Psychology 3723F/G Lecture : affective approaches to cognition.docx

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 3723F/G
• Professor: Martin Kavaliers

Document Summary

The main source of affect toward an object is often (usually?) the individual"s beliefs about the object. I believe steve is honest = positive feeling toward steve. I believe apples are nutritious = positive feeling toward apples. I believe mosquito bites are itchy = negative feeling toward mosquitos. But objects can elicit affect that is not a result of conscious beliefs or knowledge. This affect does not come from conscious awareness that the object has positive or negative qualities. This affect nonetheless influences individuals" evaluations of the target (attitudes toward the target) Two processes illustrate this phenomenon most clearly: Several types of conditioning have been identified: Instrumental conditioning: diagram, reward encourages behaviour, punishment discourages. Used 6-letter words and non-words as neutral stimuli. Mild (annoying but not painful) electric shocks were delivered to leg of participants. Some p"s were shocked for all words but no nonwords; others shocked for all nonwords but no words.