The chapter by Blanchette and Richards (2010) in Cognition & Emotion reviews the numerous behavioral types of research that concern the impact of affective variables on higher-level cognitive processes. Namely, four processes are examined: “interpretation, judgment, decision making, and reasoning” (Blanchette & Richards, 2010, p. 561). They are represented as mind devices that form human cognition through the instances of the affect, which is, in turn, guided by emotions.
It is important that the authors differentiate integral and incidental affect. While the first one determines the constant, repeated emotional reactions to some events, the second is more situation-based. Next, the four key components of cognition are described. The first is interpretation, which is the ability to recognize and associate signs that cannot be comprehended plainly. It is stated, for example, that personality traits impact the interpretation function when people with more strained minds perceive adverse signals more often (Blanchette & Richards, 2010).
Moreover, they interpret them as dangerous and harmful; this is an incidental affect, and its impact is clearly demonstrated. Furthermore, judgment is defined as a cognitive process by which individuals reflect on events that are related to the future. Namely, this tool allows people to make up their minds on the question of whether it is worth undertaking some actions or not.
The following notion is decision making which somewhat resembles the judgment since it is also concerned with the outcomes. However, the difference between the two is that judgment is a more general reflection of the consequences, and decision-making is the process of choosing between several options. It was stated that mood (or affect) impacts this cognitive process, especially when an individual experiences stress (Blanchette & Richards, 2010). Finally, reasoning, which is rational thinking, has also been shown to be affected by emotions, although to a lesser degree than other processes.
Reference
Blanchette, I., & Richards, A. (2010). The influence of affect on higher level cognition: A review of research on interpretation, judgment, decision making and reasoning. Cognition & Emotion, 24(4), 561–595.