Nhận biết (M1)

People tend to assume that being happy is the ideal emotional state and should be an ongoing aspiration; recently, however, research has suggested that it is at times beneficial to embrace negative emotions. To test whether anger can contribute to problem-solving abilities, researcher Heather Lench led an experiment in which participants were randomly assigned to view images designed to create an emotional condition—either neutral or one of anger, amusement, desire, or sadness. When asked to then solve a series of challenging puzzles, the participants in the anger condition had greater success than those in the other conditions.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

• A.

  It explains an assumption underlying the hypothesis investigated in the study discussed in the text.

• B.

  It suggests a psychological basis for the behavior of the participants in the experiment presented in the text.

• C.

  It notes a generally accepted belief that is called into question by a finding of the experiment outlined in the text.

• D.

  It describes a general psychological tendency that the study discussed in the text was designed to explain.