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Thinking and Emotion: Affective Modulation of Cognitive Processing Modes

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Towards a Theory of Thinking

Part of the book series: On Thinking ((ONTHINKING))

Abstract

In this chapter, we review empirical findings showing that positive and negative affective states are accompanied by qualitatively different information-processing modes. Specifically, positive moods and emotions appear to be associated with a more flexible processing mode as indicated by a broadened scope of attention, activation of weak or unusual associations, and facilitated switching between cognitive sets. We interpret these findings within a general theoretical framework according to which different modes of thinking serve complementary or even antagonistic adaptive functions in the planning and control of goal-directed action. In contrast to the widespread view that positive affect has exclusively beneficial consequences such as increased creativity and flexibility, we argue that different emotions and moods and the processing modes associated with them incur complementary costs and benefits. Thus, consistent with recent findings, positive and negative affect have advantages and disadvantages depending on the processing requirements of the to-be-performed task.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In this chapter, we use the term emotion to denote psycho-physiological response patterns, which rest on more or less complex evaluations of events or actions in the light of an organism’s needs, motives, and goals; which are accompanied by changes in the peripheral nervous system (e.g., increased arousal); which are controlled by specific brain circuits (e.g., the amygdale in the case of fear); which motivate the organisms toward particular categories of action (e.g., fight or flight); which are often accompanied by specific facial and postural expressions; and which are usually (but not always) associated with a specific qualitative subjective experience. In contrast, we use the term mood to denote more enduring, mild emotional states, which are not necessarily directed towards or caused by a particular object or event, need not be in the focus of attention, and have a non-focal (“colorizing”) experiential quality. Finally, we will use the terms affect or affective state as generic summary terms subsuming both moods and emotions in the more narrow sense as defined above.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Annette Bolte & Thomas Goschke

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  1. Annette Bolte
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  2. Thomas Goschke
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Correspondence to Annette Bolte .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Parmenides Foundation, Kardinal Faulhaber Str. 14 a, Munich, 80333, Germany

    Britt Glatzeder

  2. Dept. Psychology, York University, Keele Street 4700, Toronto, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Vinod Goel

  3. Parmenides Foundation, Kardinal Faulhaber Str. 14 a, Munich, 80333, Germany

    Albrecht Müller

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Bolte, A., Goschke, T. (2010). Thinking and Emotion: Affective Modulation of Cognitive Processing Modes. In: Glatzeder, B., Goel, V., Müller, A. (eds) Towards a Theory of Thinking. On Thinking. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03129-8_18

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