The Affective Science Network: A Fieldwide Map of over 1 Million Citations

Area of Science:

• Affective science
• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Social sciences

Background:

• The field of affective science has experienced exponential growth, with over 100,000 publications, primarily in the last two decades.
• This rapid expansion presents challenges in maintaining scholarly breadth, depth, and interdisciplinary integration.
• Effective monitoring and representation of the entire field are difficult due to its size and complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address challenges in affective science by creating a comprehensive map of the field.
• To utilize citation network analysis (CNA) to visualize the structure and interconnectedness of affective science research.
• To identify research communities, influential articles, and potential interdisciplinary connections.

Main Methods:

• A citation matrix was constructed using over 100,000 publications and 1 million citations, dating back to Darwin (1872) and James (1884).
• Graph theory metrics and content analysis of titles and abstracts were employed.
• Citation network analysis (CNA) was used to identify and characterize research communities.

Main Results:

• Sixty-nine distinct research communities within affective science were identified and characterized.
• The interconnections between these communities and their most influential articles were mapped.
• Potential 'missed connections' between communities with similar content but weak citation links were highlighted.

Conclusions:

• The study provides the first low-dimensional, field-wide map of a significant portion of the affective sciences literature.
• This map serves as a tool for scientists to rapidly survey research communities and topics.
• The findings facilitate scholarship development, identify research gaps, and promote an integrative science approach.