Influential theories have argued that affective processing is fundamentally different from cognitive processing. Others have suggested that theoretical boundaries between affective and cognitive processing are artificial and inherently problematic. Over recent years, different positions on these issues have fueled many empirical studies investigating the mechanisms underlying cognitive and affective processing. Where and on what basis should we draw the line between cognition and emotion? Are there fundamental distinctions to be made between the way emotion influences cognition and cognition influences emotion? This Research Topic will explore the nature of the reciprocal interaction between emotion and cognition from a functional perspective.
We will focus on the following main questions:
• Why and how does emotion drive information processing and cognition steer affective processing?
• Are there fundamental differences between these two ‘sides’ of the emotion-cognition interface?
• How does the reciprocal interaction between emotion and cognition lead to adaptive behavior?
We call for different viewpoints on fundamental issues in the interaction between affect and cognition and seek to gather empirical and theoretical contributions based on various approaches and methodologies from cognitive, social, behavioral, affective, and neuroscientific disciplines alike. Bringing together a wide range of contributions will hopefully allow an integrative understanding of empirical evidence and theoretical ideas in order to identify exciting avenues for future research.
Influential theories have argued that affective processing is fundamentally different from cognitive processing. Others have suggested that theoretical boundaries between affective and cognitive processing are artificial and inherently problematic. Over recent years, different positions on these issues have fueled many empirical studies investigating the mechanisms underlying cognitive and affective processing. Where and on what basis should we draw the line between cognition and emotion? Are there fundamental distinctions to be made between the way emotion influences cognition and cognition influences emotion? This Research Topic will explore the nature of the reciprocal interaction between emotion and cognition from a functional perspective.
We will focus on the following main questions:
• Why and how does emotion drive information processing and cognition steer affective processing?
• Are there fundamental differences between these two ‘sides’ of the emotion-cognition interface?
• How does the reciprocal interaction between emotion and cognition lead to adaptive behavior?
We call for different viewpoints on fundamental issues in the interaction between affect and cognition and seek to gather empirical and theoretical contributions based on various approaches and methodologies from cognitive, social, behavioral, affective, and neuroscientific disciplines alike. Bringing together a wide range of contributions will hopefully allow an integrative understanding of empirical evidence and theoretical ideas in order to identify exciting avenues for future research.