Affiliation versus Hostility: Person by Situation Interactions and Divergent Responses to Warm Temperatures

• Other Authors: Fay, Adam J. (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Psychology; Neurosciences
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-8778

Recent experiments in embodied social cognition have documented a number of links between physical and psychological states. Warm temperature sensations, in particular, have been the subject of much investigation. Many studies have revealed links between warm temperatures and social affiliative processes, such that experiencing warm temperatures often activates affiliative cognitions and motivations. However, some studies also suggest that experiencing warm temperatures (or heat) can result in aggressive, antisocial responses. My own previous research includes evidence that warm temperature primes can elicit both affiliative and hostile social responses under different circumstances, although it is worth noting that those effects were demonstrated in different studies. The literature currently lacks a coherent account of why similar sensory experiences can motivate such divergent social cognitions and behaviors. The current work was designed to test whether divergent responses to warm temperatures can be explained by variations in the perceivers' social motives, and to test whether this divergence is mediated by variations in the extent to which warmth motivates attention to hostile versus affiliative social cues. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Spring Semester, 2014. === April 7, 2014. === Embodied Cognition, Self-Protection, Social Affiliation, Social Cognition, Warmth === Includes bibliographical references. === Jon K. Maner, Professor Directing Dissertation; John Corrigan, University Representative; Mary Gerend, Committee Member; Michael Kaschak, Committee Member; E. Ashby Plant, Committee Member.