The effect of fatigue on the attentional blink

Abstract

It has been suggested that attention and emotional states are tightly linked, in that negative moods are associated with narrowed attentional focus, whereas positive moods are associated with broadened focus. However, recent studies on the effect of affective states, using the attentional blink deficit as a reflection of the temporary unavailability of attentional resources, have reported ambiguous results regarding the deployment of attention in the temporal domain. In the present study, we examined whether the effect of affective state on the attentional blink should be interpreted in terms of valence and arousal axes or in terms of the specificity of the connection between affect and attention. We chose to use fatigue to test these alternatives because, according to the two-axis view, fatigue would not be expected to increase the attentional blink. Participants identified two targets embedded in a stream of nontargets, and for half of the participants, a state of fatigue was induced using the Trier Social Stress Test. Those in the experimental group demonstrated a greater attentional blink relative to those in the control group, who did not receive the mood manipulation. The results suggest unique links between mood states and attention during a task involving temporal selection.Studies in cognitive psychology have shown that the deployment of attentional resources

Improving Specificity of the Musical Mood Induction Procedure

“…The three moods selected for the study occupy the broad category of negative affect but exhibit subtle differences on dimensions of valence and arousal, captured in Russell's circumplex model. Numerous studies have classified sadness, fatigue, and anxiety as moods within the valence/arousal model (Vuoskosi & Eerola, 2011;Sandstrom & Russo, 2010;Feldman Barrett & Russell, 1998;Kawahara & Sato, 2013;Russell, 2003;Posner, Russell & Peterson, 2005).…”

“…Within the affective space of Russell's circumplex, fatigue is lowest in arousal and has neutral or slightly negative valence (Feldman Barrett & Russell, 1998;Kawahara & Sato, 2013). Fatigue can manifest both physiologically and cognitively (Sharpe & Wilks, 2002;Carney, Moss, Lachowski & Atwood, 2010).…”

Improving Specificity of the Musical Mood Induction Procedure

“…The three moods selected for the study occupy the broad category of negative affect but exhibit subtle differences on dimensions of valence and arousal, captured in Russell's circumplex model. Numerous studies have classified sadness, fatigue, and anxiety as moods within the valence/arousal model (Vuoskosi & Eerola, 2011;Sandstrom & Russo, 2010;Feldman Barrett & Russell, 1998;Kawahara & Sato, 2013;Russell, 2003;Posner, Russell & Peterson, 2005).…”

“…Within the affective space of Russell's circumplex, fatigue is lowest in arousal and has neutral or slightly negative valence (Feldman Barrett & Russell, 1998;Kawahara & Sato, 2013). Fatigue can manifest both physiologically and cognitively (Sharpe & Wilks, 2002;Carney, Moss, Lachowski & Atwood, 2010).…”

The Effect of Participants' Stress Manipulation on Experimenters’ Mood States

“…Over the last two decades, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated the impact of mood states on cognitive functioning (e.g., Forgas, 2008;Kawahara & Sato, 2013;Lupien, Maheu, Tu, Fiocco, & Schramek, 2007;Matsumoto, Hwang, & Frank, 2016;Schmid & Schmid, 2010;Schwarz, 1990). A variety of procedures have been used to manipulate mood states, such as immersing participants' hands in icy water, exposing participants to joyful or dreary music, and asking participants to give a speech in front of an audience.…”