Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2025
08:24
The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
634
Incidental affect influences choice preference among competing alternatives in a modified Affect Misattribution
Ewa Kochanowska1,2, Elena Reutskaja3, Jolie Wormwood4
1Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, 213 McConnell Hall, 15 Academic Way, Durham, NH, 03824, USA. ewa.julia.kochanowska@gmail.com.
Scientific Reports
|December 31, 2024
Summary
Incidental affective feelings influence choices between competing options. Positive emotional primes increased preference for subsequent landscape images, especially when presented second, demonstrating affect
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Decision Science
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Affective feelings significantly impact decision-making processes.
- Previous research primarily examined affect's influence on single-target evaluations.
- The role of incidental affect in multi-target choice remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how incidental affective feelings influence choices between competing targets.
- To adapt the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP) for evaluating multi-target decision-making.
- To explore the constructive role of affect in preference formation among alternatives.
Main Methods:
- Two pre-registered studies (N=196, N=214) utilized a modified Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP).
- Participants evaluated pairs of landscape images, choosing their preferred option.
- Affective primes (smiling, scowling, neutral faces) preceded landscape image presentations.
Main Results:
- Participants showed a significant tendency to choose landscapes preceded by positive affective primes.
- This effect was particularly pronounced when the positive prime appeared second in a trial.
- Findings indicate the utilization of incidental affect in comparative choices.
Conclusions:
- Incidental affective states demonstrably guide choices among competing alternatives.
- The study introduces a novel methodology for assessing affect's role in preference construction.
- Decision-makers integrate incidental emotional information when forming preferences.
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