Automatic Emotion-specific Effects of Emotion-Representations on Agency Appraisals

Abstract

Previous researchers have demonstrated that different emotions colour cognitive processes in specific ways, and that even subliminally presented emotional cues, such as negative and positive facial expressions, influence cognitive processes. However, few have investigated the automatic and unconscious effects of emotional cues on cognitive processes in a way that goes beyond valence. To fill this research gap, this study investigated the impact of subliminally presented emotional cues on the cognitive process of appraisal by subliminally presenting angry and sad facial expressions to participants and examining their impact on the participants¿ causal appraisals. Analysis revealed that the appraisals had been influenced by unconsciously activated emotion-representations in a manner in accordance with appraisal theories of emotion. Participants primed with angry faces were more likely to appraise other individuals and less likely to appraise interpersonal factors as the agency for negative events compared to those primed with sad faces. As these effects were confined to negative events, they suggest the existence of a valence-congruent effect. Subjective feelings of anger and sadness were not affected by the facial primes. Theoretical importance of these findings, the limitations of the study, and possible directions for further research are discussed.