Question

6 Most early information processing theorists portrayed human cognition as being a relatively unemotional enterprise, but increasingly researchers have come to realize that cognition and emotion are closely intertwined. Drawing on discussion of affect and its effects, describe three different ways in which cognitive processes and emotions are interrelated, and give a concrete example to illustrate each interrelationship you identify.

Answer 1

• There is abundant evidence that our social cognition is strongly influenced by our affective states. For example, whatever current mood we are experiencing can influence our judgments of people we meet.The influences of mood on our social cognition even seem to extend to our judgments about ideas, with positive mood linked to more positive appraisals than neutral mood. Positive moods may even help to reduce negative feelings toward others.
• Mood states are also powerful determinants of our current judgments about our well-being.
• Emotions are well known to control behavior of any sort. If you get angry, you are much more likely to pick up a fight with someone, and can even start to throwing things, to get physical, even if you are a very calm and controlled person. That is the power of the emotional stimuli. In brain terms, the stimuli will reach affective areas, that you generate the emotion and will connect to cognitive and behavioral areas, directing your behavior.
• When you are working on the task, and start to feel hungry,eventually, this will evoke an emotional state on you, and you will drop the task and go eat something, You were motivated by the hunger, and this uses affective paths. That way we know that emotions alters cognition.
• People with depression have problem engaging in any meaningful thought. People with brain damage to emotional processing eras have problems making any choices.
• Both "good" and "bad" emotions can alter your behavior and cognitive function. Sadness can prevent you from thinking about a math problem, because it is irrelevant when compared to the reason for you to be sad. Your brain will be trying to make a plan to solve the reason why you are sad. The same way, happiness can prevent you from seeing problems in your plans, and your brain will be trying to make a plan for you to see the negative endings of what you only see as marvelous.