A Positive Perspective on Attentional Bias: Positive Affectivity and Attentional Bias to Positive Information

Abstract

In recent years there has been growing interest in determining the attentional basis of positive affectivity. Investigators have sought to evaluate the hypothesis that elevated positive affectivity is characterized by an attentional bias that favours the processing of positive information over neutral information. Unfortunately, in the studies carried out to date, the assessment procedures used by researchers to assess such attentional selectivity have either been methodologically limited or methodologically flawed. Hence, the validity of the hypothesis has remained indeterminate. To overcome the problems associated with attentional assessment procedures used in previous studies, and so shed light on the attentional basis of positive affectivity, we employed an appropriate variant of the attentional probe task. Our findings show that participants high in positive affectivity displayed greater relative attention to positive information compared to neutral information, than was the case for their low positive affectivity counterparts. Thus, the present results support the hypothesis that an attentional bias to positive information, relative to neutral information, is characteristic of elevated positive affectivity.

Attentional Bias and Well-Being

“…They found that people who tended to experience higher levels of positive affect, as assessed 5 times per day for a 1 week period, demonstrated disproportionately speeded responses to probes appearing in the locus of positive words, relative to those that appeared in the locus of neutral words, indicating an attentional bias towards the positive information. These findings have recently been replicated by Grafton and MacLeod (2016), who recruited participants reporting either high or low levels of positive affectivity, and had them perform a similar attentional probe task. The participants high in positive affectivity displayed greater speeding to process probes in vicinity of the positive information, compared to probes in the vicinity of the neutral information, further supporting the hypothesis that elevated positive emotional disposition is characterized by an attentional bias to affectively positive information.…”

Trait affectivity and applicant reactions: a multiwave field study

“…face validity). Indeed, although high TPA individuals favor processing positive vs. negative information, positive features of hiring procedures must exist to be perceived and instantiate favorable behavioral intentions (Grafton and MacLeod, 2017). On the other hand, our work seems to suggest that, to some degree, applicant reactions are outside of an organization's control.…”

Afek Positif Sebagai Mediator dalam Hubungan antara Efikasi Diri dan Bias Atensi Emosional pada Remaja

“…Crossfield dan Damian menambahkan bahwa informasi yang bersifat emosional (bervalensi) dapat memengaruhi pemrosesan informasi. Hal ini didukung oleh penelitian yang menunjukkan bahwa informasi emosional dapat menimbulkan bias atensi emosional (Grafton & MacLeod, 2017;Karademas et al, 2007;Segerstrom, 2001).…”

“…Secara spesifik peneliti meyakini bahwa afek positif dapat memengaruhi pemorsesan informasi pada remaja. Afek positif terbukti dapat menimbulkan waktu reaksi yang lebih lama untuk memproses informasi bervalensi positif atau mengindikasikan adanya gangguan pada inhibitory control (Grafton & MacLeod, 2017) Terutama jika afek positif ini berkaitan dengan approach motivation yaitu motivasi yang menyebabkan individu terdorong untuk menghadapi atau mendekati suatu objek. Oleh karena itu, peneliti menduga bahwa terdapat peran mediasi dari kondisi afek positif di dalam hubungan antara efikasi diri dan bias atensi emosional pada remaja.…”