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. 2023 Sep 12;4(3):429-442.
doi: 10.1007/s42761-023-00220-2. eCollection 2023 Sep.

The Future of Affective Science: Introduction to the Special Issue

Michelle N Shiota  1 , Linda A Camras  2 , Ralph Adolphs  3
Affiliations

The Future of Affective Science: Introduction to the Special Issue

Michelle N Shiota et al. Affect Sci. .

Abstract

Modern affective science-the empirical study of emotional responding and affective experience-has been active for a half-century. The Future of Affective Science special issue considers the history of this field and proposes new directions for the decades ahead. Contributors represent diverse theoretical perspectives, methodological expertise, and domains of study, and the special issue includes both literature reviews and new empirical studies as illustrations. This introductory article synthesizes the contributions, articulating the broader context of the current status of our field and highlighting common themes across articles as well as gaps notable even in this special issue. Sections of the article address theoretical and conceptual issues, research methodology, the questions we ask, and translation of basic affective science to applied domains. We conclude that much has been learned from the first 50 years of affective science, and it is now time for new theories, new research questions, and innovative methods for the decades ahead.

Keywords: Affect; Emotion; Research methods.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of InterestThe authors declare no competing interests.

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