情绪的动机强度与工作记忆任务类型的协调性对自我控制的影响

The Effect of the Alignment of Emotional Motivational Intensity and Working Memory Task Demands on Self-Control

考察趋近动机强度的积极情绪和回避动机强度的消极情绪与工作记忆协调性对自我控制的影响。结果发现,与高趋近动机的积极情绪、高回避动机的消极情绪以及中性情绪相比,在低趋近动机的积极情绪下完成言语工作记忆以及在低回避动机的消极情绪下完成空间工作记忆,工作记忆成绩提高,而Stroop分数降低。这表明情绪与工作记忆的协调性受到情绪动机强度的影响,只有在低动机强度情绪时才表现出情绪与工作记忆类型的协调性,这种协调性会节省自我控制资源,促进自我控制加工。

MPrevious studies found that emotions selectively influence cognitive process. When emotions tuned a cognitive process that matched task demands, representing a state of alignment, performance improved. Whereas when emotions tuned a cognitive process that mismatched task demands, representing a state of misalignment, performance declined. Although some studies revealed the influence of withdrawal-motivated and approach- motivated affect on verbal and spatial working memory （WM）, but few studies explore the influence of the motivational dimension of withdrawal- motivated and approach-motivated affect on the alignment of emotion and cognition. We adopted the self-control depletion paradigm to explore the influence of the alignment of emotional motivational intensity and WM task demands on the self-control task. Combinations of low and high approach withdrawal motivated emotions and WM task demands were used to create the conditions of emotion-cognition alignment or misalignment. Self- control resources are utilized on the first task under the condition of emotion-cognition misalignment, performance will be impaired on a second task. Hypothesis 1 is, a demand for self-control will decline for the low approach-motivated positive emotion-verbal WM task aligned conditions, saving self-control resources and improving performance on the second task. Hypothesis 2 is, a demand for self-control will decline for the low withdrawal- motivated negative emotion-spatial WM task aligned conditions, saving self-control resources and improving performance on the second task. In Experiment 1 and 2, 156 participants （Experiment 1, 71 males; Experiment 2, 75 males） were enrolled in each experiment. Three films were employed in Experiment 1, of which two films induced high or low approach-motivated positive affect respectively, as well as one film induced neutral affect. In experiment 2, two films induced high or low withdrawal-motivated negative affect respectively, and one film induced neutral affect. After viewing one film, participants rated their feelings using a 9-point scale. Then they were assigned to accomplish a verbal or spatial 2-back WM task. For the verbal task, the letter was compared with the letter presented two trials back, whereas for the spatial task, the location of the letter was compared with the location of the letter presented two trials back. Following the WM task, participants completed a Stroop task. In all experiments, WM accuracy and the Stroop score were recorded. The Stroop score is computed by subtracting reaction time on congruent trials from reaction time on incongruent trials. The results showed that, either completed a verbal or a spatial WM task under the low approach-motivated positive affect or low withdrawal-motivated negative affect, respectively, WM accuracy was significantly higher than other conditions, but Stroop score was significantly lower than other conditions. These result indicated that completing either a verbal or a spatial WM task under the low approach-motivated positive affect or the low withdrawal-motivated negative affect, respectively, is the condition of emotion-ognition alignment. Under this condition self-control resources are saved and the performance on the self-control task is improved. Our results support the motivational dimension model of affect.