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Cited by 211Visual perception and processing mechanismsAesthetic Perception and AnalysisFace Recognition and Perception

Micro-valences: perceiving affective valence in everyday objects

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Lebrecht, Sophie, Bar, Moshe, Barrett, Lisa Feldman, Tarr, Michael J.·2012·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00107PMC PMC3328080
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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.

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  • Valence should be construed as a property of object representations-that is, the affective response is bound to the percept, forming a unified representation, rather than being merely associated with it.

    “Lebrecht et al. (2012) found that even paradigmatically neutral objects such as coffee cups and clocks evoke measurable ‘micro-valences’, concluding that ‘valence should be construed as a property of object representations’—that is, the affective response is bound to the percept, forming a unified representation, rather than being merely associated with it.”

    From Self unbound: ego dissolution in psychedelic experience (2017) · cites this paper as Lebrecht et al. (2012)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Lebrecht, S., Bar, M., Barrett, L. F., & Tarr, M. J.
Affiliations
  • Brown University (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Northeastern University (US)
  • Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (US)
Corresponding author
Tarr, Michael J.
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2012
Volume
3
Pages
107-107
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00107
PMC
PMC3328080
OpenAlex
W2169833000
Cited by
211
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 59 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
FWCI
2.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • KiltHub Repository (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • KiltHub Repository
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Aesthetic Perception and Analysis
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
Keywords
emotional valence, everyday objects, object perception, visual recognition, perceptual representation

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