Affective Flexibility: Evaluative Processing Goals Shape Amygdala Activity
Abstract
Although early research implicated the amygdala in automatic processing of negative information, more recent research suggests that it plays a more general role in processing the motivational relevance of various stimuli, suggesting that the relation between valence and amygdala activation may depend on contextual goals. This study provides experimental evidence that the relation between valence and amygdala activity is dynamically modulated by evaluative goals. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants evaluated the positive, negative, or overall (positive plus negative) aspects of famous people. When participants were providing overall evaluations, both positive and negative names were associated with amygdala activation. When they were evaluating positivity, positive names were associated with amygdala activity, and when they were evaluating negativity, negative names were associated with amygdala activity. Evidence for a negativity bias was found; modulation was more pronounced for positive than for negative information. These data suggest that the amygdala flexibly processes motivationally relevant evaluative information in accordance with current processing goals, but processes negative information less flexibly than positive information.
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Construal or categorization can even shape automatic evaluations of stimuli with strong affective associations.
“Thus, construal or categorization can even shape automatic evaluations of stimuli with strong affective associations [36].”
From The Importance of Moral Construal: Moral versus Non-Moral Construal Elicits Faster, More Extreme, Universal Evaluations of the Same Actions (2012) · cites this paper as [36]
Many neural component processes-especially those involved in representing value-are likely common to both moral and non-moral forms of evaluation.
“Many neural component processes—especially those involved in representing value—are likely common to both forms of evaluation [36].”
From The Importance of Moral Construal: Moral versus Non-Moral Construal Elicits Faster, More Extreme, Universal Evaluations of the Same Actions (2012) · cites this paper as [36]
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- Authors
- Cunningham, W. A., Van Bavel, J. J., & Johnsen, I. R.
- Affiliations
- The Ohio State University (US)
- The Ohio State University
- Corresponding author
- Cunningham, William A.
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2008-02
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 152-160
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W2131439590
- Cited by
- 260
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 30
- FWCI
- 10.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- amygdala, affective flexibility, valence, negativity bias, motivational relevance, emotional processing, processing goals
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Amygdala, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male
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