Abstract

Self-Validation Theory (SVT; Briñol & Petty, 2022) postulates that thoughts become more consequential for judgment and action as the perceived validity of the thoughts is increased. Instead of focusing on the objective accuracy of thoughts, self-validation research focuses on a subjective sense that one’s thoughts are valid or appropriate to use. People come to rely on any thought more when they perceive that thought is likely to be true (cognitive validation) or because they just feel good about the thought (affective validation). In this talk, I will highlight how this distinction between cognitive and affective validation is relevant for understanding the effects of emotions on cognition as well as the effect of other variables. Specifically, in the first part of the talk, I will describe several lines of research revealing how this distinction explains how one emotion (e.g., hope, curiosity, awe, surprise) can either increase or decrease thought use depending on the appraisal invoked within the emotion, accommodating contradictory results in the domain of emotion. In the second part of this talk, the distinction between hedonic vs. epistemic mindsets (differential appraisals) becomes relevant in other domains beyond emotions, such comparing wishful thinking vs. pessimistic realism, comparing the effects of high vs. low perceived knowledge, the effects of personal involvement, as well as the impact for artistic appreciation and production.

Related Reading
Briñol, P., & Petty, R. E. (2022). Self-validation theory: An integrative framework for understanding when thoughts become consequential. Psychological Review, 129(2), 340-367. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000340