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Emojis and affective priming in visual word recognition.

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Title: Emojis and affective priming in visual word recognition.
Authors: Stoianov, Demian (AUTHOR), Kemp, Nenagh (AUTHOR), Wegener, Signy (AUTHOR), Beyersmann, Elisabeth (AUTHOR)
Source: Cognition & Emotion. Nov2025, Vol. 39 Issue 7, p1594-1608. 15p.
Subjects: Emoticons & emojis, Word recognition, Affect (Psychology), Cognitive psychology, Digital communications, Facial expression, Emotional conditioning
Abstract: Emojis are frequently used in digital communication to supplement the lack of non-verbal cues, but their integration during reading has not been thoroughly examined. This study explores the interplay between language and emotion by testing the influence of emotional valence and face-status of emojis on visual word recognition. Two online experiments were conducted with 92 native English-speaking university students, examining priming effects between congruent (e.g. delicious) and incongruent (e.g. hate) prime-target pairs, varying the face-status of the emoji prime (face vs. non-face) and the valence (positive vs. negative) of the word target. Irrespective of valence, face emojis demonstrated a processing advantage over non-face emojis, implying automatic attention capture. Additionally, the results revealed an interaction between prime-target congruency and valence, with a facilitatory effect for positive, but not negative, items, suggesting a valence-specific mechanism of affective priming in the lexical decision task. The research suggests that the rapid integration of emoji content occurs during the early stages of visual word recognition, with heightened attentional sensitivity to both face-like and positive stimuli when reading digital communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Cognition & Emotion is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Emojis and affective priming in visual word recognition.
– Name: Author
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stoianov%2C+Demian%22">Stoianov, Demian</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kemp%2C+Nenagh%22">Kemp, Nenagh</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wegener%2C+Signy%22">Wegener, Signy</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Beyersmann%2C+Elisabeth%22">Beyersmann, Elisabeth</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Cognition+%26+Emotion%22">Cognition & Emotion</searchLink>. Nov2025, Vol. 39 Issue 7, p1594-1608. 15p.
– Name: Subject
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emoticons+%26+emojis%22">Emoticons & emojis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Word+recognition%22">Word recognition</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Affect+%28Psychology%29%22">Affect (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+psychology%22">Cognitive psychology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Digital+communications%22">Digital communications</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Facial+expression%22">Facial expression</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotional+conditioning%22">Emotional conditioning</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Emojis are frequently used in digital communication to supplement the lack of non-verbal cues, but their integration during reading has not been thoroughly examined. This study explores the interplay between language and emotion by testing the influence of emotional valence and face-status of emojis on visual word recognition. Two online experiments were conducted with 92 native English-speaking university students, examining priming effects between congruent (e.g. delicious) and incongruent (e.g. hate) prime-target pairs, varying the face-status of the emoji prime (face vs. non-face) and the valence (positive vs. negative) of the word target. Irrespective of valence, face emojis demonstrated a processing advantage over non-face emojis, implying automatic attention capture. Additionally, the results revealed an interaction between prime-target congruency and valence, with a facilitatory effect for positive, but not negative, items, suggesting a valence-specific mechanism of affective priming in the lexical decision task. The research suggests that the rapid integration of emoji content occurs during the early stages of visual word recognition, with heightened attentional sensitivity to both face-like and positive stimuli when reading digital communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Cognition & Emotion is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=188877024
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        Value: 10.1080/02699931.2024.2402492
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Affect (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: Facial expression
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              Text: Nov2025
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