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Affective Simon effects using facial expressions as affective stimuli
J De Houwer1, D Hermans, P Eelen
1Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium.
Zeitschrift Fur Experimentelle Psychologie : Organ Der Deutschen Gesellschaft Fur Psychologie
|July 25, 1998
Summary
The affective Simon effect, influencing reaction times, was demonstrated in experiments on facial expression processing. This effect emerged when identifying individuals but not when determining gender, showing task-dependent emotional influence.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The affective Simon effect demonstrates how emotional valence influences cognitive tasks.
- Previous research has explored this effect in various contexts, but its flexibility across different task demands requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the flexibility of the affective Simon paradigm.
- To examine how task relevance (identity vs. gender) modulates the affective Simon effect in facial expression processing.
Main Methods:
- Participants viewed facial expressions and responded with "POSITIVE" or "NEGATIVE" based on a specific feature.
- Reaction times were measured under conditions where either facial identity or gender was the relevant cue.
Main Results:
- Reaction times were significantly affected by the congruence between facial expression valence and response valence when identity was the relevant feature.
- This congruence effect was absent when gender was the relevant feature, indicating task-dependent modulation.
Conclusions:
- The affective Simon effect is flexible and sensitive to task demands.
- These findings generalize the affective Simon effect to tasks involving facial expression recognition and highlight the interplay between emotion and cognition.