Impact of Emotional Valence and Different Source Problem Conditions on the Resolution of Analogical Target Problems

Abstract

An experimental study was conducted to clarify the impact of the source problem (present/absent) and of the emotional valence (positive/negative) on the way analogical target problems are solved. Analogical problems were represented by two types of PC games. Film clips were used to elicit emotions, whereas emotional changes were monitored by SAM scale. It was found that the presence of source problem increased the speed of solving a target problem and led to analogical problem solving even though a non-analogical solution could also be conducted. Negative valence (feeling sad) facilitates analogical problem solving, whereas positive valence (feeling amused) alleviates non-analogical problem solving. Different emotional valence has no impact either on the length of the time needed for problem solving, or on the success.

Dispositional Optimism, Affective States and Judgements of Future Life Events

“…Concerning negative emotions, it is considered that they lead to more systematic information processing. For example, negative emotions stimulate well-known and verified reactions, while positive valence stimulates experimental and creative tendencies while solving a cognitive task (Jurásová, Biela, & Spajdel, 2014). There is also empirical evidence of the associations of valence of affective states with judgements of future events (see Angie, Connelly, Waples, & Kligyte, 2011 for review).…”