Abstract
In models of affect and cognition, it is held that positive affect broadens the scope of attention. Consistent with this claim, previous research has indeed suggested that positive affect is associated with impaired selective attention as evidenced by increased interference of spatially distant distractors. However, several recent findings cast doubt on the reliability of this observation. In the present study, we examined whether selective attention in a visual flanker task is influenced by positive mood induction. Across three experiments, positive affect consistently failed to exert any impact on selective attention. The implications of this null-finding for theoretical models of affect and cognition are discussed.
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Notes
We also used the outlier analyses of Rowe et al. (2007) in which response times >1,000 ms were considered as outliers. Results were comparable.
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Acknowledgments
Preparation of this paper was partially supported by Grant BOF10/GOA/014 for a Concerted Research Action of Ghent University (awarded to Rudi De Raedt and Ernst Koster) and by a grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (awarded to Guido Band).
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Bruyneel, L., van Steenbergen, H., Hommel, B. et al. Happy but still focused: failures to find evidence for a mood-induced widening of visual attention. Psychological Research 77, 320–332 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-012-0432-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-012-0432-1