Work

Micro-Valences: Perceiving Affective Valence in Everyday Objects

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Perceiving the affective valence of objects influences how we think about and react to the world around us. Conversely, the speed and quality with which we visually recognize objects in a visual scene can vary dramatically depending on that scene's affective content. Although typical visual scenes contain mostly "everyday" objects, the affect perception in visual objects has been studied using somewhat atypical stimuli with strong affective valences (e.g., guns or roses). Here we explore whether affective valence must be strong or overt to exert an effect on our visual perception. We conclude that everyday objects carry subtle affective valences - "micro-valences" - which are intrinsic to their perceptual representation.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00107

Authors: Sophie Lebrecht, Moshe Bar, Lisa Feldman Barrett, Michael J. Tarr

Institutions: Brown University, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Northeastern University, Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University

Language: English

Topic: Visual perception and processing mechanisms

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801

OpenAlex ID: W2169833000

FWCI: 2.628

Cites: 54

Cited by: 216

Related to: 10