Affective problem solving: emotion in research practice Lisa M. Osbeck • Nancy J. Nersessian Received: 24 May 2010 / Accepted: 16 June 2010 / Published online: 2 July 2010 Ó Springer-Verlag 2010 Abstract This paper presents an analysis of emotional and affectively toned discourse in biomedical engineering researchers’ accounts of their problem solving practices. Drawing from our interviews with scientists in two laboratories, we examine three classes of expression: explicit, figurative and metaphorical, and attributions of emotion to objects and artifacts important to laboratory practice. We consider the overall function of expressions in the particular problem solving contexts described. We argue that affective processes are engaged in problem solving, not as simply tacked onto reasoning but as integral to it. The examples we present illustrate the close relation of emotion to problem solving and experimen- tation; they also implicate social and cultural dimensions of emotion expression. The analysis underscores a need to consider emotional expression to be intimately and importantly tied to the cognitive achievements and social negotiations of laboratory practices. Keywords Emotion Á Affect Á Cognition Á Science practice Á Motivation Á Metaphor Á Problem solving 1 Introduction In recent decades, analyses of both the cognitive basis of emotion and the emotional basis of cognition have led to new questions concerning the clarity with which these processes can be distinguished meaningfully. Theories emphasizing the basis of L. M. Osbeck (&) Department of Psychology, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA 30118, USA e-mail: losbeck@westga.edu N. J. Nersessian School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0280, USA e-mail: nancyn@cc.gatech.edu 123 Mind Soc (2011) 10:57–78 DOI 10.1007/s11299-010-0074-1