Encouraging the perceptual underdog: positive affective priming of nonpreferred local–global processes

Two experiments examined affective priming of global and local perception. Participants attempted to detect a target that might be present as either a global or a local shape. Verbal primes were used in 1 experiment, and pictorial primes were used in the other. In both experiments, positive primes led to improved performance on the nonpreferred dimension. For participants exhibiting global precedence, detection of local targets was significantly improved, whereas for participants exhibiting local precedence, detection of global targets was significantly improved. The results provide support for an interpretation of the effects of positive affective priming in terms of increased perceptual flexibility

Positive emotion broadens attention focus through decreased position-specific spatial encoding in early visual cortex: evidence from ERPs

Recent evidence has suggested that not only stimulus-specific attributes or top-down expectations can modulate attention selection processes, but also the actual mood state of the participant. In this study, we tested the prediction that the induction of positive mood can dynamically influence attention allocation and, in turn, modulate early stimulus sensory processing in primary visual cortex (V1). High-density visual event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants performed a demanding task at fixation and were presented with peripheral irrelevant visual textures, whose position was systematically varied in the upper visual field (close, medium, or far relative to fixation). Either a neutral or a positive mood was reliably induced and maintained throughout the experimental session. The ERP results showed that the earliest retinotopic component following stimulus onset (C1) strongly varied in topography as a function of the position of the peripheral distractor, in agreement with a near-far spatial gradient. However, this effect was altered for participants in a positive relative to a neutral mood. On the contrary, positive mood did not modulate attention allocation for the central (task-relevant) stimuli, as reflected by the P300 component. We ran a control behavioral experiment confirming that positive emotion selectively impaired attention allocation to the peripheral distractors. These results suggest a mood-dependent tuning of position-specific encoding in V1 rapidly following stimulus onset. We discuss these results against the dominant broaden-and-build theory

Déstabilisés et agités : état émotionnel, charge cognitive et performance des résidents juniors lors d’une réanimation simulée

Background: Patient resuscitation can be overwhelming for junior postgraduate medical residents due to its inherent complexity and high-stakes environment. Emotional states of unpleasant hyperarousal burden cognitive resources, contributing to cognitive overload and performance decline. Our objective is to characterize the associations between pre-scenario emotional state and junior residents’ cognitive load and performance in a simulated-resuscitation, to provide evidence for informed curricular development. Methods: PGY-1 residents self-rated their emotional state before four simulated-resuscitation scenarios, and their cognitive load after. Faculty assessed performance with entrustment scores. Factor analysis identified the principal components of emotional state data. Linear regression models examined the relationship between pre-scenario emotional components, cognitive load, and performance scores.  Results: 47/47 medical and surgical residents (100%) participated and completed Emotional State (99.5%) and Cognitive Load (98.9%) surveys. Positive invigoration and negative tranquility were the principal components. Pre-scenario tranquility was negatively associated with cognitive load (b= -0.23, p < 0.0001), and cognitive load was negatively associated with performance scores (b= -0.27, p < 0.0001). Pre-scenario invigoration was negatively associated with cognitive load (b=-0.18,p = 0.0001), and positively associated with performance scores (b= 0.08, p = 0.0193).  Conclusion: Amongst junior residents participating in simulated resuscitation scenarios, pre-scenario agitation (negative tranquility) is associated with increased cognitive load, which itself is associated with lower performance scores. These findings suggest residency programs should consider developing curriculum aimed at modulating residents’ emotional agitation and reducing residents’ cognitive burden to improve resuscitation performance.Contexte : La réanimation de patients peut être éprouvante pour les stagiaires postdoctoraux juniors en raison de la complexité qui y est inhérente et de la gravité de l’enjeu. Les états émotionnels désagréables d’hyperexcitation épuisent les ressources cognitives, contribuant ainsi à la surcharge cognitive et à la baisse de la performance. Notre objectif était de mettre en évidence le rapport entre l’état émotionnel des résidents juniors avant une simulation de réanimation d’un côté et leur charge cognitive et leur performance lors de celle-ci de l’autre, pour produire des données probantes pouvant servir à la conception éclairée de programmes d’enseignement. Méthodes : Des résidents de première année ont autoévalué leur état émotionnel avant chacun des quatre scénarios de réanimation simulée, ainsi que leur charge cognitive après les simulations. Des membres du corps professoral ont évalué leur performance par l’attribution de scores de confiance. Les principales composantes des données sur l’état émotionnel ont été déterminées par le biais d’une analyse factorielle. On s’est servi de modèles de régression linéaire pour établir la relation entre les composantes émotionnelles avant la simulation, la charge cognitive et les scores de performance. Résultats : Les 47 résidents en médecine et en chirurgie qui ont participé à l’étude (100 %) ont rempli les questionnaires sur l’état émotionnel (99,5 %) et la charge cognitive (98,9 %). La stimulation positive et la tranquillité négative sont les principales composantes dégagées. La tranquillité avant la simulation était négativement corrélée avec la charge cognitive (b= -0,23, p<0,0001), et la charge cognitive était négativement liée aux scores de performance (b= -0,27, p<0,0001). La stimulation avant la simulation était négativement corrélée avec la charge cognitive (b=-0.18, p=0.0001), et positivement corrélée avec les scores de performance (b= 0.08, p=0.0193). Conclusion : Chez les résidents juniors qui ont participé à des scénarios de réanimation simulée, l’agitation précédant cette dernière (tranquillité négative) était liée à une charge cognitive accrue, qui elle-même a donné lieu à des scores de performance plus faibles. Ces résultats montrent la pertinence de concevoir des programmes qui visent à réduire l’agitation émotionnelle et la charge cognitive des résidents afin d’améliorer leurs performances en réanimation

