Integration between emotions and actions

Abstract

Different parts of our brain code the perceptual features and actions related to an object, causing a binding problem, in which the brain has to integrate information related to an event without any interference regarding the features and actions involved in other concurrently processed events. Using a paradigm similar to Hommel, who proposed the event file concept, we were interested in the present thesis in the role played by emotions in the event file. Experiments 1-5 established the existence of the emotion-action binding with task-relevant and irrelevant visual emotional stimuli. Experiments 6-9 reproduced these results with emotional prosodies. With Experiment 10-11, we went further on the phenomenon by considering timing of presentation's influence in the integration of emotional stimuli with motor actions. Finally, Experiment 12 investigated the neural underpinnings of this binding using the functional magnetic resonance imaging method