ABSTRACT
Higher level cognitive processes are characteristically human. Until recently, these processes were studied in a vacuum, separately from the
affective system, as if they were immune from such influence. This partition
may have stemmed from early conceptual distinctions between reason and passion, with its implicit hierarchical distinction. More recent approaches
propose a dynamic interaction between basic and complex processes,
between cognitive and affective variables, and between subcortical and cortical regions of the brain. In this paper, we review behavioural research
that has empirically examined these interactions, specifically focusing on
the impact of affective variables on higher level cognitive processes. Our review attempts to answer two main questions: First, is there an effect of
emotion on higher level cognitive functions? We examine four key
processes: interpretation, judgement, decision making, and reasoning. Second, we ask what mechanisms underlie this effect. In each section, we
examine whether the effect is general to all emotions or whether it is
different for specific emotions. Our review is not meant to be exhaustive, as the field is already too large
to be reviewed comprehensively in a single paper. Rather, we hope to
provide a relatively representative overview of some of the research on these
four key processes, emphasising selected questions concerning underlying mechanisms and our own view of potential directions for future research.
