Different Approaches The Intensity Of Motivation Positive Emotions Affect The Overall Priority Effect Rotation Of Psychology

The Broad-and-Build Theory suggests that positive affect can expand the scope of cognition. Positive affect promotes creative problem solving, executive control, cognitive flexibility, attention, decision making and other cognitive processes. These have already been confirmed by a mount of research. But what cannot be neglected is the "extreme joy begets sorrow"effect. Recently, the Motivational Dimensional Model which was put forward by Gable and Harmon-Jones contends the effect of positive affect on cognition depends on the motivational intensities of the affect rather than valence. They indicated that affect has a dimension of motivation direction besides the dimensions of valence and arousal. The positive affect high in approach motivation narrows the scope of cognition, whereas the positive affect low in approach motivation broadens the scope of cognition. The Motivational Dimensional Model was built on a series of experiment. Researchers have proved the influence of positive affect on attention, memory and cognitive categorization meet the assumption of the Motivational Dimensional Model by using different method to elicit emotions (Gable&Harmon-Jones,2010c). But so far no one has examined the influence of positive affects differed in the appoach motivational intensities on mental rotation. And research regarding to whether positive affect promotes the performance on mental rotation task still left some questions undecided.The current study carried out two experiments to examine the influence of positive affects differed in the appoach motivational intensities on mental rotation of compound stimuli. The designs of the two experiments are both within subject design. In Experiment1we adopted3body postures (leaning forward, sitting upright and reclining backward) accompanied by the facial expression of smile to elicit high, moderate and low approach motivation, respectively.31university students (15males,16females) completed the parity judgement task that asks for mental rotation of compound stimuli. Neutral condition was added in Experiment2. The Monetary Incentive Delay Paradigm was used to elicit positive affects in high, low approach motivation, as well as the neutral state.39university students (5males,34females) completed the same parity judgement task that asks for mental rotation of compound stimuli as in Experiment1, and then fill out the self-roport emotional inventory.We drew several conclusions as follows from the current study:(1) Global precedence effect exists in the mental rotation task when participants are in positive affect state with low approach motivation.(2) The approach motivation of positive affect moderates the global precedence effect. The positive affect low in approach motivational intensity enhances the global precedence effect, whereas the positive affect high in approach motivational intensity weakens the global precedence effect. That is to say, the positive affect high in approach motivational intensity narrows the processing focus of mental rotation compared with the positive affect low in approach motivational intensity.(3) Participants did not differ in the performance of mental rotation task when in positive affect state and in the neutral state. The valence of affect doesn’t moderate the global precedence effect in mental rotation task. We did not find that the positive affect low in approach motivational intensity enhances the global precedence effect compare with neutral state, or the positive affect high in approach motivational intensity weakens the global precedence effect compare with neutral state.(4) The positive affect high in approach motivational intensity narrows the attentional scope, whereas the positive affect low in approach motivational intensity broadens the attentional scope.(5) In the Monetary Incentive Delay Paradigm, the pre-goal reward cue and the post-goal gain feedback elicited positive affects; the pre-goal non-reward cue and the post-goal expected no-gain feedback elicited neutral emotional states.The current study has many implications. In terms of thoery implications, the study expanded the research area of the Motivational Dimensional Model. It was the first study to examine the applicability of the Motivational Dimensional Model on mental rotation task. In terms of research approach implications, we used the novel emotion elicit method—the body postures accompanied by facial expression. It was a bold attempt and provided experimental evidence for the viewpoint of the Embodiment of Emotion. In terms of practical implications, the study shed light on the educational field, the corporations, the training of some special occupations, the advertizing and the clinical field, etc.