Positive Emotion Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility: An fMRI Study
Cognitive flexibility is the ability to switch rapidly between multiple goals. By using a task-switching paradigm, the present study investigated how positive emotion affected cognitive flexibility and the underlying neural mechanisms. After viewing pictures of different emotional valence (positive,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01832/full |
| _version_ | 1811264506436780032 |
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| author | Yanmei Wang Yanmei Wang Yanmei Wang Jie Chen Zhenzhu Yue |
| author_facet | Yanmei Wang Yanmei Wang Yanmei Wang Jie Chen Zhenzhu Yue |
| author_sort | Yanmei Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cognitive flexibility is the ability to switch rapidly between multiple goals. By using a task-switching paradigm, the present study investigated how positive emotion affected cognitive flexibility and the underlying neural mechanisms. After viewing pictures of different emotional valence (positive, negative, or neutral), participants discriminated whether a target digit in a specific color was odd or even. After a series of trials, the color of target stimuli was changed, i.e., the switch condition. Switch costs were measured by the increase of reaction times (RTs) in the switch trials compared to those in the repeat trials. Behavior results indicated that switch costs significantly decreased in the positive emotional condition, and increased in the negative emotional condition, compared with those in the neutral condition. Imaging data revealed enhanced activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) in switch trials than those in repeat trials. Moreover, the interaction between emotion (positive, negative, neutral) and trial type (repeat vs. switch) was significant. For switch trials, the activation of dACC decreased significantly in the positive condition, while increased significantly in the negative condition compared to neutral condition. By contrast, for repeat trials, no significant difference was observed for the activation of dACC among three emotional conditions. Our results showed that positive emotions could increase the cognitive flexibility and reduce the conflict by decreasing the activation of dACC. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T20:05:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-437da9bf91674bd3aa078adf69796532 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T20:05:30Z |
| publishDate | 2017-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-437da9bf91674bd3aa078adf697965322022-12-22T03:18:24ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782017-10-01810.3389/fpsyg.2017.01832272735Positive Emotion Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility: An fMRI StudyYanmei Wang0Yanmei Wang1Yanmei Wang2Jie Chen3Zhenzhu Yue4Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaThe School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, ChinaThe School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, ChinaCognitive flexibility is the ability to switch rapidly between multiple goals. By using a task-switching paradigm, the present study investigated how positive emotion affected cognitive flexibility and the underlying neural mechanisms. After viewing pictures of different emotional valence (positive, negative, or neutral), participants discriminated whether a target digit in a specific color was odd or even. After a series of trials, the color of target stimuli was changed, i.e., the switch condition. Switch costs were measured by the increase of reaction times (RTs) in the switch trials compared to those in the repeat trials. Behavior results indicated that switch costs significantly decreased in the positive emotional condition, and increased in the negative emotional condition, compared with those in the neutral condition. Imaging data revealed enhanced activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) in switch trials than those in repeat trials. Moreover, the interaction between emotion (positive, negative, neutral) and trial type (repeat vs. switch) was significant. For switch trials, the activation of dACC decreased significantly in the positive condition, while increased significantly in the negative condition compared to neutral condition. By contrast, for repeat trials, no significant difference was observed for the activation of dACC among three emotional conditions. Our results showed that positive emotions could increase the cognitive flexibility and reduce the conflict by decreasing the activation of dACC.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01832/fullpositive emotiondACCtask switchingcognitive flexibilityconflict |
| spellingShingle | Yanmei Wang Yanmei Wang Yanmei Wang Jie Chen Zhenzhu Yue Positive Emotion Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility: An fMRI Study Frontiers in Psychology positive emotion dACC task switching cognitive flexibility conflict |
| title | Positive Emotion Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility: An fMRI Study |
| title_full | Positive Emotion Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility: An fMRI Study |
| title_fullStr | Positive Emotion Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility: An fMRI Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Positive Emotion Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility: An fMRI Study |
| title_short | Positive Emotion Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility: An fMRI Study |
| title_sort | positive emotion facilitates cognitive flexibility an fmri study |
| topic | positive emotion dACC task switching cognitive flexibility conflict |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01832/full |
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