Dataset: Valence and Arousal of Words in Visual and Conceptual Interference Control Efficiency

Cognitive control efficiency is susceptible to the emotional state of an
individual. The aim of the current experiment was to search for the role of
valence and arousal of emotion-laden words in a performance efficiency of a
modified emotional Stroop task (EST) combined with the flanker task. Both
paradigms allow for the measurement of the interference control, but
interference appears on different stages of stimulus processing. In the flanker
task, the interference is perceptual, while in EST, it is based on the
emotional meaning of stimuli. We expected to find the effects of emotionality
of words, that is, arousal and valence levels, for interference measured with
EST. In a series of two experiments, the results confirmed that a high arousal
level enlarges the reaction latencies to the EST. We also identified
interaction between valence and arousal in shaping reaction latencies. We found
the flanker congruency effect. We did not find interactions between emotional
factors and flanker congruency. This suggests that interference measured with
the EST and flanker task are in fact different from one another, and while
using the modified EST combined with the flanker task, the word-meaning effects
do not interfere with pure perceptual interferences.