To What Extent Are Cognitive Processes Influenced by Emotion
To what extent are cognitive processes influenced by emotion?
The debates surrounding the argument that emotion can influence cognitive processing are a matter of contention and cognitive psychologists understanding of how emotions can influence cognition is an area of debate in its infancy. Research studying emotion was previously negligible until methods by which emotions could be measured were devised, such as through brain imaging techniques. The essay will discuss whether emotions can influence cognition and the extent of this influence and will look into its effect on two specific cognitive processes, memory and attention.
There is evidence to suggest that cognitive processes can be influenced by emotion, however there are a number of problems with studying this area. Laboratory study makes it difficult to compare results with real world situations. First there are ethical issues surrounding the type and severity of emotional material that participants can be shown and the severity of emotions that can be evoked ethically in the laboratory context. Emotions in real life are often far stronger than in a research environment and the extent of emotions that can be evoked in this setting will have bearing on the results of the extent of influence of emotion on cognition.
One of the important characteristics of emotions is that they create physiological changes, which can subsequently influence cognitive processing. For example, increased adrenalin produced as a derivative of ‘fear’ (Braisby and Gellatly 2005) can enhance performance, although too much could also impair performance. This illustrates how emotions can affect cognitive functioning. Everyday examples of this occurrence includes concentration levels plummeting if we are worried, or our memory or listening skills faltering if we are overly anxious or preoccupied with negative emotion. In this regard, emotions can influence cognitive processing by enhancing or impairing functioning when
The debates surrounding the argument that emotion can influence cognitive processing are a matter of contention and cognitive psychologists understanding of how emotions can influence cognition is an area of debate in its infancy. Research studying emotion was previously negligible until methods by which emotions could be measured were devised, such as through brain imaging techniques. The essay will discuss whether emotions can influence cognition and the extent of this influence and will look into its effect on two specific cognitive processes, memory and attention.
There is evidence to suggest that cognitive processes can be influenced by emotion, however there are a number of problems with studying this area. Laboratory study makes it difficult to compare results with real world situations. First there are ethical issues surrounding the type and severity of emotional material that participants can be shown and the severity of emotions that can be evoked ethically in the laboratory context. Emotions in real life are often far stronger than in a research environment and the extent of emotions that can be evoked in this setting will have bearing on the results of the extent of influence of emotion on cognition.
One of the important characteristics of emotions is that they create physiological changes, which can subsequently influence cognitive processing. For example, increased adrenalin produced as a derivative of ‘fear’ (Braisby and Gellatly 2005) can enhance performance, although too much could also impair performance. This illustrates how emotions can affect cognitive functioning. Everyday examples of this occurrence includes concentration levels plummeting if we are worried, or our memory or listening skills faltering if we are overly anxious or preoccupied with negative emotion. In this regard, emotions can influence cognitive processing by enhancing or impairing functioning when
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