during exposure (Experiments 1 and 3) or activating semantic memory by naming the odor during exposure (Experiments 2 and 4) changed affective responses to the odor. Generally pleasant or generally unpleasant odors were presented to participants 40 times (Experiments 1 and 2) or 10 times (Experiments 3 and 4), and their liking for the odor was rated before and after the exposure. Results indicated that affective responses to odors became neutral after 40 exposures, regardless of processing the odor in sensory or semantic memory during the exposure. The liking score changed only for likable odors after 10 exposures, when the odor was processed in sensory memory (bottom‐up processing) during the exposure. These findings suggest that affective responses change through repeated exposure, regardless of the type of stimulus processing. However, the repeated exposure effect differed based on the stimulus‐processing type during the exposure, when the number of exposures was limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neurophysiological properties of rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) are believed to tune down stressor-related emotional responses. While prior experimental findings are controversial, evidence suggests that affective habituation is hindered if REMS is fragmented. To elucidate the topic, we evoked self-conscious negative affect in the participants (N = 32) by exposing them to their own out-of-tune singing in the evening. Affective response to the stressor was measured with skin conductance response and subjectively reported embarrassment. To address possible inter-individual variance toward the stressor, we measured the shame-proneness of participants with an established questionnaire. The stressor was paired with a sound cue to pilot a targeted memory reactivation (TMR) protocol during the subsequent night's sleep. The sample was divided into three conditions: control (no TMR), TMR during slow-wave sleep, and TMR during REMS. We found that pre- to post-sleep change in affective response was not influenced by TMR. However, REMS percentage was associated negatively with overnight skin conductance response habituation, especially in those individuals whose REMS was fragmented. Moreover, shame-proneness interacted with REM fragmentation such that the higher the shame-proneness, the more the affective habituation was dependent on non-fragmented REMS. In summary, the potential of REMS in affective processing may depend on the quality of REMS as well as on individual vulnerability toward the stressor type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]