title: Emotional foundations of cognitive control.
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.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada; Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada. Electronic address: michael.inzlicht@utoronto.ca.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Inzlicht
authors: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, 210 McAlester Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
authors: Bruce D
authors: BD
authors: Bartholow
authors: Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada.
authors: Jacob B
authors: JB
authors: Hirsh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological
keywords: anterior cingulate cortex; anxiety; cognitive control; emotion; motivation