ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the relation between readers’ affect-related and cognitive individual differences. Given the emphasis in individual differences research and in the educational/policy context on cognitive outcomes and scores as what matter, this question is an opportunity to highlight the critical role of affective individual differences, and to bring to the fore the urgency of addressing these instructionally and in educational policy (as well as in the research). The chapter addresses why there is reason to think that affect-related individual differences are related to individual differences in readers’ cognitive processes and outcomes, and why we might expect to see certain patterns in how individual differences in affect might influence or be associated with individual differences in cognition. The chapter reviews the research on readers’ affective individual differences in connection with their cognitive processes and outcomes, organizing it by its focus on the reader, the text, or the task. Following the review of literature, the chapter turns to a broader discussion of gaps, addressing what the needs are for research in this area, whether they are being met, and if not, what barriers are standing in the way. Finally, the chapter considers the possibilities for bridging some of these gaps.
