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Emotional foundations of cognitive control
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Emotional foundations of cognitive control

Michael Inzlicht, Bruce D. Bartholow and Jacob B. Hirsh
Trends in cognitive sciences, Vol.19(3), pp.126-132
03/01/2015
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.01.004
PMCID: PMC4348332
PMID: 25659515

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Abstract

Often seen as the paragon of higher cognition, here we suggest that cognitive control is dependent on emotion. Rather than asking whether control is influenced by emotion, we ask whether control itself can be understood as an emotional process. Reviewing converging evidence from cybernetics, animal research, cognitive neuroscience, and social and personality psychology, we suggest that cognitive control is initiated when goal conflicts evoke phasic changes to emotional primitives that both focus attention on the presence of goal conflicts and energize conflict resolution to support goal-directed behavior. Critically, we propose that emotion is not an inert byproduct of conflict but is instrumental in recruiting control. Appreciating the emotional foundations of control leads to testable predictions that can spur future research.
Behavioral Sciences Life Sciences & Biomedicine Neurosciences Neurosciences & Neurology Psychology Psychology, Experimental Science & Technology Social Sciences

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