关键词: 趋近动机积极情绪, 回避动机消极情绪, 言语工作记忆, 空间工作记忆, 自我控制任务

Abstract: Previous 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. Hypothesis2 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 onefilm 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–cognition 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.

Key words: approach-motivated positive affect, withdrawal-motivated negative affect, verbal working memory, spatial working memory, self-control task.