Investigating the Competitive Effect of Valence and Figure-Ground Phenomenon on Vocabulary Recall using Eye Tracking

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Mohammad Reza Pahlavannezhad ¹
• Sepideh Elmi ²

¹ Full Professor in Linguistics, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

² PhD Candidate in Cognitive Linguistics, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22067/jlkd.2025.91197.1289

Abstract

In light of the critical role of recall in daily life, this study explored two key factors affecting recall: emotional valence (positive, negative, or neutral emotions) and the figure-ground phenomenon, where one element is more prominent (figure) and the other recedes into the background (ground). Using eye-tracking technology, the study examined whether the figure-ground phenomenon applies to word recall, whether emotional valence or word placement has a stronger effect, whether fixation duration correlates with recall, and whether gender influences recall performance. This study involved 30 participants (men and women) and used a quasi-experimental design. Data analysis was conducted with SPSS (version 26). The results showed that word placement as a “figure” alone did not significantly impact recall (p>0.05). However, words with strong negative emotional valence were more frequently recalled—even when placed as “ground”—compared to neutral words in the “figure” position. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.01), indicating that negative emotional valence has a stronger influence on recall than word placement. Neutral words in the “figure” position were more likely to be recalled than emotionally valenced words (positive or negative) in the “ground” position (p<0.05). There was no significant correlation between fixation duration and word recall. Additionally, men and women showed no significant differences in recalling the first word, with both groups favoring words with strong negative emotional valence. However, men more often recalled neutral words in the “figure” position, while women more frequently recalled positively valenced words in the “ground” position as the second word.

Keywords

• Valence
• Figure-Ground Phenomenon
• Recall
• Eye Tracking

Main Subjects

• Psychology of language

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