The influence of emotional motivation on attentional control in individuals with depressive symptoms

Controlling for emotional valence and arousal, this study examined how the motivational direction (approach/withdrawal) and intensity of emotions influence inhibitory and switching functions of attentional control in individuals with depressive symptoms. Experiment 1 used emotion induction and a dual-choice Oddball paradigm to assess the impact of emotional motivation on inhibitory function. Results showed that individuals with depressive symptoms exhibited weaker approach motivation toward food and stronger avoidance motivation toward sadness in the inhibition task. Under approach motivation, high-intensity emotion impaired inhibition, while low-intensity emotion facilitated it. Under withdrawal motivation, both high- and low-intensity emotions impaired inhibition. Experiment 2 used emotion induction and a task-switching paradigm to assess the impact on switching function. Results showed that individuals with depressive symptoms displayed more comprehensive motivational deficits in the switching task. Beyond abnormal motivations toward food and sadness, funny scenes failed to induce approach emotions. Approach emotions had no effect on switching function, whereas both high- and low-avoidance emotions hindered it. The findings indicate that individuals with depressive symptoms exhibit emotional motivational deficits. The influence of emotional motivation on inhibitory and switching functions is inconsistent: inhibitory function may be jointly modulated by the direction and intensity of emotional motivation, while switching function is primarily influenced by the direction of motivation.