Different positive feelings leading to different ad evaluations: the case of coziness, excitement and romance

This study contributes to the debate about the valence-based versus the multi-dimensional views of feelings. By conducting an experiment using 317 subjects, we compared the differential impact of three different positive feelings on ad effectiveness. Support for the multi-dimensional view of feelings was found in the sense that ad- and context-evoked coziness, excitement and romance had a different impact on attitudes to ads. Moreover, in the area of context effects further support for the multi-dimensional view of feelings was found: the exciting, the romantic and the cozy ads scored best after recounting a feeling-congruent story

On innovation as an affect-driven work behaviour

This thesis aims to theorise and examine whether moods stimulate innovative work behaviour. The latter comprises a construct denoting the generation, promotion and realisation of novel ideas, oriented to benefiting the effectiveness and well-being of an organisation. Over time, organisational behaviour scholars have described individual and contextual factors as relevant to understanding innovative behaviour. However, one topic that still requires more detailed attention is how affect is related to innovation. Several studies have found that moods are related to idea generation, but they have neglected to explore whether similar effects apply to idea promotion and idea realisation. Also, organisational behaviour research has been limited to moods differentiated by their valence (pleasure), even though psychological research has shown that moods necessarily involve both differences in valence and activation (energy). Furthermore, most theory of innovation assumes that affect mediates individual and contextual influences on innovative behaviour, but empirical research dealing with these issues is still rare. This thesis argues that the lack of research on idea promotion and realisation, in favour of idea generation, is a response to limited support for the multidimensionality of the innovative work behaviour construct. In turn, the circumplex model of affect is adopted to define diverse moods described by valence and activation, whilst arguing influences of these moods on innovative behaviour. Moreover, from the perspective of cognitive appraisal theory, moods are argued to be a meditational function between climate of support for innovation, openness to experience and innovative work behaviour. Five empirical studies supported the validity of innovative work behaviour as a multidimensional construct. In turn, results supported a positive relationship between high-activated positive mood and dimensions of innovative behaviour. Finally, multilevel analysis showed high-activated positive mood as a core construct for transforming support for innovation and openness to experience into innovative behaviour

The projective theory of consciousness: from neuroscience to philosophical psychology

The development of the interdisciplinary areas of cognitive, affective and action neurosciences contributes to the identification of neurobiological bases of conscious experience. The structure of consciousness was philosophically conceived a century ago (HUSSERL, 1913) as consisting of a subjective pole, the bearer of experiences, and an objective pole composed of experienced contents. In more recent formulations, Nagel (1974) refers to a “point of view”, in which qualitative experiences are anchored, while Velmans (1990, 1993, 2009, 2017) understands that phenomenal content is composed of mental representations “projected” to the space external to the brains that construct them. In Freudian psychology, the conscious mind contains a tension between the Id and the Ego (FREUD, 1913). How to relate this bipolar structure with the results of neuroscience? I propose the notion of projection [also used by Williford et al. (2012)] as a bridge principle connecting the neurobiological systems of knowing, feeling and acting with the bipolar structure. The projective process is considered responsible for the generation of the sense of self and the sense of the world, composing an informational phenomenal field generated by the nervous system and experienced in the first-person perspective. After presenting the projective hypothesis, I discuss its philosophical status, relating it to the phenomenal (BLOCK, 1995, 2008, 2011) and high-order thought (ROSENTHAL, 2006; BROWN, 2014) approaches, and a mathematical model of projection (RUDRAUF et al., 2017). Eight ways of testing the status of the projective hypothesis are briefly mentioned

Immersive moodboards, a comparative study of industrial design inspiration material

A recent trend in our industrial culture has been the gradual emergence of digital tools in various fields of human activity. They aim to reduce development time, cost, or to insure a low error, high quality process. Many fields have been improved thanks to this new computerized approach. This paper is centered on how industrial design could be assisted by virtual reality tools. More specifically it presents a new vision of early design methodologies through immersive technologies. It also presents the results of an experimentation aiming to compare traditional moodboards with a newly developed immersive moodboard. When analyzing and comparing the relationship of the industrial designer to a traditional and an immersive moodboard, our result highlights the fact that immerging the industrial designer in an immersive moodboard induces a high emotional activity without radically modifying the meaning of the represented trend. The moodboard data spatialization stimulates and engages the designer into interacting with the immersive moodboard. The virtual reality system provides the illusion of a potential reality, which can be used by the designer as a reflection basis for his work. We believe that delivering this immersive experience during the early design process will help the industrial designer make style related decisions.Projet CARNO