Valence in perception: Are affective valence and visual brightness integral dimensions in visual experience?

A fundamental question in the domain of affect and conscious perception is whether the former can impact the latter. Traditionally, perception and affect were conceived as largely independent. Against this backdrop, it was recently argued that the affective valence of a stimulus can modulate the perceptual experience of its sensory features. An alternative hypothesis is that perceptual experiences have a valenced aspect over and above their sensory aspects, with these two aspects interacting and comprising integral perceptual dimensions. To test this, we carried out two experiments deploying Wendell Garner's speeded classification paradigm to decide whether visual brightness and affective valence are separable or integral dimensions. We found Garner interference, documenting that brightness and valence are integral dimensions. We did not observe effects of congruity – responses to bright positive stimuli were not faster than to bright negative stimuli — providing no support for affect induced changes in the perception of brightness.