Emotion and information search in tactical decision-making: Moderator effects of feedback

Information search during decision-making may be influenced both by selective attention and by the criterion used for ceasing
to search. When the items searched are themselves emotive, the affective state of the decision-maker may bias these search
processes. If an automatic selective attention bias operates, it may produce mood-congruent effects irrespective of context;
e.g., negative affect may focus attention on negative items of information. An alternative possibility, suggested by the mood-as-input
model, is that the influence of affect on search may depend on how decision-makers understand their emotions within a given
context. The present study tested predictions derived from relevant theories of affective bias, using feedback as a means
to generate a context of success or failure. Hundred and sixty participants were required to access positive and negative
items of information in choosing between different routes for a search-and-rescue mission. Outcomes of choices were manipulated
experimentally, so that in one condition participants received mostly positive feedback, and in a second condition participants
received mostly negative feedback. Results showed that the feedback manipulation influenced affect, but there was considerable
variation in affective state within each condition. Associations between affect and information search were moderated by feedback
condition. For example, positive affect was associated with more frequent sampling of positive information in the negative
feedback condition, but the association reversed when feedback was positive. Findings were consistent with the mood-as-input
hypothesis, but not with an automatic selective attention bias. Context may influence how the decision-maker interprets their
affective state.