Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Many things in life are ambivalent, and it might sometimes be useful or necessary to ignore their positive attributes when judging their negative attributes and vice versa. Cross-valence inhibition may complicate this task, leading people to underestimate the positive and negative attributes of ambivalent stimuli. In three studies (total N = 155), participants learned to associate combined evaluative information (gains and losses) with attributes of unfamiliar objects (size and colour of Chernoff faces). Participants then estimated (Studies 1-3) or experienced and recalled (Study 3) the gains and losses associated with novel ambivalent attribute combinations. As predicted, both in estimation and recall, participants rated gains (losses) to be lower, the higher the losses (gains) associated with the stimulus. The effect occurred only when the two attributes were evaluatively conflicting (Study 2). Cross-valence inhibition might lead to maladaptive behaviour when positive and negative attributes are in fact separable in hedonic experience.
DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12571
Authors: Pierpaolo Primoceri, Johannes Ullrich
Institution: University of Zurich
Language: English
Subfield: General Decision Sciences
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,850
OpenAlex ID: W4294751420