Affective state influences perception by affecting decision parameters underlying bias and sensitivity.

ABSTRACT: Studies of the effect of affect on perception often show consistent directional effects of a person's affective state on perception. Unpleasant emotions have been associated with a "locally focused" style of stimulus evaluation, and positive emotions with a "globally focused" style. Typically, however, studies of affect and perception have not been conducted under the conditions of perceptual uncertainty and behavioral risk inherent to perceptual judgments outside the laboratory. We investigated the influence of perceivers' experienced affect (valence and arousal) on the utility of social threat perception by combining signal detection theory and behavioral economics. We compared 3 perceptual decision environments that systematically differed with respect to factors that underlie uncertain

SUBMITTER: Lynn SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3489023 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature