تاثير القاي عاطفه مثبت بر ميزان عاطفه مثبت و كاركردهاي شناختي : آزمون نظريه عصب - روانشناختي دوپامين

The Effects of Induced Positive Affect on the Level of Positive Affect and Cognitive Functions: Testing the Dopamine Neuropsychological Theory

Objective: Based on the current theories of the relation between cognition and affect and the contemporary positive psychology movements, the present research assessed the effectiveness of induced positive affect on the level of positive affect and on high- versus low- dopamine-sensitive cognitive tasks (DSCTs versus LDSTs). Method: In a controlled experiment, the subjects who were 30 students of psychology at Ferdowi University, Mashad, were selected through sequential sampling and were randomly divided into two groups (experimental and control) of 15 individuals. The subjects in the experimental group were given an unanticipated small gift, and were tested for the level of positive affect and cognitive function with high (Stroop and similarities) and low (associative and visual memory) dopamine sensitive tasks. Results: The results showed that inducing positive affect significantly increased the level of positive affect and facilitated DSCTs (except the Stroop test I, automatic attention) better than LDSTs. Conclusion: The findings of the study support the dopamine neuropsychological theory regarding the effects of positive affect on cognitive functions. The results also have some theoretical and practical implications in clarifying the interaction between cognition and affect, and the role of positive affect in improving cognitive functioning and problem solving skills in social relations. Comparing the effectiveness of different methods of inducing positive affect, and measuring the impact on a wider range of cognitive functions in different populations in future studies would endorse the theories on effects of mood on cognition.