Valenced Encounters: Exploring the Affective Component of Implicit Attitudes

Implicit attitudes typically involve a valence—an affective component that reflects a positive or, more often, negative appraisal of members of socially relevant categories. Surprisingly, however, discussions of implicit attitudes have paid little explicit attention to valence. In contrast, recent research on valenced perception has introduced a range of compelling perspectives. In this paper, we draw on insights from de Vignemont’s attitudinalist view of valenced perception, while ultimately defending a psychofunctionalist account: the Vehicle View of Valence. Our central thesis is that the valence of implicit attitudes is best explained by the psychofunctional properties of their representational vehicles. Understood in this way, valence plays a crucial role in shaping the discriminatory behaviour triggered by implicit attitudes.