Estimation performance is modulated by emotional valence and stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA): evidence from priming...

Previous studies have investigated the influence of emotional priming on estimation performance, but the influence of stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) on estimation performance remains unknown. The present study aimed to explore the interaction between emotional valence and SOA on estimation performance, under explicit (Experiment 1) and implicit (Experiment 2) emotional priming conditions.

This study consists of two 3 (priming emotion type: fear, happy, and neutral) × 2 (SOA: 600 ms, 1800 ms) × 2 (estimation strategy type: down-up strategy, up-down strategy) experimental designs. Participants were required to complete the multiplication estimation task (e.g., 23 × 67) using either the down-up (e.g., doing 20 × 70 = 1400 for 23 × 67) or up-down (e.g., doing 30 × 60 = 1800 for 23 × 67) strategy, and judge the emotion (Experiment 1) or gender (Experiment 2) conveyed by the facial expression prime.

In Experiment 1, under the SOA = 1800 ms (but not SOA = 600 ms) condition, happy (vs. neutral and fear) priming contributed to improving individuals' estimation accuracy (ACC). In Experiment 2, under the SOA = 1800 ms condition, participants achieved higher ACC with the up-down strategy under both neutral and fear priming conditions; under happy priming condition, participants achieved higher ACC with the down-up strategy. Under the SOA = 600 ms condition, participants achieved higher ACC with the down-up strategy under both fear and happy (but not neutral) priming conditions. Under neutral priming condition, the response time (RTs) were shorter with the down-up strategy, and under fear (but not happy) priming condition, RTs were longer with the down-up strategy.

The present study indicates that participants' estimation performance is modulated by the interaction between emotional valence and SOA. Practically, estimation strategies in education/cognitive training should be dynamically adjusted based on SOA and emotional states.