Authors: Andreas B Eder Jochen Müsseler Bernhard Hommel
Publish Date: 2011/03/27
Volume: 76, Issue: 1, Pages: 111-118
Abstract
Two experiments examined the hypothesis that preparing an action with a specific affective connotation involves the binding of this action to an affective code reflecting this connotation This integration into an action plan should lead to a temporary occupation of the affective code which should impair the concurrent representation of affectively congruent events such as the planning of another action with the same valence This hypothesis was tested with a dualtask setup that required a speeded choice between approach and avoidancetype lever movements after having planned and before having executed an evaluative button press In line with the codeoccupation hypothesis slower lever movements were observed when the lever movement was affectively compatible with the prepared evaluative button press than when the two actions were affectively incompatible Lever movements related to approach and avoidance and evaluative button presses thus seem to share a code that represents affective meaning A model of affective action control that is based on the theory of event coding is discussed
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