Affect, Salience, and Valence: Definitions, Correlations, and More

 

Affect, Salience, and Valence:

 Definitions, Correlations, and

 More

Writ by Jesse Lee

Affect:

• Definition: Refers to the subjective experience of emotion, encompassing both the feeling itself and the physiological and behavioral changes associated with it.

• Etymology: Derived from the Latin "affectus," meaning "feeling" or "disposition."

• Correlations: Affect is closely linked with both salience and valence. Salience influences which stimuli capture our attention and elicit emotions, while valence determines whether those emotions are positive or negative.

• Causation: Difficult to establish clear causal relationships between affect and other psychological processes. However, research suggests that affect can influence cognitive processes like attention and memory, and vice versa.

• Etiology: The causes of affect can be complex and multifaceted, involving individual differences, environmental factors, and biological predispositions.

Salience:

• Definition: Refers to the prominence or importance of a stimulus, indicating how much it captures our attention and resources.

• Etymology: Derived from the Latin "salire," meaning "to leap" or "to stand out."

• Correlations: Salience is strongly linked with both attention and affect. Salient stimuli are more likely to attract attention and elicit emotional responses.

• Causation: Salience can be caused by various factors, including the inherent properties of a stimulus (e.g., brightness, novelty), its emotional content, and its relevance to an individual's goals and needs.

• Etiology: The factors influencing salience vary depending on the context and individual characteristics.

Valence:

• Definition: Refers to the emotional quality or pleasantness of an experience, categorized as positive, negative, or neutral.

• Etymology: Derived from the Latin "valere," meaning "to be strong" or "to be worth."

• Correlations: Valence is closely linked with both affect and motivation. Positive valence motivates approach behavior, while negative valence motivates avoidance.

• Causation: The valence of an experience can be determined by various factors, including biological predispositions, past experiences, and the current context.

• Etiology: The factors influencing valence are complex and involve interactions between genetics, environment, and individual cognitive processes.

Delving Deeper into Affect, Salience, and Valence: A Symphony of Psychological Force

Affect Three principal dimensions arousal   Wishes motivation intensity Urges Valence Affect: The maestro of the ensemble, affect embodies the subjective feeling of emotion. It's the joy of a sunny day, the sting of disappointment, the simmering anger towards injustice. Its etymology ("affectus" in Latin) hints at its power to "dispose" us towards certain actions or judgments. While difficult to pinpoint the exact causation of our feelings, they undoubtedly influence our thoughts, memories, and behaviors. Imagine the orchestra's tempo, the emotional intensity, dictating the flow of the music.
Emotion	arousal Linked to emotion in Nervous System
Valence: The conductor's choice of music, valence defines the emotional quality of our experience – the positive, negative, or neutral character of a situation. It's the triumphant crescendo of a victory, the mournful dirge of loss, the soothing lull of contentment.  Its etymology ("valere" in Latin) translates to "being strong" or "having worth," reflecting its ability to influence our motivations. Positive valence motivates us to approach, like a cheerful melody inviting us to dance, while negative valence triggers avoidance, similar to a jarring discord prompting us to cover our ears.	Valence Kurt Lewin Germen=Valenz Hedonic tone Emotional dimension Intensity of how good/positive or bad/negative a feeling Russell 1980 and wundt 1896 Valence is subjective   measured by  facial action coding system  micro expressions  muscle activity  detected through  facial electromyography functional  Brain imaging  perceived emotional   facial expressions  represented in   right posterior Superior temporal sulcus and medial prefrontal cortex
Salience limitations on cognitive and perceptual abilities demand an attention mechanism to focus on  most important data information Variables used to detect salience  color  size  position Strength of stimuls entorhinal cortex   pathway into the hippocampus  memory network pulvinar nuclei  (in the thalamus)  modulate physical/perceptual  salience in attentional selection	Salience: The spotlight operator, salience determines which stimuli grab our attention and stand out from the background noise. It's the flashing red light on a fire truck, the captivating melody of a loved one's voice, the urgency of a deadline. Its origin ("salire" in Latin) speaks to its ability to "leap" into our awareness. Salience is correlated with both attention and affect. A salient stimulus is more likely to capture our focus and trigger an emotional response, just as a bright spotlight illuminates a specific section of the stage, drawing our gaze. Bottoms up visual detection system called  visual saliency detection based on special and temporal attention
neurons D1-type medium spiny  within the nucleus accumbens shell  (NAcc shell)   appetitive motivational salience  "want" "desire" motivational component  aka incentive salience  rewarding stimuli  neurons D2-type medium spiny neurons within the NAcc shell  assigns aversive motivational salience to aversive stimuli primary visual cortex (V1)  generates a bottom-up saliency map[8][9]  visual inputs to guide reflexive attentional shifts or gaze shifts.  V1 Saliency Hypothesis  saliency is higher when V1 neurons give higher responses  V1 neurons' responses to other visual locations.	Relating to motivation in that  positive feelings  are approachable  negative feelings  to be avoided (Schneirla, 1959) Conflict between valence-carriers is called ambivalence The Interplay: These three forces are not soloists; they perform in a beautiful, intricate dance. A highly salient event, like a loud argument, can trigger a strong affect of anger or fear, depending on its valence. Conversely, our current emotional state can influence what we find salient. Feeling anxious might make us hyper-focused on potential threats, while happiness might make us more receptive to positive stimuli.