The Effect Of Low Versus High Withdrawal-Motivated Negative Affect On The Breadth Of Attention

Valence dimensions of affect was considered as the critical factor in the process of cognition broadening (narrowing) influenced by affect. Gable & Harmon-Jones proposed the motivational dimensional model of affect, based on a series of experimental results. The mode propose that the motivational dimensional of affect is independent from valence and arousal dimensions of affect. So the motivational dimensional of affect should be considered, the same as valence and arousal dimensions, when researching the relationship between affect and cognition. This mode emphasized that the motivational intensity levels of affect is the critical factor in the process of cognition broadening (narrowing) influenced by affect. In other words, the mode propose that affect which is low motivational intensity broadens cognitive processes, whereas affect which is high motivational intensity narrows cognitive processes. Researches of the motivational dimensional model of affect, mostly, focus on the positive affect. These researches have systematically examined positive affect that varies in approach motivational intensity, and founded that positive affect which is high in approach motivation narrows cognition, whereas positive affect which is low in approach motivation broadens cognition. This effect is founded in different processes of cognition, such as breadth of attention, memory, and cognitive categorization. Researches of the motivational dimensional model of affect in negative affect, whatever, are incompetent.This purpose of this research is examined the effect of low versus high withdrawal-motivated negative affect on the breadth of attentional by two different research paradigm. This research included two experiments. In Kimchi and Palmer task, results indicated that the low withdrawal-motivated negative affect caused more global attentional focus than the high withdrawal-motivated negative affect. In Flanker task, results indicated that the high withdrawal-motivated negative affect caused faster processing on the central letter than the low withdrawal-motivated negative affect. So the conclusion of this research is that the low withdrawal-motivated negative affect broadens the breadth of attentional, whereas the high withdrawal-motivated negative affect narrows the breadth of attentional. The motivational dimensional model is proved to be corrected in negative affect, and have a wider scope of its application by this research.