Individual differences in motivational self-focus modulate context-based affective attention flexibility toward goal-relevant information: An eye-tracking study

Flexible attention toward relevant positive or negative information depending on specific contextual affective goals underlies resilience and is thought to be modulated by individual differences in motivational self-focuses. In this study, it was tested how promotion and prevention motivational self-focuses modulate context-based affective attention flexibility toward goal-relevant emotional information. A sample of 102 participants with different promotion and prevention levels completed a novel eye-tracking task, requiring switching attention toward positive or negative goal-relevant emotional information in different motivationally relevant contexts. High promotion participants showed difficulties in affective attention switching (i.e., less flexibility) in prevention but not in promotion contexts. Conversely, high prevention participants showed difficulties in affective attention switching in promotion but not in prevention contexts. Results thus support that contextual affective attention flexibility depends on specific motivational self-focuses.